Can the Spotify Car Thing be plugged to a laptop USB port?

[NicoleSnow]

I've recently got my hands on the Spotify Car Thing but I use it as a controller in my setup. The device is connected to a laptop via USB cable and is connected to my phone via Bluetooth. The Spotify software is open on my windows 10 to listen to music through my speakers. I just found out that the device is needed to be connected to a 12V power supply while mine is connected to a laptop USB 5V USB port. When I plugged it for the first time the warning window popped up saying I need to use a power adapter. And this window pops up every single time I turn on the device. To my surprise I managed to find a way to bypass that window by holding the top right button on the device and then the device is working perfectly fine. My question is: Am I damaging the device when giving it less power supply than recommended? How come the device can turn on and work regularly even if there is not enough power?

[Alex]

Hey @NicoleSnow,

Thanks for reaching out about this in the Community.

The Car Thing is intended for use in cars with a 12V power supply. We can't guarantee that supplying the Car Thing with lower voltage won't cause damage to the device. We don't recommend using it with power adapters for phones plugged into the domestic electrical grid or laptops.

Hope you find this information useful. Don't hesitate to reach out again if you have questions.