Spotify is eyeing the in-car music streaming segment which it may be looking to enter as early as this month, industry watchers speculate. A day after going public in its not-IPO that initially saw it valued at $29.5 billion, the company said it will be announcing product-related news on April 24, and while no official clarification on the matter has been provided, users have been reporting beta hardware pitches from Spotify since February. The firm is said to be working on a device that would come included in its $12.99 monthly subscription so long as the customer agrees to a year-long commitment valued at $155. The gadget is reportedly meant to be installed on a vehicle dashboard and allows for in-car music streaming, in addition to supporting voice commands, with its first known sighting coming in the form of a screenshot that can be seen below.
It’s presently unclear whether the circular body of the accessory is meant to be touch-sensitive or if the device only allows for physical interaction via the two side buttons for shuffling a playlist and playing or pausing audio but the surface itself is clearly depicted as a display and Spotify is said to have been pitching it to a small number of subscribers two months ago. The supposedly official press render of the unnamed accessory also shows it as featuring an LED ring around the circular part of its body. Another Spotify subscriber previously claimed they were pitched the same product with a one-time price of $14.99, having later taken to Reddit to state that the in-app message was supposedly a result of a premature test which didn’t allow for any pre-orders. The promotional message clearly suggested the device is meant to be used as a car music player, as per the same account.
According to a different Spotify subscriber, the company pitched 4G capabilities of the gadget as one of its main selling points, suggesting the player is meant to allow for entirely standalone operation not reliant on a smartphone, but also didn’t provide them with the option to pre-order it or provide the then-startup with feedback in any other manner. Virtually all sightings of the message detailed online suggest the pop-up was inadvertently pushed out to users in February. The music streaming company was testing voice commands in the iOS version of its app last month and has been working on a similar hands-free “Driving Mode” for its Android platform last summer, though it eventually ended up scrapping the latter.