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.

[ViTbek]

Bring it back, you dumbast developers!!!

Whole my family will move back to the apple music at the end of the mouth subscration.

[mgm-sk]

PLEASE RETURN BACK CAR MODE.

It is perfect mode because it makes my old android device always on display. 

And now it is gone :(((

Please return this feature

[Covenmouse]

(copying this over to the thread it was MEANT to go on. wth.)

So I'm basically here to second everything already being said. I hadn't updated my app in a while, and I'm genuinely sorry I did, now, because the minute I did, Car View stopped working. Spent several days trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, and what the heck "My Car Thing" was supposed to be--turns out, it's an extra device Spotify wants us to buy in order to use a feature that was fully, perfectly functional but which they took away so we'd be forced into this extra purchase. "Preparing for the next version" my left **bleep** cheek. You don't take away a perfectly good feature without having a replacement ready, that's just ridiculous--and of course, that isn't what you did at all. ('You' being the company, not you, specifically, person whose job it is to answer this nonsense with the company talking point.)

God, I'm so annoyed right now I could spit. But good job talking yourselves OUT of a sale. I might've bought a "My Car Thing," if you'd just kept Car View in the app and simply emailed me about this new product. It genuinely does look like a nice thing to have, and so long as it didn't have spyware features I would've snapped one up in an instant. Now, though? Heck naw. Not happening out of sheer, bullheaded spite. I'm also looking into spotify alternatives, because if this is the nonsense y'all are going to keep pushing, I'm out. Five years of customer loyalty down the drain just so you could hard sell your stupid device. Hope that doesn't work out for you. 

[HipHopBeBop]

What makes it even worse is that My Car Thing is only available in the US. Why disable it worldwide when we can't even get the replacement!

[Markjharvey]

I've tried to get this point across to the Spotify folk in numerous emails,
ie trying to understand why a feature is 'retired' across the whole service
when it's replacement is only available in the US. I've not got sensible
reply from what is obviously a robotised response system. Ridiculous and
outrageously poor customer service.

[MadSoupChef]

I found it missing this morning. I have been a premium subscriber for many years and listen mostly in my car. Now that you have removed this I now will seek an alternative before the end of the year. Giving a finger to loyal costumers is just plain stupid. 

[sodonewiththisshit]

me: car view is awesome...I can easily navigate my playlists without distraction

spotify: yes, but we took it away. now you need car thing to do that

me: ok, where do I get that

spotify: it's not available yet

me: ok, what should I do now?

spotify: i dunno, use google assistant?

me: ummm ok...that mostly works...so...when I have car thing, i won't need my phone with me?

spotify: oh, you'll still need to have your phone.

me: ok...so...car thing will help me easily and safely navigate other apps while driving as well?

spotify: nope. it's just for spotify.

me: oh, so you're handing these out so your users can have a safer listening experience?

spotify: nope, you have to pre-order for $80.00

me: ok. so. car view is gone. there is currently nothing available to replace it. I will have to use my google commands. But you think I should pay $80 for a device that only works with your app even though I could just get a $10 car mount and do everything through google?

spotify:...yes

me: but you want me to keep paying a monthly subscription for your service instead of moving to the app affiliated with the voice control software that you are suggesting I now use to fill the gap and makeup for your poor decision making?

spotify:...basically...yes.

seriously Spotify...get over yourself. We just want car mode back. no one wants to give you money for an mp3 player you can only use when you have your car, your phone, and a premium membership. There was some very poor decision making that took place on multiple levels here. 

[andb21]

A really stupid thing to do, without requesting feedback from your users. in the end, we are the ones that keep your business growth and help you innovate. 

This is not INNOVATING, it's a bad example of monopolization. Shame, it was the only music app I was appreciating and happy to pay for. Now I have to delete it as it puts my family's life in danger, as I need to control my phone while I drive in order to listen to music.  A very smart move, Spotify. Goodbye! 

[msavencov]

Totally agree with all of participants in thread.

I also will not prolong my family's subscription.

I'm done...

[Markjharvey]

Everyone supporting the original topic needs to me sure they give that original post a 'like'  as well as the latest in the thread.  

[RogerAS]

And the other feature that has gone with Car View is the continuation of songs after an album has finished playing. Now on a long trip I have to make sure I have either an album or playlist long enough, when normally I could just play any album I felt like without having to work out the timing. Ridiculous!

[pzhbfhr]

I really agree wholeheartedly with everything above. It is so frustrating to discover new features and improvements, starting to like them only to find out they get taken away in the next update (which als is buggy).

At the moment, it really looks like spotify is trying to actively lose *paying* customers...

[parkert]

Bad move from Spotify.  I'm in agreement with so many users on this thread.  Why remove something we all use regularly and love? Did you even ask us?

[pzhbfhr]

I'm guessing because they want to create a market for their weird car thing thing by taking away features from the app in order to annoy us enough to buy the device instead.

[Jonboy2301]

A solution, of sorts, that I've found is to use Android Auto and sync the app with Spotify. The interface is similar to Spotify (See pic attached, it's proper Bo!)  and the screen doesn't go off while Android Auto is on. 

[Jeoffer]

Why "retire" a mode that was super helpful and replace it with nothing? Seem's a very bad idea and only serves to **bleep** off your customers.

[Markjharvey]

@Jeoffer consider me suitably bleeped off.....

[Countflatula]

I think it's all been said before,my music experience in the car has been ruined,if there is no update to resolve the issues then I will like many others be looking for a Spotify alternative. 

[catedesmonica]

They "retired" car mode to force their customers to buy their cat thing. Fat chance, just on principle now!

[Markjharvey]

Same here, except Car Thing only available in the US anyway....so Car View
removed from all markets, 'solution' only in US, albeit a solution to a
problem that didn't exist. Its a ridiculous situation.....