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Spotify may be working on a stand-alone car speaker

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Spotify is poised to make a major announcement on April 24, and while the company hasn’t confirmed anything, there is a chance that the event will mark the launch of the company’s first piece of hardware. There is evidence to suggest that Spotify is working on an in-car controller or even a standalone music player.

Earlier this year, some Spotify customers received an announcement regarding the official Spotify Car Player, according to a thread on Reddit. The device would feature 4GB of RAM and will reportedly utilize voice controls. The ad mentioned that customers would be charged $13 a month for use of the device. The contract would last one year, meaning the device should cost roughly $155. The ad mentions that the device will be included in the price of the monthly fee, so it is possible that this price includes both the cost of the device and a premium subscription to Spotify.

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The Reddit user who posted the original thread also noted that the pre-order button for the device does not work and leads to a page saying that the product in question is not currently available. The complete image is here:

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In terms of pricing, it is worth noting that various sources have given conflicting information regarding the device’s price. One Redditor said that the ad told them it would be $15 a month. There were also reports that some ads suggested that the devices would feature built-in LTE to ensure quality streaming without relying on Wi-Fi. The cost of data is factored into the device’s monthly subscription fee isn’t clear.

The device has also been discussed on Spotify’s official forums, but the mods refused to comment, saying that the ad was a test.

“Right now we don’t have any news on this, but we’ve let the right team know it’s something you’d like to see,” a moderator wrote in response to a question regarding the ad. “We’re always testing things in order to improve Spotify.”

Spotify has posted ads for hardware-related jobs, but there is no guarantee that this device is in the works. It’s possible the company is working on something to compete with Apple’s Homepod or various other smart speakers.

Eric Brackett
Eric Brackett
Former Digital Trends Contributor
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