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GM To Phase Out Apple Carplay And Android Auto Tech From Their Cars
General Motors said Friday its future electric vehicles will not offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The technologies, which are on GM’s vehicles now, allow drivers to bypass the infotainment system to view their smartphone screens on the instrument panel’s display.
Existing vehicles will obviously retain the tech, but new electric models will switch to an integrated infotainment system developed with Google. The first vehicle to benefit will be the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer. GM’s major motivation is to equip its electric cars, trucks and SUVs with tech that is capable of capturing more data that can be crunched to show how drivers use and charge their EVs.
If you’re unfamiliar with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, they are systems that mirror the driver’s smartphone screen. Both systems do this by bypassing the vehicle’s infotainment system.
GM’s Chevrolet brand once claimed it offered more models with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto than any other brand. As a result, this is a big blow to Apple in its competition with Google to appear on as many US dashboard screens as possible.
Although this is a new announcement, this isn’t the beginning of GM’s partnership with Google. According to the outlet, the two companies have been working together since 2019.
While abandoning smartphone mirrors will allow GM to create a better driver experience, the automaker would also have an avenue to introduce more subscriptions to its vehicle line-up. The new software platform will integrate new connectivity feature more seamlessly into driving, but GM has made it clear that it seems subscriptions are a real method of increasing revenue.
