Spotify’s alleged Car Thing device has emerged yet again – this time in some iOS code.
Spotify first announced who was testing a “voice-controlled podcast and music device” called Car Thing in 2019. Spotify was very specific at the time when its “focus continues to become the number one audio platform in the world – not hardware creation. “, Nonetheless FCC filings from the beginning of this year it certainly seemed to indicate that Spotify was at least messing with the design of the device, since the one in its 2019 mockup looked different from the one depicted in the FCC archival footage.
In addition, the language contained in a confidentiality file stated that the company had “made a substantial effort in the development of this product and is one of the first of its kind in the industry. Having the subject information readily available to the ‘competition’ would nullify the advantage they achieved with the development of this product. Failure to protect the details of the project will result in financial difficulties. ”Although it is possibly a mere formality, the order certainly looks like the company has really invested heavily in the development of the Car Thing.
Images that seem to portray Car Thing shared by Steve Moser in Twitter and reported by MacRumors supposedly appeared in the iOS code of the Spotify app. These images show a horizontally oriented smartphone-like screen with a knob and buttons. It is very similar to an image contained in the FCC file. You are expected to connect via Bluetooth.
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Originally, Car Thing was available as a limited test with a “small group” of premium Spotify users who were invited to participate. The company said in 2019 that it was developed “to help us learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts”, but also noted that other products like “Voice Thing” or “Home Thing” could be developed in the same way to understand how subscribers use your platform.
Spotify did not immediately respond to a request for comment on recent images and their plans for Car Thing, but we will update if we hear back.