Spotify Car Thing: Will Mods Help It Become a Go-To Head Unit?

Just at the moment Spotify seems to ditch its Car Thing, a console that was supposed to be the head unit for streaming in the car, modders are coming to the rescue. After the official support is over, the device may still be alive due to alternative software. Which is installable now after two enthusiasts found the way to enable serious modifications.

Car Thing, initially sold for about $90, in the summer could be officially bought for $30. While this may be a symptom that Spotify does not believe in its perspectives anymore, advanced users are always sure it’s all about firmware, and any device can be transformed into something usable. This time, these advanced users are Nolen Johnson and Frédéric Basse who found the way to enable root access on Car Thing.

If you have ever had an Android device with root access, you know how much more you can do with it. Replacing system files, changing the interface, boosting the performance – whatever. With root unlocked for Car Thing, already running Android-based firmware, there is an opportunity to modify its firmware. To hack the device, though, you will need a USB cable (any fitting one will do) and a 64-bit PC running Linux, so you can install linusb-dev (if you don’t know what it is, you better start from the basics).

If anyone develops some alternative firmware for it that expands its functionality, the device may be literally resurrected. It surely won’t run any latest Android version, having only 512MB RAM. Yet an old version can be fine too if it’s optimized, like that on TV boxes and sticks that operate for many years despite having Android 9 or older.

Have you ever had or seen Spotify Car Thing? What are your impressions? Do you hope it can be a thing again with alternative software? Tell us what you think about it in the comments section!

 

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• Mariana Rocha 22 Oct 2022