Spotify is testing a voice-controlled music and podcast device called “Car Thing”

“While we know there has been some speculation about our future plans, Car Thing was developed to help us learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts. Our focus remains on becoming the world’s number one audio platform—not on creating hardware.” Spotify states in a blog post. While unclear, by the way Spotify describes its “Car Thing,” it could be hardware that plugs into a 12-volt outlet and can be connected to both the car and a user’s phone via Bluetooth. The company says it could also do similar voice-specific tests in the future, “so don’t be surprised if you hear about “Voice Thing” and “Home Thing.””

Spotify says it has no plans to make Car Thing available to the masses but it says it will learn from this test and improve its services. It seems like the audio streaming service is preparing to take on smart assistants like Alexa by Amazon and Google Assistant. However, it might not be looking to develop a new digital assiatant but create something similar that can be used when listening to audio via Spotify.