• by Chuck Martin , May 20, 2019

Streaming music company Spotify has begun testing music controlled by voice in cars.

Using a device called “Car Thing,” Spotify is testing how people listen to music while in their car.

The test is being conducted in the U.S. only and, despite a hardware device being used, Spotify says it has no plans to enter the hardware business.

“While we know there has been some speculation about our future plans, Car Thing was developed to help us learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts,” states the Spotify blog post announcing the test.  “Our focus remains on becoming the world’s number one audio platform, not on creating hardware.”

The test is with a small group of invited Spotify Premium users, according to the company, which says it may add future voice-specific testing such as Voice Thing and Home Thing.