Spotify’s Car Thing has been officially discontinued and bricked as of December 9, 2024.
However, some users have found ways to bypass the brick and continue using the device. These solutions range from avoiding updating the Spotify app to pressing a button combo while the device is booting to bypass the discontinuation screen.
There are also community projects that offer a second life to Car Thing.
Spotify launched the Car Thing in 2021, but the dedicated Spotify player for your car didn’t last very long. In May 2024, Spotify announced its decision to brick the device on December 9, 2024. That day has come and gone, and as expected, Spotify Car Thing owners are finding that their devices have been unceremoniously bricked. However, it turns out you can bypass the brick for now.
As a Redditor showed off, their Car Thing displayed a basic message upon boot, informing the user about its demise: