Car View missing

[jordypeatpeat]

Plan

Premium

Country

New Zealand

Device

Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G

Operating System

Android 11 

My Question or Issue

As of today the 'Car Mode' is missing from my settings. I have it on all the time for driving before and after work, but when I started playing music this morning it defaulted to the main play view with no sign of the setting.

Is this feature removed or is it a bug? Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks!

[jordypeatpeat]

Hey @jordypeatpeat,

Thanks for posting here.

We can confirm that we're retiring the car view feature. This however doesn't mean we don't want to improve on how our users listen to Spotify while driving. On the contrary, we're actively exploring a variety of new ways to deliver the best in-car listening experience. Think of retiring car-view as something that needs to happen in an effort to make way for new innovations coming down the track.

Please bear with us for the time being. While we work backstage on improving the experience, one alternative would be to listen hands-free via Google Assistant. This feature also works with Google Maps so you can navigate while listening to Spotify. In order to do that, you can link your accounts and say ‘Hey Google, play Spotify’.

If available to you, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay both have Spotify integrations that you can link to your phone and a specifically designed for a driving environment.

We hope you understand. Stay tuned for further developments!

All the best and safe driving.

[RogerAS]

You are so right! We just need Adele on our side! This is such **bleep** treatment!

[KeepItDicey]

The simple fact that not only did they remove Car View but the landscape view for your player no longer functions. It's portrait or nothing.

Do you have any clue just how distracting your app is while driving now?

[8ookzdkt_-gw]

As many others have said, 

Please don't take away useful features BEFORE you have another solution!

Bring back Car View!

[soulbaker]

this is a really bad move, I heavily relied on car view while driving, now I have to be more focused on my phone than on the road, this may lead to some really bad consequences, #bringcarviewback !

[KALY9]

I agree with everyone saying BRING CAR VIEW BACK. Do you know how dangerous and illegal it is to be touching your phone for anything other than a quick song change? The screen was always on and the icons were big enough that it only took a glance to change a song, same time as pushing the next button on your stereo

. In order to change song now I would have to unlock my phone and try to select the tiny next button on Spotify... Absolutely not! So now I'm doomed to say "hey google, next song" 20 times on my way home... that's your solution? Bring back car view until your new feature that is supposedly replacing it is released. That's ridiculous that you took a vital safety feature away without replacing it first, poor planning and look how it's backfiring. Listen to your customers and bring it back, hm I wonder if that's why we've had so many accidents in my area recently, wouldn't be surprised if it was someone trying to unlock their phone to change their song on Spotify... smh

[RobFreundlich]

>"Retiring certain features ... to make way for innovations coming ..."

Right. Because everyone knows that you can't put a new innovation in at the same time as you remove the old feature.

First, you need to give the other features time to go through the five stages of grieving to mourn the loss of the old feature.

Then you need to tell the other features that they might be getting a new innovation soon, but that it's not meant to take the place of the old feature, which enhanced them very much. You need to explain that this new innovation will also enhance them, like the old feature did, but in different ways, and that it's still OK for them to miss sharing cache and storage with the old feature.

Then you have to introduce the new innovation to the other features slowly, in a limited way. Perhaps integrate it only with some of the other features at first. Let them get to know it, so they and the other features can see that even though it's new and different, it's not scary. Let the features who it integrates with exchange messages, notifications, and signals with the others, describing the experience, so that over time, the entire app gets used to the new innovation.

Eventually, when the app has accepted the new innovation, you can integrate it with all of the features.

At this point, it is time to retire this old feature to make way for new innovations.

[Markjharvey]

This was Spotify's explanation....see attached screenshot..

[marcinlespaul]

Car mode is gone with last update. Car thing is put instead to force users to buy another device we don't need as smartphone has it all. It's not good for environment. Bring it back. You can still keep both if you wish. 

Regards from disappointed long term customer.

[kami-kaTze]

To be honest, if this feature will be disabled here in germany, I'll cancel my premium subscription and move to Apple Music.

[kukunamuniu_pl]

Restore Car View. I don't want your stupid Car Thing, I already have enough screens. 

Feature request: find the PM who authorized this and fire them.

[quantheist]

Absolutely ridiculous to completely remove Car Mode - I WILL NOT be purchasing "Car Thing" because voice activation is really not a optimal process for using music in a car.  Why should I be forced to pay for something when I am already a premium subscriber?!?  Do everyone a favor and look up the word, "Opportunistic" and then place your logo next to the definition.  I am dropping Spotify and picking up another streaming service - I am going to tell EVERYONE I can to drop Spotify as well and maybe, just maybe, you'll figure out if enough people drop your service, it wasn't worth the money grab.  Best of luck as you continue to place profit above customer needs and preferences.

[Sid_6581]

Ridiculous decision to retire a much used feature before it's replacement is ready.   How does keeping a feature in a product impact its development? Spoiler alert, it doesn't. 

I've only just signed up to a family account recently and use it mainly in the car.  A week later car view is gone for no logical reason. I'm seriously considering retiring my subscription as I can no longer use it safely in the car. 

[6ayo]

exactly my thoughts too, for what reason did you have to remove it for the time being and the replacement isn't ready yet, this is the first time I've ever heard or seen bs like this

[warhamster]

An absolutely idiotic move from Spotify. I canceled my subscription when they disabled the "force Car View" feature first time. Then, not so long ago, they brought it back and I decided they went back to sanity and returned - just to realize in an couple of months they have removed the whole feature completely! And for what? For the stupid "Car thing" that is just basically an underfunctional smartphone? **bleep** no, I ain't gonna buy this **bleep** neither do I prolong the subscription, that's an absolute disrespect towards both customers and common sense.

[Markjharvey]

Your answer, Spotify, is both patronising and unbelievable. I can't believe you are saying use Google Assistant when Spotify's own controls and features already provided a perfectly adequate solution. For me it is not about hands free, it's about simple controls and easy to read displays. 

[Markjharvey]

Me too

[DresslerCZ]

I hate new product Car Thing!

I don't want it, I don't like it, another stupid box with screen!

I want to have Car View Mode back (in my Android phone, now!

If is not possible, I will end my premium membership.

[ApteryxFellow]

Yes let's remove Car View, a safety feature from our users before we introduce something else.  Ridiculous.  If you guys didn't essentially have a monopoly I would have left ages ago due to your consistent poor decisions, it's like you don't even care about your customers.

[Paul-Shepherd]

Spotify, that's absolutely outrageous you've canceled Car View without any advance notice. I'm canceling premium. This was the best that Spotify had to offer. Car Thing is not available in my country and even if, I wouldn't buy it. I was driving and looking for this missing feature. That was not safe. Spotify do you want someone to die? Here is your chance T-i-d-a-l, go for it!

[Cstrikestudios]

*Dislike button* to Spotify removing Car View