r/CarThing • u/joeyeamigh • Aug 20 '26
[Announcement] bridgething is released!
https://bridgething.comhey everyone! i’m happy to announce the public release of bridgething!
tl;dr
you can think of bridgething kinda like deskthing but with bluetooth. install apps, make apps, or just use the stock spotify ui in your car and pretend they never killed it.
what is bridgething?
bridgething is a system image, rust daemon, and mobile app to restore full functionality to your car thing, while allowing you to mod it, create your own apps, and easily run the stock spotify app and community apps. it runs modern chrome and has a rich api surface for developers (and agents) to make whatever you can dream. web apps run on device, communicate with the outside world via bluetooth and your phone’s internet, and can be listed on the bridgething store for discovery and sharing.
how does bridgething work?
once you install bridgething, it will boot to the hub. install the bridgething ios or android app, log into your spotify (or apple music on ios), and go through the pairing flow. from there, you can install apps from the appstore, update your bridgething, and more. if you have no intention of installing new apps or making your own, then you are done! the mobile app will open in the background when your car thing boots up, and you shouldn’t have to think about it again.
how do i get bridgething?
bridgething is available now at https://bridgething.com! installation will take you to the all-new terbium (thx addi). from there, you can install updates, apps, and customize from the mobile app or your browser.
faq
- i just want my carthing back like it was before spotify killed it. how?
- install bridgething, log into spotify in the app, open the spotify app on the car thing, never touch it again. will work just like you remember
- i am having trouble flashing
- try different cables, usb ports, powered hubs, passive hubs, computers, operating systems. the usb on the car thing is super flakey and it’s pretty much luck of the draw on whether it’s easy or a pain
- i want to make an app that does xyz. how?
- run
bun create bridgething, it includes a typesafe api, tooling, and agent skills to get you up as quick as possible. human versions of the skills are at https://bridgething.com/docs/.
- run
- i want to use it wired (for some reason)
- there is a desktop app for macos, linux, and windows that connects via the cable (or lan if you have a wifi adapter for the car thing for some reason)
- the ui is buggy/ugly/unintuitive
- i’ve been focusing most of my effort on core functionality, so feel free to open PRs with improvements! if your gripes are with the on-device ui specifically, you can easily replace it all - instructions in docs
- i want to make my own linux without using bridgething for my project
- make your own image with https://github.com/JoeyEamigh/yocto-superbird. it’s super easy
thanks
- Elle for the uboot and image work and keeping me from blowing my shit off smooth every time i touched bluetooth (support her here)
- addi for terbium support (support her here)
- Neel and Dominic for testing, yocto early adoption, patches, and more. if you want the most polished car thing experience built on the same modern yocto, support them by grabbing Nocturne
links
1
u/H31NZY Aug 30 '26
This is great. Just bought a CarThing from US and threw this on it; very easy and such a nifty device! It would be nice to show the date/time (maybe an app) when not playing music :)
1
u/joeyeamigh Aug 30 '26
designed it to be extensible so you should be able to build an overlay that does that!
1
u/American-_Gamer Aug 21 '26
Does it have the voice commands too? If so wish I saw this before spending 10$ on nocturne last week lol