Other times, it completely surprised me by getting more complex or non-English artist names right the first time. Maybe it's partly to do with my Australian accent, but calling up some simple artist names like MF Doom resulted in artists like Miss June, or albums called Pit of Doom to start playing on my stereo. However, I found the Car Thing's voice recognition to be hit-or-miss.

The screen is lightweight and on looks alone, it makes me feel like I've given my vehicle a bit of an upgrade. There's also a physical dial and the touchscreen itself for additional control, plus four programmable preset buttons to bring up favorites. You can also bring up your playlists, play and pause music, or skip tracks with voice commands. To start playing music, just say, 'Hey, Spotify' and choose whatever song, album or artist you want from the catalog. Your phone acts as the Car Thing's brain: It needs to be connected to the screen at all times for it to work. The Car Thing connects to your phone via Bluetooth, then you also connect your phone to the car stereo via Bluetooth, aux or USB cable. The installation process is straightforward and everything you need is included in the box: mounts to attach the screen to air vents, on the dash or in the CD slot, a 12-volt adapter and USB cable. Setting up and using the Car Thing is easy Read more: Car Thing Is About to Face the Music But Spotify has said it will roll out features like playback control for other audio apps that may help justify the price increase. Since then, the price has gone up by $10 and in its current form I'm not convinced that it's the best solution for older vehicles just yet. I got my invite in November 2021 and jumped at the chance to buy a Car Thing. Initially available as an invite-only purchase, the $90 Car Thing is now available to all Spotify Premium members in the US. It sounded like the perfect solution for my car, which doesn't have Car Play or Android Auto built-in.

The Car Thing is a touchscreen with voice control so you can listen to Spotify in your vehicle. When Spotify launched the Car Thing last year, I was immediately sold on the idea.

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