Spotify is testing Car Mode, a new look designed especially for drivers

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Spotify (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Spotify is testing a new Car Mode feature.
  • Car Mode is similar to the Car View feature that was killed off last year.
  • Spotify is now testing the feature with Android users but iPhone support is likely to follow.

Spotify is testing a new Car Mode, a feature that will change the app's interface to make it safer to use while driving. The move comes months after the company killed off Car View, something that did something very similar.

While Spotify isn't saying anything about the new feature, images shared by 9to5Google show the new look running on an Android device. We have to imagine that the same feature is going to be tested on iOS as well — and it might already be for some people — and we've reached out to Spotify for comment.

Spotify Car Mode On Android

Spotify Car Mode On Android (Image credit: 9to5Google)

Spotify's new Car Mode features larger buttons that are easier to hit while driving and is a simpler interface as a whole than the one normally used by music fans. It's still fussier than the overly-simplistic look of the now-defunct Car View, however. Car View was killed off late last year in a move that was thought to be designed to push people towards the Car Thing accessory.

Spotify appears to be prompting people to "test drive" the new feature when they connect to their car.

When listening to music while connected to a car via Bluetooth, you may be prompted to "test drive the new Car Mode." The most critical addition of Spotify's Car Mode over the old version is that drivers can now easily browse and search for different music to play.

A new three-tab design offers up a home screen, a library view, and a voice control button for hands-free search. Simple media controls are also available when music is playing, too.

The player view of Spotify's Car Mode is extremely simple, with only play/pause, skip, shuffle, and like buttons, along with an easy access microphone button for voice controls. The voice controls, also accessible from the middle tab, are your way to search Spotify's library of music and podcasts while in Car Mode. And the Library tab offers quick access to the music you've listened to most recently.

While CarPlay remains the best iPhone option for people who are driving, Spotify's new approach is an interesting one and we'll wait and see if and when it begins appearing for iOS users.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.