GM plans to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support in future EVs, using a Google infotainment system to capture more data and inform subscription launches
otherwise, it's hard to imagine why GM would take such a radical step & risk alienating consumers by completely ditching Apple CarPlay GM plans to phase out Apple CarPlay in EVs, with Google's help https://www.reuters.com/... Harry McCracken / @harrymccracken : Terrible, consumer-hostile move. https://www.theverge.com/... Charles Gaba / @charles_gaba : Holy shit. Terrible move, @gm. https://www.reuters.com/... Todd Vaziri / @tvaziri : Absolutely bonkers decision. GM plans to phase out Apple CarPlay in EVs, with Google's help https://www.reuters.com/... David Brauer / @dbrauer : One of my big fears about buying an EV is all the data capture (see: Tesla). Apple isn't perfect, but their data-sharing is more cautious than most, and that WILL be a factor if I purchase a “smarter” car. #fwp https://twitter.com/... Chris Clonts / @clontsey : This sure seems like a bad decision on GM's part. Apple folks are incredibly loyal. https://finance.yahoo.com/... @martinsfp : So... a version of Android Automotive. https://twitter.com/... Billy Procida / @thebillyprocida : I don't think these tech marketing people realize what CarPlay means to us sluts... https://twitter.com/... @techwontsaveus : “GM's move to restrict access to CarPlay and Android Auto, which is expected to begin with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV, will help the automaker capture more data on its customers ... It could also help inform future subscription products.” https://www.theverge.com/... Owen Williams / @ow : Making car UX actively worse so you can *checks notes* collect more data on user behavior is a great way to lose customers https://www.theverge.com/... John Voelcker / @johnvoelcker : I understand GM's reasoning for this, but question whether it will stand. Google Maps is presently lousy for useful #EV charging station info, but I have to think a huge number of GM buyers use these features. It could well keep me from buying a GM EV. https://www.reuters.com/... Andrew O'Hara / @andrew_osu : Screw this! CarPlay is an increasingly-requested feature for new car buyers and is only getting better. GM's decision is brazenly anti-consumer and another way vehicles are getting worse. https://www.reuters.com/... Chris Paukert / @cpautoscribe : If accurate (and @JBWEyesonroad is a reliable reporter), this a true forehead-slapping moment from GM, and it almost doesn't even matter how good the Google solution is. 🤦🏻♂️ 🤦🏻♂️ 🤦🏻♂ ️ https://finance.yahoo.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
This move sits within an earlier shift in which carmakers were ceding more control of in-car operating systems to Apple and Google, potentially extending the smartphone-platform duopoly into vehicles.
GM is taking the opposite ownership stance on the dashboard experience: later coverage characterized the effort as a risky bet on GM's own infotainment software, while a subsequent Blazer EV sales pause over screen and software issues underscored the execution stakes.
First-order effects
- Future GM EV buyers lose the built-in option to project Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, while GM makes Google's infotainment stack the primary interface.
- GM gains a more direct path to collect customer data through its vehicle software and to build subscription offerings around that controlled experience; Apple and Google’s smartphone-projection products lose that access point in those vehicles.
Second-order effects
- Public backlash makes the feature trade-off a product-positioning risk for GM: it must persuade buyers that its native software is preferable to familiar phone-based interfaces.
- The decision raises the reliability bar for GM's software organization, particularly given the later Blazer EV infotainment problems that included blank screens; failures can turn a data-and-subscription strategy into a sales and support liability.
Third-order effects
- If more automakers retain control of the in-car interface, vehicle software becomes a strategic layer for customer data, recurring services, and the relationship with drivers rather than a feature delegated to mobile platforms.
- That shift could intensify scrutiny of how automakers use driving and app data, especially as GM and other manufacturers have added app features that shared driving data with brokers.
The trend: Automakers are treating the vehicle interface as a proprietary data and services platform, even when that means challenging the convenience and reach of smartphone ecosystems.