After years of rumors, confirmation and vague descriptions, Spotify has finally made its first piece of hardware available to select users. Even though the company revealed the full details on Car Thing earlier this month, it's only a "limited release" right now. I've spent two weeks with Car Thing in my car (obviously), and can tell you one thing -- this dedicated Spotify player is really more of a controller for the app on your phone. Spotify first tipped its hand on an in-car music player in 2018. It offered a few Reddit users the opportunity to try a compact device that reportedly featured voice control and 4G connectivity.

At this point, we've seen rumors, job listings, blog posts, FCC filings and more rumors about Spotify's in-car music player over the span of a few years. In fact, I was convinced it would never become a thing the public could actually use. When the company first revealed a piece of hardware called "Car Thing" in 2019, Spotify was clear the test was meant "to help us learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts." It also explained that there weren't "any current plans" to make that device available to consumers. Now Spotify is ready for select users to get their hands on a refined version of the voice-controlled in-car player.

Spotify users on iOS and Android have another way to quickly play something. The audio streaming service has an in-app voice assistant you can operate hands free, building on the existing voice search function. After saying the "Hey, Spotify" wake word, you can ask the app to fire up a song or playlist or play music from a certain artist. You'll need to grant Spotify permission to access your microphone if you want to use the feature, which you can switch on from the voice interactions section of the menu. As GSM Arena notes, Spotify's privacy policy states that the service only stores recordings and transcriptions of your searches after you say the wake word or tap the voice button.

Spotify has launched a new voice-controlled smart device, marking a debut in the hardware industry. Dubbed'Car Thing,' it plugs into a vehicle's cigarette lighter and allows users to turn on their favorite playlist hands-free while they're driving. The device is being rolled out among a small group of test users in the coming weeks, according to the Verge. Spotify has launched a new voice-controlled smart device, marking a debut in the hardware industry. It allows users to turn on their favorite playlist hands-free while they're driving Users plug it into their car's 12-volt outlet, or cigarette lighter.

Spotify announced Friday that the music streaming service is test driving some hardware. The company is trying to learn more about what you do and listen to in your car by publicly testing out a voice-controlled music and podcast device dubbed "Car Thing." The device reportedly plugs into your vehicle's 12-volt outlet, which is also known as a cigarette lighter, for power and the automotive gadget connects to your car and phone via Bluetooth. Don't make plans to go out and buy the device anytime soon, though. Spotify says it's only testing the devices, making them available to a few premium users.