SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Sam Altman Reaffirms OpenAI’s Long-Term Commitment to NVIDIA Amid Chip Report 
Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate 
Google Cloud and Liberty Global Forge Strategic AI Partnership to Transform European Telecom Services 
SpaceX Seeks FCC Approval for Massive Solar-Powered Satellite Network to Support AI Data Centers 
AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock 
Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
Nvidia Confirms Major OpenAI Investment Amid AI Funding Race 
Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns 
Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies 
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates 
Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links 
The Spotify Car Thing is getting several new features, including new controls that lets drivers navigate phone calls and media playback without looking at their phones. However, people using Android devices for the smart player will have to wait.
Spotify announced on Thursday the list of new features coming to the Spotify Car Thing this week. And they should make the smart player an even more useful device with new functions that go beyond just playing music in the vehicle.
Spotify Car Thing users will soon be able to pick up calls directly through the smart player. They can also just check who is calling them and reject the call through the device if they do not want to talk while driving.
The update will also give the smart player even more purpose now that it can control other media as well. Spotify said people could use presets, voice controls, and a simple tap on the screen. At the bottom of the announcement post, Spotify included a note that says the seamless phone call features and controls for other media will arrive first to iOS users. Their availability on Android will happen at an unspecified later date.
The company says the “add to queue” function is one of the most requested features for Spotify Car Thing, which is also part of the recent update. This will allow users to line up the songs and podcasts they want to listen to while on the road.
Users can tap the “Add to queue” icon on the screen or use the dial for this function. Drivers and passengers can also dictate what they want to add to the queue by saying, “Hey Spotify, queue [song/podcast title].” Spotify also added more voice controls for the Car Thing. Users can now ask the device to play songs according to their mood or preferred genre.
Spotify launched Car Thing last February, and it is currently only available in the United States for $89.99, and it requires a mobile data connection and a Spotify Premium subscription. The smart players can be plugged into a 12V power outlet in the car and to the car stereo via Bluetooth, as well as AUX and USB cables.
