GM is aiming to transition its light-duty vehicle lineup to all-electric powertrains by 2035, and during that transition, the automaker will change up its infotainment technology offerings as well.
According to a recent report from Reuters, GM will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring features from its future electric vehicle lineup, opting to instead install a new infotainment system developed in partnership with Google. The first vehicle to stop offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV.
2024 Chevy Blazer EV
The move away from the popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring technologies in favor of a new infotainment system developed with Google will allow GM to capture additional data on how its customers drive and charge their EVs, as well as provide GM with an avenue to accelerate its strategy of leveraging EVs as a platform for digital subscription services. According to GM CEO Mary Barra, the automaker hopes to generate $20 billion to $25 billion in annual revenue from subscriptions by the 2030 calendar year.
In addition, the new infotainment setup will enable GM to focus its engineering efforts and investments into a single infotainment approach and allow GM’s EVs to more closely knit in-vehicle infotainment, navigation features, and assisted driving features, including the GM Super Cruise system.
2024 Chevy Blazer EV
“We have a lot of new driver assistance features coming that are more tightly coupled with navigation,” said GM executive director of digital cockpit experience, Mike Himche, in an interview with Reuters. “We don’t want to design these features in a way that are dependent on person [sic] having a cellphone.”
GM has collaborated with Google since 2019 towards the development of the new GM EV infotainment system.
Meanwhile, GM’s ICE-based vehicles will continue to offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while GM customers who own vehicles equipped with these systems will continue to be able to use the systems.
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Comments
That’s a bad plan. I would go somewhere else with no phone integration. Especially if it’s attached to a subscription service. Hard no.
GM customers with Apple and Android smartphones will continue to have access to hands-free calling, hands-free voice texting and streaming music through Bluetooth functionality in the vehicle.
That’s extremely limited, bluetooth has much more compression so audio won’t be as high quality, also would lose access to Apple Apps that I use on a daily bases.
So is it audio you are concerned about? Plug your phone in directly, like you are probably doing today. The other features that will be added are much more integrated and useful to the EV experience than are offered now through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
“The other features that will be added are much more integrated and useful to the EV experience than are offered now through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto”
There is zero chance of that. And even if true, they should still allow phone projection.
No, It’s not about the music. Or the hand free phone calls. It’s about integration with everything else on my phone. It’s my calendar knowing where my next appointment is at and pulling it up on Maps, it’s about pulling up my Podcasts on the screen and selecting what the episode I ant to listen to, it’s about using other apps. Bottom line – I’m not looking for a more integrated EV experience. I want my car to integrate with how I manage and interact with my personal info outside my car. GM is optimizing the interface in wrong direction.
Well said…. Thats the bottom line. Don’t force me into you ecosystem especially when we know it’s going to be inferior.
Your phone usage won’t change. You’re just not using CarPlay to do the mirroring, you’re using another option that does not depend on your phone to collect the data it needs, and your phone is not actually required.
Put it this way, Tesla has been doing it this way for about 10 years. It’s been successful, and no one has complained a bit.
Sorry but I own 2 Teslas and a Chevy Bolt. The CarPlay interface for mirroring the phone is far superior to anything Musk has thrown at the board. You can only look at 2 days of calendar on the tesla for example and it looks nothing like the phone. Yes you can use your phone but you can’t see any historical voicemails. The contacts interface is rudimentary. In short, junk. The only other true interface is with Apple Music which is not mirroring the phone but even this sucks because many of the songs you have in your library won’t plant on the Tesla Apple Music interface for some unknown reason even thought hey are on the phone and play fine through the Bluetooth interface. Again, junk. No native android options available. Yes you can connect to the phone music via bluetooth but none of the functionality of is easily used. It’s just garbage. You can also stick a USB stick isn’t eh car but this interface is even worse. Text Messages are also displayed in the Tesla interface but you can only see messages that were sent to your during the most recent driving session. Everything else is not shown. If you turn off the car all of that goes away. Again, this is so inferior it’s not even funny. If there was something that worked at the same level I might be okay with it. Using Tesla’s interface to justify this actually makes the case for having CarPlay/Android Auto. If GM is using Tesla as the bench mark UI they need to rethink that. For gods sake, the Tesla screen is Basically black and white…. WTF? My bolt was 30k vs the 55k and 75k for the Teslas. The UI is sooooo much better in the Bolt. This is a huge mistake for GM. I cycle cars like socks. GM just dropped from My list of potential mfg for my next EV. I also won’t own another Tesla even though the experience is still superior to others from a technology, driving/charging standpoint. Force me into your ecosystem, lose me as a customer, it’s that simple.
So, I’m complaining.
Spoken like a true GM employee robot! I call BS on your both comments. Mary Barra will love fools like you! It’s a hard no for me as well, and I own 4 GM vehicles in my family. Bye GM!
If you honestly gave a damn about audio quality you would absolutely not use your phone’s DAC, and you would absolutely not use your vehicle as a listening stage. You wouldn’t lose access to your apps, either, you’d use a standard mirroring service like miracast for using apps on your phone on the ICE.
I’m not a tech guy, but I use Apple Car Play every time I drive my vehicle. For my fiancé and I (and many, if not most of the people under 50 that I know), the lack of CarPlay would potentially be a deal breaker… This is purely so GM can charge subscription services to enable items like navigation… The list of reasons for me to “Never Buy Another GM Vehicle” keeps growing on almost a daily basis! I’m about done with this company.
“…lack of CarPlay would potentially be a deal breaker…”
For us it’s a total deal breaker. Heck, I used to work at GM…get an employee discount and even I won’t be buying one.
Current gm leadership seems to be on a suicide mission.
Oh so you now want to charge us and “capture” data GM….NO THANKS!
And forward this information to China, no doubt?
This is HUGE mistake! Alienating iPhone users is about as stupid of a move as one company could ever do.
It’s not just iPhone Mary is alienating, it’s Android as well. Why should I pay a subscription fee, that you know will be substantial, to use something my phone already does extremely well? This is such a bad move that I will be dumping my GM stock soon, before the general public finds out and the value goes down another 20-40%.
Stupidest idea I have heard from GM in their history. Honestly, this is even worse than them forcing owners to pay $3,000 for OnStar at vehicle purchase.
Shameful.
“Honestly, this is even worse than them forcing owners to pay $3,000 for OnStar at vehicle purchase.”
I’m assuming this is part of that. Afterall, they are allowing you limited access for 8 years. Certainly that wasn’t for free.
Not that I agree with the GM policy on CarPlay, but when did you need to pay $3000 for OnStar. In any Chevy I’ve seen it was just a monthly subscription and nowhere near $3000.
On the surface this seems like a step back as more vehicles add this feature, but this is a good move if reasonably priced. Why give Apple this information when they intend on joining the BEV space. Tesla has resisted adding Apple/Android Car Play and has their own free OS – you can still play your music seamlessly.
Apple’s business model does not depend on collecting data about its customer. Not that they never collect any stats but it’s much more limited than ad driven companies like Google. It does look like GM wants to monetize its customers whether through telemetry or subscriptions or likely both. I don’t like that but I like their decision to simply not offer CarPlay as even worse. Having CarPlay doesn’t meant that GM can’t tell what you are doing, it just doesn’t get the details about what happens inside CarPlay.
Greedy jack@sses. I was 95% settled on buying a Equinox EV when it came out later this year/early next. I was planning on checking out the VW ID.4 just to cross shop, but GM just made this a super easy decision for me. I’ll be buying the VW instead of the Chevy. Good job Barra and Reuss. Your decision to be greedy and now charge customers for what they already had for free through Android Auto and Carplay has now cost you my sale. And will surely do so for many, many others.
Why are they greedy, as a company you find any way you can to make money. if you didn’t you wouldn’t have a business. Good luck buying a VW…they are know to be the worst cars for electical problems, can’t imagine how bad the EV’s are goin to be. The only thing you will be missing from apple car play is maps, which many still use waze which is part of google, so connect your phone’s hot spot to the car and it will probably work. All the built in apps are looking for is a internet connection. You might even find it less expensive if you drive a lot to get the cheapest plan you have for you phone and get the data plan for onstar.
I personally disagree. You can make money while also choosing not to give your customers the middle-finger about using the car they purchased in the way they want to use it.
Can you elaborate about “electrical problems”? I haven’t found any evidence of that. Also, potential electrical problems in a 12V ICE car is not the same thing as a EV. Completely different architectures.
CarPlay has all of my contacts, my location searches, and my podcast player. Those things are not going to exist on whatever system GM offers. It’s not just about Maps, though GM wants to distract us with that. It’s also not about a wireless plan. I already have unlimited data on my phone plan. GM doesn’t help there. I don’t need to pay for additional service from GM.
There is NO way I’ll buy a GM vehicle that doesn’t support CarPlay. I’m not locked into your car’s infotainment system, nor do I need to be monetized by you and Google. You’ve lost me as a future customer, GM, if you stick to that idiotic position!
Good way lose lot customers . Hard no buying future evs.
Hate to tell you its going to be happening at all manufactures. Why pay licensing fees to this company and that company and you can create your own. So most of the built in things will work without using the data package from Onstar. You can hook your car to your phones wifi and if you have unlimited data most things will work. Only thing that didn’t work on my car when i did it was the built in maps couldn’t see traffic. If the system is built on google and using basically android automotive you might just be able to hook your phone up fo it to work. Its also possible it might be cheaper to lower your phone cost to a lower data plan and use the data from Onstar if you drive a lot.
Prices on phone packages might also drop if more manufactures do this which i’m sure is going to happen. Unfortunately we are going to be in a society with subscription services in the future. Its just the way its going to be.
However if EV sales never get to where they think they are going a lot of this may change. I don’t believe we will see EV’s be the main source of travel unless there is a serious discovery in a way to charge a vehicle in 10-15 min. Right now we keep hearing its coming but I bet it won’t happen for 10-20 yrs if not more.
Hey genius, how many people have unlimited data in Canada for example? I don’t believe that any of our companies offer such a package, as we are being gouged by our cell phone carriers. So your answer to use our cell phones data won’t cut it!
But you keep selling GM to us folks that will not except this kind of crap from GM.
GM does not need to pay licensing fees for CarPlay or Android Auto. There is some work to integrate to the APIs but it is mainly just a video stream and about as complex as hosting a YouTube video on a web page. The per vehicle cost of that is minuscule.
I have no interest in changing my phone plan just to suit GM. I have unlimited data and other perks and switching to a limited plan would not save any money.
My EV is fully charged every day when I get in it so I’m not too concerned about charging speed. Even on a road trip that amounts to very little extra time over the course of a year.
Yet another reason for me to buy the last ICE truck GM ever makes before they are discontinued. What an idiotic strategy. Not everyone has their entire online life built on google, nor does everyone WANT that. Everyone knows google collects and sells your personal data, your comings and goings, location data, all that stuff. I know Apple is barely better, but I sure as HELL don’t trust google, and as much as I am a loyal GM customer, I will not buy a new GM vehicle if it doesn’t have apple carplay. Period.
This is clearly the latest move by GM to allow them to get to their ultimate goal….. to charge us customers for every single thing they can. I am sure their will be a new built in feature(s) to allow all of the same type of functionality we are used too and more as Mr. Lutz indicated. The problem is there will be a monthly charge(s) that will have to be paid to give you the same functionality that everyone has now for free. GM has overestimated in my opinion consumers willingness to pay additional fees in addition to the cost of their vehicle for subscription services. They are too late to this party. People are unsubscribing in record numbers from monthly fee memberships and subscriptions. Especially in a world with record setting costs for most people on basic needs.
This is a ridiculous way of handling this announcement. They should have announced how great their new Google-inspired system is and why it’s so much better than CarPlay, then quietly mentioned that they won’t be supporting it or Android Auto. The way they handled this just pissed everyone off first without even trying to explain what they’re doing. (Maybe it’s great, who knows!) That said, I’m a loyal Cadillac owner looking to buy a full-electric Cadillac, but I won’t buy another GM product if it doesn’t support CarPlay. Full stop.
My guess—if they’re really announcing this they way they meant to—is that they’re using all the hubbub generated by this announcement to ultimately say, “Well, okay, we’ll bring them back, but those will be subscription features.”
And said they plan to let customers drop Apple CarPlay, not push them out. It’s obvious they want to spy on their customers.
I wonder what they do with OnStar? I’m sure they’re doing way more than anyone realizes behind the scenes. All in the name of your safety and peace of mind.
Yea okay Richard, you keep telling yourself that GM is doing all this for our health, safety, and well being! 😂 Perhaps one day you’ll convince even yourself that this is the case. Don’t be delusional. Don’t make me laugh as GM is only concerned about making money.
They get to stir the pot that way because people freak out that way. Easier to write an incomplete story than be upfront and truly explain what is happening and what it really means for users.
There is an arstechnica article about this too. They contacted gm to confirm before expressing their amazement at this dumb decision.
To add those capabilities you dont need to remove the OPTION of CarPlay.
Carplay has apps, e.g. Amazon Music, that GM will take ages to add, considering not even Telsa has.
Simply put, GM EV car biggest differentiation from Telsa for me was having CarPlay.
My guess is GM is coding custom apps for their EVs (e.g. apps that indicate where the nearest chargers are) and therefore want a single platform to code on. The problem is self-evident in the comments – nobody wants to relearn how to activate their old features. And even worse, a subscription model sounds like a disaster. Cars are expensive enough. No need to milk the customer for more funds. I’ve heard that GM wants to offer SuperCruise as a subscription model. I hope it’s not true. BMW already tried leasing heated seats and received a well-deserved backlash.
CarPlay is THE reason I ordered a Lyriq over a Model Y. Both cars had a few key features I liked, but CarPlay tipped the balance in Cadillac’s favor for me. I consider it a firm requirement for purchasing any car. And while I will be OK with the 2024 Lyriq which will still have CarPlay (when it ever comes…) – this will mean no more GM EVs for me beyond that. I’m also nervous that GM might “update” the Lyriq one day to remove it down the line.
Welll most of you are going to be in a world of hurt because i bet you all manufactures will do this. Apple car play and android auto aren’t updated much since they came out. Android auto actually seems to have more updates than apple car play, so GM is making a good call here. I like apple car play better than android auto but if its integrated into the car already that’s a plus too me, less compatibilty issues. Yes it may cost a little more but its about convience.
CarPlay just got a major update two years ago and there are small changes each year. A lot of the changes are in the apps that are offered. It’s not just about Maps though Apple Maps has improved a lot and now has the ability to get battery charge information from the car and to display routing to compatible charger locations. I use a podcast player on my phone more than just about any other app and if GM won’t let me continue to use that, then I have no use for GM. As a Volt owner, I was really interested in some of the new EVs that GM has announced but this new policy kills that for me. I’ll need to look elsewhere. A lot of other manufacturers do allow CarPlay and Android auto because they respect their customer’s desires for a personalized experience. GM seem to have no respect for its customers.
Cancelling the Volt and other vehicles built on the same platform might be the biggest mistake GM ever made. The Volt was and still is such a brilliant concept…I have respect for vehicle brands that are still investing in hybrids. Alas, GM looks to be trying to top itself when it comes to bad decisions with this one
What a great way to alienate a big group of potential buyers, GM!
…can always hope that there’s a punchline to this announcement tomorrow: “April fools!”
It is a step backward, nothing to do with the media. Many customers will find other vehicles that have CarPlay and AndroidAuto. Bet GM will lose lots of sales with this strategy?
Thank you for “explaining” the spin Mr. Goebbels, I feel much better now…. Actually, I feel even more confidant in my original assessment that GM is only doing this so they can charge subscription fees for apps and features (Navigation) that anyone can use for “free” via phone projection of Apple Car Play or android auto… Besides, everyone knows it’s only Computer geeks, cheap skates and losers who regularly use Android phones, way to pick a winner GM.
What a joke!!!! The current Google platform in the 2022 and 2023 large SUVs are horrible. I will not purchase a vehicle unless this new platform is some how better than Android Auto. knowing GM and their greed I doubt it.
If it has Google maps, Spotify, and Audible, it has everything I actually use while driving.
You mean this story ISN’T an April Fool’s story? Bad news!
Not at all happy about this. Just a ploy of yet another corporate entity trying to monopolized our data. GM just lost a hard earned customer. I bought a Bolt for my wife last after decades of being a Toyota shop and having sworn off of American junk. Found the car competent with decent build quality. Would have seriously looked at a Blazer EV for myself if not for this dumb arse move. Think GM! Customers want choice.
iOS is now the dominant OS in phones used in US. Why an OEM would try to compete with something as ubiquitous as cellphones is beyond me. No Car Play, no sale. This is the same strategy Tesla uses while the cellphone apps are much better and allow the user to choose their own experience for a myriad of functions. The OEMs should stick to making vehicles and leave consumer software to the experts.
What’s next GM? Perhaps let’s start charging a monthly fee to use each option that comes with the car like BMW floated. So if I want heated/cooled seats, seat memory, adaptive cruise, etc, we will have to pay monthly. This is pure BS
Tesla is doing the same thing with subscription services. GM needs to integrate all the maps, chargers, traffic alerts, and assisted driving functions into a new OS. I applaud GM for reaching for newer technology. Change is difficult though most of us got rid of land lines years ago and never looked back. And someone has to pay for all this and that is you the customer.
Doing consumer apps isn’t a strength GM has. In the 80’s Roger Smith bought EDS from Perot with the intent of making GM a technology company. They failed miserably. The technology u should applaud GM for is battery technology, manufacturing technology, and any other technology intrinsic w transportation. Meanwhile they need to leverage what the “free market” already has instead of building redundant, limited use systems.
The tesla ecosystem isn’t CarPlay and it’s an entire new GUI to master. I own a Tesla and I would much prefer a CarPlay option so that I can use my own calendar and contacts apps as well as SIRI or google assistant. I’m telling you from experience there nothing about the tesla interface that integrates into my life better than CarPlay does from my Bolt and I pay $100 a year to Musk to have all the privilege of using his “great” stuff. The vehicle management from the car and App are great and the driving features are cool but they work with nothing else in my home. Yes the Tesla app works on my phone but it is half-assed integration into my life overall. At least Musk finally gave in on Apple Music.
Right now, GM can’t even get their vehicle management App right. When it decides it will connect which is not a reliable bet, you can’t really manage simple stuff like adjusting charge level or other basic features without going pout tot he car. If you can’t get that right why on earth would I let you into the rest of my Ecosystem. Big fan of Mary but this is just BS
Still rattling this around in my head. I just don’t get it. Stick with your core competencies GM. This is the one thing I hate about my Tesla. No CarPlay. The consumer wants to integrate appliances into their ecosystem not be forced to comply with someone else’s idea of what works. I have a complete Apple ecosystem in my home and I expect to be able to use all of that infrastructure to bring new appliances into the fold. I’m sure PC and android users have the same expectations.
Bad move GM and the motive is totally transparent. I expect this from the ego-maniac in Austin but not GM. I hope their competitors are watching and beat the mercilessly about the head and neck for this. That is the only thing that will change their minds. GM if anyone is watching this site it should be crystal clear this is a really bad move.
I was planning on ordering a new Blazer EV, not anymore. GM you just lost all my business! I will not own a vehicle that does not have CarPlay / AA
bad idea don’t like it
I’ve driven GM products since the 80s because I have family that work there and want to support them. My support for the company has at times been challenging as a result of their mediocre quality, which has substantially improved this century, and due to their “that’s goood enough” attitude towards interiors and engines. At the top end of their product range the engines are competitive but the low end is more often than not substandard with bad NVH issues, poor economy, and miserable reliability.
Through it all I kept buying GM’s cars.
I will not buy a car without carplay. My life is organized around my phone and computer and I feel safer when driving with CarPlay compared to interacting with the car’s infotainment system. I want to support the company but loss of CarPlay would be the final in a long series of insults from GM.