Mira firmware gives the dead Spotify Car Thing a second life

Spotify killed the Car Thing. Mira, an open source firmware, turns it into a standalone Spotify controller with a real volume knob, four presets, gestures and voice commands that run on the device.

Build sheet

Device page: Spotify Car Thing →
Device: Spotify Car Thing
Firmware: Mira v1.2.1
Flashing: Terbium web flasher
Internet: Phone Bluetooth or PC USB tether

Can I build this?Beginner · AI 5/5 · $0

Difficulty: Beginner
AI-buildability: 5/5
Time: An evening
Cost: $0

Parts

Spotify Car Thing

Tools

PCdata-capable USB-C cable

Starter prompt

Based on "Mira firmware gives the dead Spotify Car Thing a second life" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/spotify-car-thing-revived-with-mira-firmware

I have a Spotify Car Thing and want to write standalone firmware for it that talks to the Spotify Web API over Wi-Fi or a USB tether. Show me how to set up a flashing workflow with Terbium, how to read the knob, preset buttons and touchscreen input, and how to render album art and synced lyrics on the 800x480 display. Start with a minimal app that shows the currently playing track.

Estimates based on the original write-up. How AI-buildability is scored. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).

Story

Mira swaps the Car Thing's software for open source firmware that runs standalone: no companion app, no subscription. Flash it, give the device internet from a phone over Bluetooth tethering or from a PC over USB, then sign into Spotify once by scanning a QR code. It shows what's playing on any of your Spotify devices and can move playback between them.

The hardware keeps its job, with new duties. The knob sets volume across devices. Four presets jump to saved playlists, artists or podcasts. Swipes and two-finger gestures flip between album art and synced lyrics, and voice commands are handled on the device itself.

Flashing goes through the Terbium web tool, with a driver step on a Windows PC. Want to ditch the phone or PC tether? A community ESP32-S3 gateway from Loic760 can stand in and expose the device to Home Assistant through ESPHome. It ships as its own firmware.

Resources · 3

Firmware releases Terbium flasher ESP32-S3 wireless gateway fork