Tag: Spotify in the car

Spotify’s Car Thing Device Debuts New Features

April 7, 2022

In February, Spotify released Car Thing in the U.S. Now, fans can enjoy a smart player that creates a more seamless and personalized in-car listening experience—no matter the year or model of your vehicle. Car Thing makes it simpler to play exactly what you want, thanks to the intuitive product interface and the ease of using “Hey Spotify” to control what you want to listen to.

But there’s always room to make a great thing even better, which is why Car Thing has some new updates rolling out this week.

With these updates, you’ll now be able to answer phone calls on Car Thing, queue songs and podcasts, and display and control other media. Car Thing also connects to and now mirrors your phone, giving you access to more functionality.

Here’s the full scoop on all the new features:

  • Answer phone calls seamlessly*: You can now see, answer, and dismiss incoming calls via Car Thing. 
  • Control other media*: You can now play and control other media on the Car Thing device. Easily switch back to Spotify by using presets, or voice, or simply tapping the screen.
  • Add to queue: One of our most requested features—the ability to queue additional songs and podcasts—is also now available. You can access it in a few different ways:
    • With touch: Tap the “Add to queue” icon next to a track in your tracklist. 
    • With the dial: When you have a track highlighted, press and keep holding the dial—one press will play, while pressing and holding will add to the queue. 
    • Request music with Voice: Just say “Hey Spotify, queue ‘drivers license’” or whatever track you’d like to listen to next! 
    • View your queue: Say “Hey Spotify, open my queue” or press and keep holding the dial when in the “Now Playing” view. 
  • Use voice to get a personalized playlist for any mood: Simply ask for any genre, mood, or activity that describes the kind of music you want to hear. For example, say “Hey Spotify, play cozy Sunday RnB,” and we’ll do our best to instantly create a personalized playlist from your request. This feature is available wherever “Hey Spotify” is available.

Bringing these highly anticipated new features to Car Thing is part of Spotify’s ongoing commitment to building a truly frictionless experience for users across devices—whether in the car, at home, or on the go. Already a Car Thing user? No worries, updates will roll out for iOS users automatically! 

Love these features but don’t yet have a Car Thing? The device is available to purchase for $89.99 and requires a Spotify Premium subscription plan along with a phone with a mobile data connection. You can find more details about how to buy and use Car Thing at carthing.spotify.com.

*This feature is currently available on iOS only; availability for Android will be rolling out at a later date.  

Whether You’re Spending Thanksgiving Near or Far, Spotify Has a Playlist to Help Make the Day Extra Special

November 21, 2019

Do your Thanksgiving plans include going over the river? Perhaps through the woods? Or maybe to grandma’s house? Or maybe you’re staying home and cooking up a feast for your own guests. Whether you’re spending hours on the road, in the kitchen, or both, you’ll need ample amounts of sure-fire audio entertainment.

Thanks to Spotify’s annual Turkey Timer and all-new Soundtrack Your Ride microsites, you can soak in music and podcast playlists geared specifically for you while traveling to your holiday destination or whipping up a culinary creation.

And just like the food on your dinner table, these playlists have something for everyone. So gather round and check out these custom playlists to help you survive—and thrive—this turkey (or tofurkey) season. 

Get Movin’ with Soundtrack Your Ride 

If you’re one of the millions of people hitting the road for the most-traveled day of the year, make sure you don’t leave the house before taking our interactive Soundtrack Your Ride quiz to generate a custom playlist that fits the mood and duration of your journey. The playlist is made just for you and is customizable based on everything from the car you’re driving to your passengers, top genre, and all-time-favorite driving tunes on desktop and mobile.

And if you’re headed to a cozy cabin in the woods (read: no cell service) or just want to save data, Spotify Premium users can download the playlist before their journeys to listen in offline mode. If you’re not already a Spotify Premium subscriber, check out our annual Spotify Premium holiday offer. From November 18-December 31, new users can get three months free* (so your wallet will thank you, too), and anyone who was previously on Premium but has since dropped can get three months for $9.99 (meaning you pay once and get the next two months on us).** 

There’s also a multitude of ways to connect to Spotify from your car. Not sure how? We’ve got this handy guide to help you get started.

Get Cookin’ with the Turkey Timer


That’s right, the Turkey Timer is back, helping you roast your Thanksgiving dinner to perfection while giving you a playlist to match.

Simply select the weight of your turkey and whether or not it’s stuffed, and we’ll give you a playlist that matches the cooking time so you can go work on the side dishes and desserts. You’ll also be able to select your cooking playlist vibe. Not only do we have six music moods to choose from—from family favorites to top hits, and even a little something to help you get in the Christmas spirit—but this year, we also have a podcast playlist on the menu.

Podcast playlists are a new Spotify feature that allows you to build playlists full of podcasts, or add podcasts to existing music playlists for a mixed-media experience. When it comes to your Turkey Timer playlist, you can choose to fill the room with music or learn something new from a podcast. And if you’re bringing DJ skills (rather than a dish) to follow the meal, you can even make your own playlist with that special blend of podcasts and music to keep the energy up even when the food coma starts to creep in.

Whatever mood you choose, make sure you leave the playlists unshuffled—the last track will remind you that it’s almost time for the turkey to be done and the meal to begin.

 Check out Turkey Timer and Soundtrack Your Ride to get your playlists ready for the big holiday.

* Three Months Free is for new users who have never tried Premium, available across all Premium plans: Individual, Student (where available), Family (where available) and Duo (where available).
** Three Months for $9.99 is only for individual plan users and is not available to users who ended their Premium subscription after October 19, 2019.

How to Listen to Spotify in the Car

August 26, 2019

Whether driving the familiar streets of your daily commute, breaking out the guidebook for a road trip, or just going around the corner to grab some milk, the first thing most people do when they get in the car is turn the volume up. And if you already use Spotify to listen to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks—maybe through your home speaker or Bluetooth headphones—you can easily and seamlessly continue listening from the car.

And your car-listening experience keeps getting better. Thanks to Spotify playlists such as Your Daily Drive, which combines the very best of news talk shows with the best of audio streaming, you can arrive at your destination even more informed. Plus, we’ve made it even easier to sync Spotify with two of the most popular navigation apps, Google Maps and Waze. It’s quick to enable playback controls within the navigation settings, making switching and selecting music as seamless as possible. And, with our integration to Google Assistant, it’s also possible to use your voice to control what you listen to in the car. 

From belting out the best songs to binging a podcast, setting up Spotify in your car is simpler than ever, with a variety of ways to play Spotify through your car speakers. And with a Spotify Premium account, you can save your music, podcasts, and audiobooks for offline listening, perfect for when you drive through spotty areas. So no matter what type of car or phone you have, take a look at the options below to see which works best for you. Soon you’ll be well on your way.

Please remember that safety is the #1 priority on the road. ALWAYS observe traffic laws.
NEVER attempt any of these connectivity methods while you are driving, and avoid interacting with your device while your car is in motion.

If your car has an AUX or USB socket, using a cable is probably one of the fastest ways to connect.

  1. Make sure you have the correct type of cable to connect to your phone (you can check with your car’s manufacturer if you don’t know which type you need). Some phones no longer have a phone jack, so you may also need the dongle that came with your phone.
  2. Find the AUX or USB socket in your car and plug in the cable. (Try looking for it on the center console.)
  3. Turn on your car and stereo, select the AUX (or USB) input, then open Spotify and tap “play.

Use Bluetooth to go wireless and enjoy all the functionalities of your smartphone or tablet.

  1. While you’re in park, go to “Settings” in your car stereo or to find the Bluetooth menu, then choose the option to pair your device. Some cars have a voice control button on the steering wheel instead—press that. 
  2. Sync by turning on Bluetooth on both your mobile device and your stereo.
  3. Select your car, enter the pairing code if needed, then open up Spotify and hit “play.”
  4. If you have audio controls on your steering wheel, you may be able to control what you’re listening to from there.

Have Android Auto or CarPlay? Simple!

  1. For Android Auto, start your car, plug your phone into the USB port, and play Spotify.
  2. For CarPlay for iOS, start your car and make sure Siri is on. Plug your phone into the USB port or connect wirelessly. Then, on your iPhone, go to “Settings,” then “General,” then “CarPlay.” 
  3. Select your car and get listening!

Is Spotify built into your car? No phone needed, just log in and drive!

  1. Check whether Spotify is preloaded as an audio source—look under either media or audio.
  2. If your car has an “app store” built in, simply search for Spotify, download, and log in—it’s that simple!
  3. Be sure to check with your car’s manufacturer if you have any questions and also to make sure your car has a data plan activated to use Spotify. Just to note, some cars require Spotify Premium for integrated listening.

Take Spotify along for the ride, no matter where you’re going or what you drive to get there.

Also be sure to check out our Driving Hub, the ultimate pit stop for the best driving music and podcasts. Or take Spotify for the ride with additional information on how to introduce your car to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

*Updated as of April 9, 2024, to include Spotify Audiobooks and built-in car offering.