Towards the end of 2021, Spotify unveiled its own in-car hardware with the brilliant name of Spotify Car Thing. It's come at an interesting time when many vehicles on the road can use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Although some Spotify Premium users were able to snag one for free, is it worth the current MSRP of $89.99? Here's everything you need to know about the Spotify Car Thing.

What Can Spotify Car Thing Do?

Remember when we had a separate device for everything in our lives? We used a GPS unit to guide us as we drive, an MP3 player to simply play our music, and our phone, purely for communication.

Spotify Car Thing harkens back to these simpler times by providing a piece of hardware that does nothing but play music from our Spotify library.

Now our smartphones can do all the above, which makes some wonder why Spotify Car Thing even exists. Here's everything Spotify Car Thing can do and why it still has its place in the 2020s.

1. Voice Recognition

One of the most important features of this device is its voice recognition software, which will help drivers change playlists, songs, artists, and more without being distracted from the road.

Spotify advertises a couple of essential commands like "play" and "show." Drivers can tell Spotify Car Thing to play something by saying, "Hey, Spotify!" and it will be able to play a specific playlist, song, artist, podcast, and anything else in your library.

You can also ask Spotify to show content with voice commands such as "show my podcasts," which will bring up only your podcast library for you to browse. Although this may present a slightly more distracted driving opportunity, it's nice that this option is there.

Opposed to using your smartphone, Spotify Car Thing displays larger tappable images, making it easier to tap the correct podcast, song, etc., without missing.

2. Physical Buttons

Unlike your smartphone, Spotify Car Thing comes with a few buttons that make using the hardware a little easier while in the car.

You'll notice a large dial on the front of the device to scroll through your library; you can also press this dial to select a song. Beneath the dial is a smaller back button that directs you to the previous screen.

On the top, you'll find four customizable preset buttons. You can use them to register anything, such as your favorite podcasts and playlists. Also on the device is a button to go to the Spotify Car Thing's settings menu.

These may seem like small things, but while driving, these physical buttons allow the driver more peace of mind of knowing exactly what they're selecting without needing to take their eyes off the road.

3. Convenience Features

Spotify Car Thing wants the device to be as easy and seamless as possible. Every time you hop in your car, your phone will automatically connect to Spotify Car Thing, making playing your music quicker than even opening up the Spotify app on your phone.

The device also comes with three different mounts you can place on various parts of the car, including a CD mount, a dash mount, and a vent mount.

All the UI elements are larger than in the Spotify mobile app, making them easier to see and tap while driving. Although Spotify once offered Car View in the app, which gave users much larger playback controls, it came at the expense of usability.

What Other Options Exist?

Spotify Car Thing is an interesting piece of hardware that is a great fit for those with older vehicles without an intuitive in-car infotainment system. But what are the alternatives to this $90 dependent media player?

1. Android Auto & Apple CarPlay

Today, most new vehicles come with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Both the systems are fantastic, as they replace auto manufacturers' mostly horrible infotainment systems.

They do more than Spotify Car Thing by integrating several navigation apps, reading your text messages, letting you respond to texts and phone calls, as welln as supporting several multimedia apps like Pocket Casts, Spotify, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and more.

If you own a vehicle with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, you most likely aren't looking at purchasing a Spotify Car thing. However, Spotify does mention on its Car Thing product page that the device is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so maybe there is a market for those who just want an additional device like this, despite having a great infotainment system.

2. Smartphones

Smartphones are the most common reason for people not wanting a Spotify Car Thing. People who own older vehicles without sufficient in-car infotainment systems are already used to mounting their phones on their dashboard or vents and using the built-in voice assistant to change songs. Smartphones also have all your other apps built-in, like your navigation.

However, this is where Spotify Car Thing shows its advantages. With a smartphone, you can get distracted by switching between navigation and music applications, all with a charging cord in your way at times. Spotify Car Thing is out of the way and used solely to play music and podcasts. You can have your GPS on your phone while controlling your music separately.

Spotify Car Thing also has easy-to-use physical buttons and large UI elements for convenience, making it a better fit for some people than simply using a smartphone.

3. Third-Party Infotainment Systems

The last real alternative to Spotify Car Thing is third-party infotainment systems. These usually need to get installed in your vehicle and are expensive, but now have the convenience of coming with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Once installed, it should work as if your car came with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in the first place.

Infotainment systems from BOSS and Pioneer look nice and have various features but can retail for around $300. Although some people find them worth the cost, it's a hefty price to pay for being able to play music slightly more conveniently on your drives.

Is Spotify Car Thing Worth All the Hype?

If you have an older car and want an affordable way to play your music more conveniently on your daily commute and road trips, the Spotify Car Thing is for you. Uber drivers also seem to like having Spotify Car Thing in their cars so that passengers can control the music directly from their phones.

Spotify Car Thing has some fantastic features, such as the four customizable preset buttons, and is a great idea for most people who need this technology. Right now, it's at a confusing price of $89.99, but once the price goes down, it should be an easier buy for plenty of Spotify Premium users.