Spotify is testing “Car Thing” with a select group of invited Spotify Premium users in the US.
Car Thing was developed to help Spotify learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts.
Spotify is an online audio streaming platform that enables users to browse and listen to millions of songs that are available in its catalogue. While the software based service is doing rather well, the company has announced that it is testing new hardware called the ‘Car Thing,’ which is voice enabled. As the name suggests, the new device is meant to be used in a car and it is being tested with some Spotify Premium users in the US who will receive the hardware for free. The company says it doesn’t want to create hardware but is inclined to learn more about how people listen to audio in their car.
“While we know there has been some speculation about our future plans, Car Thing was developed to help us learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts. Our focus remains on becoming the world’s number one audio platform—not on creating hardware.” Spotify states in a blog post. While unclear, by the way Spotify describes its “Car Thing,” it could be hardware that plugs into a 12-volt outlet and can be connected to both the car and a user’s phone via Bluetooth. The company says it could also do similar voice-specific tests in the future, “so don’t be surprised if you hear about “Voice Thing” and “Home Thing.””
Spotify says it has no plans to make Car Thing available to the masses but it says it will learn from this test and improve its services. It seems like the audio streaming service is preparing to take on smart assistants like Alexa by Amazon and Google Assistant. However, it might not be looking to develop a new digital assiatant but create something similar that can be used when listening to audio via Spotify.
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