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.

[steelshinin]

Does Spotify plan on doing ANYTHING soon that shows they care about their customers?  These issues have been going on for MONTHS.  Clearly we should just all call Adele because we know she can get Spotify to fix issues.  

[Ahpuck]

Everyone shuld go give 1 star on app store for removing car view.... I did it, this is bs. 

[supertobi]

Finally no more this anyoing pop message on top asking me if i am driving or switching on my behalf.

Good (re)move. 🙂

I didn't like that mode at all

[Cbergerman1515]

Just more proof that Spotify doesn't listen to or care about what their customers want. We're vocal here in the community but don't get responses from moderators. 

Some of your decisions lately feel outright hostile to your users. Honestly how hard was it to keep Car View functioning until the "replacement" comes out? Or are you using this to shoehorn your new hardware?

This is on par with the asinine behavior of shuffling playlists by default on smart speakers. When I say "Alexa, play my liked songs on Spotify", it then shuffles the entire playlist. No way around it. If I wanted to SHUFFLE the songs, I would say "Alexa, SHUFFLE my liked songs on Spotify". They haven't fixed it for years.

Much more of this and they'll hemorrhage users to Apple Music, who consistently improves the UI and experience. There are other great podcast apps out there too like Overcast...

Simply not good for the brand and I hope the media blasts them for it because they aren't listening to the community! 

[catedesmonica]

I did too

[lunarkate]

Please bring back Car View mode! I can't understand for the life of me why you would discontinue this mode. Now I have to stop the car to unlock my phone to change a song, I mean what the f***? And the buttons are extremely small and why the **bleep** would you make the app less safe to use while being in a car? WHY? WHY? At least bring car view mode back until you have fully developed whatever "new feature" it is that's in the making (btw I will not pay for it, and it would be disgraceful if you would charge for using an app safely in a car). 

BRING BACK CAR VIEW MODE NOW! 

[bobbobbobbins]

With no word on what this vapourware replacement is I think I will have to change apps.  An in car view is essential

[PxDemaR]

All the best and safe driving!!! And you removing the only Safe Driving feature!!! As a Swede, I'm ashamed for this Swedish company right now!

[nusspli]

Makes driving more dangerous again. Very disappointing move, Spotify!
I just discovered that Amazon Music has a car mode. Time for a change?

[msjava]

I also relied on it while driving and it disappeared three days ago. One more reason not to go back to Premium.

[msjava]

it's only still available in the u.s.a. if you have an iPhone. If you have an Android like me you're out of luck.

[PxDemaR]

Totally agree... Why.. WHY!

[CmdrDeLiver]

I too rely on Car View for safety. Since Spotify didn't notify me, I've been thinking about my "Spotify Year in Review" and it looks pretty rotten.
- Subscribed! And initially loved the service.
- Chrome support vanished. Support wasted hours of time before telling me to install another browser.
- Offline listening failed. Again, hours spent, no solution.
- Car View was pulled with no notice. Hours spent trying to fix it only to find Spotify didn't bother to notify us or even bother to remove instructions from their site.
- Each time I've contacted support, rather than just telling the truth, my time has been wasted. Chrome is still "supported" as is Car View per the topics on their web site.
- Seems Spotify has Z-E-R-O respect for my time.
"Why don't we all buy Car Thing?!"
Trust. You need if you want my money. Car View __vanished__. How long will it take for your developers to get bored and make a $90 paperweight? To boot this also looks like a desperate money grab, perhaps to the level that Spotify won't survive without a huge return on it's investment on "Car Thing".
Options!
I started writing about my upcoming expectations for the restoration of Car View. Then it dawned on my I can get a discount on Amazon Music as a Prime subscriber. I have to take a 14 hour car ride to my Grandmother's funeral. Why should I risk life and limb to listen to Spotify? It's clear they don't want us as subscribers and don't value any of us enough to make a plan that honors the deals we signed up for. I spent 3 minutes testing Amazon Music in the car. It works exactly as Spotify Car View did. My Spotify account terminates in 5 days. If Car View works before then, I'll consider staying. If not, Spotify made this choice.
Be well and enjoy your holiday season everyone!

[RogerAS]

And how does Amazon Music compare with Spotify for range of music?

[CmdrDeLiver]

I'm not sure about that yet.  I know YouTube Music has almost everything recorded.

[EatADickSpotify]

I used Car View exclusively and everywhere--in the car, on my bike, at home.  I don't need a bunch of **bleep** like album art or looping video clips on the screen.  Play/Pause, Forward, Reverse, and that's it.  Abandoning this feature is deeply frustrating to me, and (as others have pointed out) reeks of classism.  Seriously considering dumping Spotify for my whole family and switching to something else.

[nozzo1]

Just to add my voice to this. I pulled over and started to troubleshoot why spotify was refusing to show car mode today. Resync'd bluetooth, rebooted the phone, tried a few other things. Googled it and found this thread.

You know that meme where Picard buries his head in his hands? That was me when I read that the feature was being removed before the replacement was released. Way to go Spotify.

[wackymaky]

Unbelievable. Cancelling my sub immediately as a casual user, been premium for approx 8 years consistently. This isn't an optional feature it's necessary. I cannot believe I've been wracking my brain wondering what's happened to it over the last week or so. So **bleep** dangerous, especially when you're driving around somewhere busy in London like me. Very glad I found this thread as closure, if anything, the tongue-in-cheek answer about "to make way for...." is just an attempt to see how much of an **bleep** I am. Challenge accepted, at least I can feel good about my already existing Amazon and YouTube subs, you've just saved me a monthly outgoing. I do feel sorry for the product/program owner at Spotify hq that no doubt got pressured into this by commercial. Goodbye!

[HipHopBeBop]

I'm seriously thinking of parting ways with Spotify as it's becoming unusable.

Car Mode suddenly disappeared so now, after a minute or so, my screen turns off and I can't see what's playing. Added to that, after two or three tracks it just stops playing and to continue I have to wake up the screen again. What's the point of that? It just makes it dangerous. I doubt Spotify will do anything about it though as they do what they want. I'm looking for a decent  alternative now.

[DeBiskop]

Bring back car view!!!