Where has Spotify Car View gone?
Image Credit: Spotify
Can I listen to Spotify in my car? Not easily.
Spotify car view is being retired. If you can’t see it as an option in settings in the Spotify mobile app, it’s gone for you as well.
Car view allowed drivers to have their phone connected to Bluetooth with Spotify loaded with larger icons and no distractions like menus or album art. Currently car view seems to be still available on iOS, but not Android devices. There’s been no confirmation from Spotify if any replacement software is planned.
Rumour has it Spotify is gearing up to replace car view with its Car Thing hardware, a separate device for streaming music whilst driving.
Users on this thread certainly haven’t taken the news well, with complaints that removing the feature without providing a replacement makes driving more dangerous. The removal was quietly confirmed on a support thread last month, where moderators said the Now Playing View for Android was also disappearing.
Spotify moderators said: “We can confirm that we’re retiring the car view feature. This however doesn’t mean we don’t want to improve on how our users listen to Spotify while driving. On the contrary, we’re actively exploring a variety of new ways to deliver the best in-car listening experience.”
“Think of retiring car-view as something that needs to happen in an effort to make way for new innovations coming down the track.
Spotify suggested using Google Assistant on Android instead, and that iOS users can ask Siri to play tracks; both platforms allow Spotify to be controlled through Google Maps.
Car Thing is Spotify’s first foray into hardware, a $79.99 in-car player with touch and voice controls. Spotify expanded the waitlist for ordering the device last month – around the same time as announcing the retirement of car view, in fact. A release date for Car Thing has yet to be announced.
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