Spotify announced at this time that it’s pushing by way of a bundle of latest options to the Car Thing, its borderline-useless in-car accent that goes for $90. While the machine is meant to assist enlarge the Spotify controls to place them entrance and heart when you’re behind the wheel—however in follow, it provides little utility over a smartphone even with this newest software program replace. 

The machine has a display screen about half the dimensions of your smartphone and includes a big quantity knob with a clicky sound paying homage to an previous iPod. That’s it. So in the event you’re somebody who purchased certainly one of these from Spotify, the addition of latest options ought to be a welcome shock.

This newest replace provides extra car-specific performance, although it’s nonetheless not sufficient. It permits you to reply telephone calls and management different media immediately from the machine. Unfortunately, these two options are rolling out solely to iOS customers—Android customers who’ve purchased into this accent are out of luck for now.

I attempted the Car Thing’s phone-calling characteristic with an iPhone 13 Pro. When I acquired a name, the interface took over the entire display screen of Car Thing so I may reply with a faucet. However, you continue to must paw on the display screen to do anything, which feels just like the antithesis of what try to be doing as you’re behind the wheel.

When I initially reviewed the Car Thing, I favored the {hardware} and the enlarged Spotify UI, although it didn’t clear up all my issues of controlling music within the automobile. Unsurprisingly, it solely labored with Spotify. Today’s tweaks add the flexibility to regulate media inside some rival apps, but I couldn’t get the characteristic to sprout up. I performed media by way of Pocketcasts and Apple Music on the iPhone, however the Car Thing didn’t reply. Whenever I touched the machine to pick a management, it might revert playback to Spotify. At the very least, once I was taking part in the opposite media, I may nonetheless use the quantity knob to show it up or down. But as I discussed once I initially went hands-on with the Car Thing, the quantity knob shouldn’t be notably useful if tethered to the automobile stereo through AUX because it solely controls the quantity output in your telephone and never the automobile audio system. I’m following up with Spotify to determine what’s happening.

I did recognize the brand new potential to queue up songs and podcasts, which can be found to each iPhone and Android customers. Look for a similar “add to queue” button you’d faucet on the Spotify app to fit it into your present tracklist. The quantity knob additionally allows you to press and maintain so as to add a monitor to the queue, although populating it this fashion appears sophisticated to juggle in the event you’re driving along with your different hand. That’s if you’d flip right into a voice command. You can say, “Hey Spotify, open my queue” to see what’s subsequent, after which use the dial to wash by way of. If you ask so as to add a music to the tracklist, be sure to understand it by title.

You can add a podcast to your queue in the event you really feel like peppering in a little bit of speaking between songs. But take into account that the voice command for including podcasts by title shouldn’t be out there but. I attempted the most recent episode of Gadgettes to my queue, and the interface alerted me that it wasn’t but attainable, although I may add it by way of a guide search.

Admittedly, after writing about my expertise with it, I shoved the Spotify Car Thing again into my devices closet and reverted to the previous approach of taking part in music in my automobile. I introduced it out to attempt the brand new options, however they’re nonetheless not compelling sufficient for me to swap out my perfectly-fine phone-only resolution for navigating and listening to music throughout a drive. Again, I’d encourage you to not spend the money on this gadget.