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Spotify's Car Thing, due for bricking, is getting an open source second life

It’s more of a desktop thing now, but it has picked up some new features.

But less than half a year after it fully released its first hardware device, Spotify gave up on the Car Thing due to "several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues." Spotify has not opened up the software that lets the Car Thing connect to your phone, so all of these desktop-focused firmwares rely on some kind of companion app running on other hardware. Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history.

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