Spotify says it’s ‘retiring’ Car View with out a direct alternative

Spotify says it’s retiring its Car View function, which was launched initially of 2019 as a technique to make the app much less distracting and simpler to manage whereas driving (via 9to5Google). It’s at the moment unclear if the function goes away on all platforms or simply Android, and whereas some users won’t miss it, many others are sad it’s being eliminated with no affordable alternative.

Confirmation of the change really got here again in October, when a Spotify moderator responded to a publish on its group discussion board asking why the function was lacking. The moderator wrote:

We can affirm that we’re retiring the automobile view function. This nevertheless doesn’t imply we don’t wish to enhance on how our customers take heed to Spotify whereas driving. On the opposite, we’re actively exploring quite a lot of new methods to ship the perfect in-car listening expertise. Think of retiring car-view as one thing that should occur in an effort to make approach for brand new improvements coming down the observe.

Please bear with us in the intervening time. While we work backstage on bettering the expertise, one different can be to pay attention hands-free through Google Assistant. This function additionally works with Google Maps so you possibly can navigate whereas listening to Spotify. In order to try this, you possibly can hyperlink your accounts and say ‘Hey Google, play Spotify’.

A follow-up remark from one other moderator talked about that Spotify was “also retiring certain features like [its] in-car Now Playing View for Android,” once more to make approach for brand new options.

As Android Police points out, this plan has upset many customers — within the feedback part for the publish, folks say that eradicating the Car View made it more durable for them to make use of Spotify safely whereas driving. Some have additionally accused Spotify of eradicating Car View to promote its $80 Car Thing machine, which acts as a show and distant management for the music streaming service and is at the moment solely accessible to Premium subscribers through a waitlist.

At the second, Car View nonetheless works on my iPhone, however not on my Android machine. The Android app’s settings display screen does have a Car part, but it surely solely incorporates a button to arrange a Car Thing and textual content that reads “always pay full attention to the road and abide with all traffic regulations.” Spotify didn’t instantly reply to request for clarification from The Verge on whether or not it deliberate to retire Car View on all platforms.

If Spotify does take away Car View from its iOS app, you’ll nonetheless be capable to control your music hands-free with Siri by including “on Spotify” on the tip of any voice command. (For instance: “play Adele on Spotify.” Saying “next track” or “pause” will even work if music is at the moment enjoying from the service.) Siri can keep in mind your most well-liked streaming service, so you might not all the time need to ask it to make use of Spotify, however in typical Siri style that function could be a little flaky.

On Android, you can have Google Assistant default to using Spotify, and on each platforms you possibly can activate Spotify controls inside Google Maps (although the buttons are considerably smaller than they’re in Spotify’s Car View). Some automobiles will even allow you to management Spotify through CarPlay, or Android Auto. You can run the latter in your telephone’s display screen as nicely, which offers you the same interface to Car View.

Spotify’s moderators haven’t responded in the thread (which has over 108 feedback) with any estimate on when customers can count on a alternative for Car View, or what that alternative will appear to be. It appears troublesome to consider that Spotify couldn’t have saved the function energetic whereas engaged on a alternative, but it surely appears decided to maintain happening this street given the shortage of replies in the course of the previous month. We requested Spotify if the consumer backlash affected its plans, and can replace this story if we hear again.