I like the compact look and dedicated controls of Spotify Car Thing, but I want something cheaper for my desk that works with Apple Music instead of being limited to Spotify. It needs to connect wirelessly over Bluetooth and ideally show the currently playing song or provide convenient playback controls. What devices or DIY options would work?
3 Answers
An Amazon Echo Show 5 is worth considering if you want a small standalone desk device. It supports both Spotify and Apple Music, has Bluetooth connectivity, and can show album artwork and playback information. It isn’t a direct Car Thing replacement, but it’s probably the simplest ready-made option.
A small secondary monitor or a Stream Deck could display Apple Music information, but those options generally rely on your computer and don’t really satisfy the Bluetooth requirement. They’re better if you mainly want a dedicated screen or shortcut buttons at your desk.
One DIY route would be buying a used Car Thing and flashing it with DeskThing, or building a similar setup around a Raspberry Pi. That could give you a compact music-control interface, but Apple Music compatibility and wireless control may require extra software and configuration.
Do you know whether DeskThing can control Apple Music wirelessly, or is it mainly designed for Spotify?
Bluetooth is important for me, so I’m looking for something that can work wirelessly rather than just adding another wired display.