Spotify’s ‘Car Thing’ entertainment system gains new features and ‘add to queue’ functionality – TechCrunch

Spotify’s $90 in-car leisure system “Automobile Factor,” which went on sale to most people in February, is gaining quite a lot of new options. The corporate introduced right this moment it will add certainly one of customers’ most-requested options — the power so as to add songs and podcasts to a queue — alongside different updates involving voice instructions, playlists, responding to cellphone calls, and controlling different media.

The music streaming system is supposed to supply shoppers an choice to extra simply take heed to Spotify whereas within the automobile in the event that they don’t have already got a built-in media and leisure system, or a car that helps Android Auto or Apple’s CarPlay. Or it could possibly be used with these different programs if individuals simply occurred to want Automobile Factor’s interface.

As Automobile Factor already connects to the car by way of USB, Bluetooth, and an auxiliary cable with a purpose to stream Spotify from the driving force’s cellphone, it is smart to permit the gadget to work with different cellphone features, too.

Spotify says gadget homeowners will now be capable to see incoming calls and dismiss or reply them by way of the Automobile Factor interface. They’ll additionally be capable to play and management different media within the automobile utilizing the gadget, then change again to Spotify utilizing both presets, voice instructions or by tapping the display.

Picture Credit: Spotify

One other replace will carry the requested “add to queue” performance.

There are a selection of how to make use of this function, Spotify famous. Automobile Factor customers can both faucet “add to queue” icon subsequent to a monitor of their tracklist; use the gadget’s dial to spotlight the monitor, then press and maintain so as to add it to the queue; or use voice instructions (e.g., “Hey Spotify, queue [song name]”). Customers may also view the queue at any time by saying “Hey Spotify, open my queue,” or by urgent and holding the dial whereas within the “Now Taking part in” view.

The corporate moreover up to date Automobile Factor’s set of voice instructions to permit gadget homeowners to request customized playlists by temper, style, or exercise. Spotify already gives quite a lot of commonly up to date customized playlists in its app, however now customers can say issues like “Hey Spotify, play cozy Sunday RnB,” and the app will generate a playlist primarily based on the consumer’s request.

Spotify had been working to enter the gadget marketplace for a while earlier than this 12 months’s public launch of Automobile Factor.

It first started {hardware} experiments in 2019, earlier than in the end selecting the present design that grew to become the brand new Automobile Factor. Throughout this era, the gadget’s {hardware} and industrial design advanced from a smaller merchandise plugged into the automobile’s cigarette lighter to a extra consumer-friendly product with an enormous knob, colourful touchscreen, voice management options, and extra. Automobile Factor, up to now, has been pretty well-received. Spotify mentioned over 2 million shoppers signed up on the waitlist to buy inside a matter of months after Spotify introduced the product. It has not but mentioned what number of have bought, nonetheless.

At launch, Spotify mentioned the gadget would quickly acquire some small software program updates, together with a “Evening Mode” and this “Add to Queue” voice command, amongst different issues, so not all of right this moment’s additions are a shock.

The brand new options will start rolling out to Automobile Factor homeowners right this moment.

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