It is a fundamental rule of the road: the driver chooses the music.
And yet, in a blatant challenge to the immutable laws of the universe, Spotify has chosen to interfere with this golden rule by expanding its group session beta to cars. As of today, up to six people in the car can control the music at the same time, starting with Polestar 2 with Android Automotive technology.
“We all know that sometimes the driver doesn’t have the best musical taste and my family tends to agree. The addition of Spotify’s Group Sessions Beta is a great way for others in the vehicle to influence the playlist and enjoy their favorite tracks, ”commented Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, a man who clearly cannot be trusted with the powers playlist.
The group session was launched last year as a beta version and is limited to premium Spotify subscribers; once a host starts a session, up to five other users can join, giving them full (shared) control over the playlist and the power to play, pause and skip tracks at will. And, of course, it is a useful resource when you are going out with friends in the low-risk environments of a barbecue or dinner.
Fortunately, there are safeguards: the driver still apparently has the power to revoke access at any time (because, again, driver chooses the song!) But when it comes to the delicate balance of an hour-long trip, Spotify is still playing with fire here. You same Do you want to risk your friend bombing you with Nickelback songs every two tracks all the way to Pittsburgh?
That said, the potential drop into carpool chaos is limited, for now. The expanded beta version of the Group Session is only available on Polestar 2 – currently the only car on the market that runs Android Automotive – but presumably, as Google’s smart car platform continues to arrive in more cars in the future, it will be more widely available .