This is a fundamental rule: the driver chooses the music.
And yet, in a tough challenge to the unchanging laws of the universe, Spotify has chosen to interfere with this golden rule by extending its Group Session beta to cars. As of today, up to six people in the car can control music at the same time, from the Android Automotive-powered Polestar 2.
‘We all know that the driver sometimes does not have the best taste in music, and my family tends to agree. Adding Group Sessions Beta from Spotify is a great way for others in the vehicle to influence the playlist and enjoy their favorite tracks, ”said Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar, a man who clearly cannot be trusted with the playlist.
Group Session was launched as a beta last year and is limited to Spotify premium subscribers; once a host starts a session, up to five other users can participate, giving them full (shared) control over the playlist and the ability to play, pause and skip tracks at will. And sure, this is a useful feature when hanging out with friends in the low-lying areas of a braai or a meal.
Fortunately, there are precautions: the driver will apparently still have the power to revoke access at any time (because, again, driver selects the music!). But if that’s the fine balance of an hour-long journey, Spotify is still playing with fire here. Do you really Do you want to run the risk of your friend bombarding you with Nickelback songs every other track throughout the trip to Pittsburgh?
That said, the potential decline in carpool chaos is limited for now. The expanded Group Session beta is only available in the Polestar 2 – currently the only car on the market running Android Automotive – but presumably, as Google’s smart car platform will continue to arrive with more cars in the future, it will be more widely available.