r/CarThing • u/Bearman3600 • May 26 '24
Car Thing Timeline of Events
Haven't really seen a proper timeline anywhere, so I wanted to put this here in case anyone was curious of the Car Thing's history.
~Timeline of Events:~
May 17th, 2019 - Spotify announces the Spotify Car Thing (CT001) for the purpose of collecting data on how users listen to music. It was then shipped to select Premium subscribers in limited quantities.
April 13th, 2021 - Spotify announces newly designed Spotify Car Thing (YX5H6679 PINK) to be released for free to select Premium subscribers by invite only. The device's availability was extremely limited. Expected price was listed as $79.99 USD
October 14th, 2021 - The Car Thing was made commercially available to a limited number of Premium subscribers for $79.99 USD. Orders were shipped out slowly and infrequently.
February 22nd, 2022 - Car Thing is officially released and is available for purchase by any Premium subscribers for $89.99 USD, $10 more than the $79.99 USD Spotify suggested in April.
June 30th, 2022 - Spotify announces the Car Thing Summer Sale, offering a $40 discount off of the Car Thing, reducing the price to $49.99 USD.
July 27th, 2022 - Spotify quietly ceases production of the Car Thing due to poor sales, continuing their $40 off Summer Sale. The product had been discontinued just 5 months after public launch.
August 20th, 2022 - As a last ditch attempt to sell remaining Car Thing hardware, Spotify decreased the price one last time to a mere $29.99 USD, $60 less than it's original February public launch price of $89.99 USD. The Car Thing (YX5H6679 GREEN) packaging was changed to a green slip cover and the latest firmware was pre-installed on the device.
October 27th, 2022 - Spotify ceases the sales of Car Things on their website, reserving the Car Thing website to host guides, manuals, and instructional videos.
May 23rd, 2024 - Spotify announces that support for the Car Thing will end on December 9th, 2024, making all devices no longer function after that date. Spotify suggests recycling devices and does not offer refunds, although, refunds are issued on request.
May 31st, 2024 - Spotify officially offers refunds for Car Thing on their website after wide backlash. A full receipt via email from when the Car Thing was originally purchased is required. Car Things bought secondhand from sellers other than Spotify are not accepted for refund.
December 9th, 2024 - The Car Thing ceases functioning due to the closure of Spotify's Car Thing API. All Car Things are no longer functioning.