Spotify won’t open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

Enlarge / Spotify's Car Thing thing in a car. (credit: Spotify)

Spotify will refund owners of Car Thing, its Spotify-playing device that mounts to car dashboards, Ars Technica confirmed today. On May 23, Spotify announced that it would brick all Car Things on December 9.

Spotify started notifying customers via email on May 24 that they could reach out to this support channel if they have questions about Car Thing's discontinuation. The email doesn't explicitly guarantee refunds, though, which could leave some thinking they have no way to get reimbursed for the gadget that initially sold for $90. Further, Spotify's support page for Car Thing doesn't mention refunds and only tells owners to reset and properly dispose of or recycle the gadget.

A Spotify spokesperson declined to confirm to Ars if Spotify would offer full refunds to everyone who showed proof of purchase or if there were further requirements. The representative said that owners should contact Spotify via the above link about refunds.