Spotify confirmed to TechCrunch that the company is testing a new “Car Mode” that features voice command controls. Originally, Spotify had a car mode called “Car View”, but it was removed at the end of last year, when Spotify explained that they wanted to bring “new innovation” to the car mode.
According to screenshots of Car Mode for Android obtained by 9to5Google, users can use their voice to search for artists, browse albums, play, pause, fast-forward, or “like” and more. Compared with Car View, the new Car Mode focuses more on voice commands rather than the interface when used in the car, but Car Mode still maintains a fairly clean interface design. However, there is still no conclusion on whether voice control can really make driving safer, and some studies have pointed out that although the driver does not need to leave the road when using voice control, it is still distracting when listening to the response.
Whether voice control is safer or not, this seems to be the future of self-driving vehicles, and Spotify’s Car Mode is well ahead of the trend. In addition, last month Spotify also released a car music player called Car Thing.