FCC approval shows new version Spotify Car Thing

The FCC approval shows the hardware of a new version of Spotify Car Thing, a device to stream music from the service in the car and control it with voice commands. It is still unknown if and when Car Thing will be released.

Although Spotify has asked the FCC to keep photos under wraps for six months, the test report still contains photos of the device. Because there is a ruler next to it, you can see that the device is around 12×6.5 cm in size. That is slightly larger than, say, an iPhone 4, but much smaller than today’s smartphones.

There is a large button on the housing for operation. According to Spotify, it is a “voice-activated accessory for the phone and Spotify app with a screen and buttons”. In addition, the device has bluetooth to communicate with a car system and power comes from a 12V socket in the car itself. Spotify confirms to The Verge that it is still working on Car Thing, without saying whether the device will be released.

The Swedish music service said it was already testing the hardware two years ago. According to Spotify, the main goal is to find out how people use Spotify in the car and there are no immediate plans to release the hardware on a large scale. It is also not immediately clear what information Spotify hopes to gather. The company emphasizes that it remains a streaming service at its core and that hardware does not occupy an important place in its business plans.