GM is doubling down on its decision to phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of in-house developed vehicle software. The move is expected to provide GM with deeper control over vehicle functions and integrate a variety of different features, from navigation, to energy management, to advanced driver assistance. GM Senior Vice President of Software and Services Product Management, Program Management and Design, Baris Cetinok, reiterated GM’s anti-CarPlay strategy in a recent interview.
The story behind GM’s decision starts in early in 2023, with GM announcing that it would phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring features from its future electric vehicle lineup, instead opting to integrate a new infotainment system developed in partnership with Google. At the time, the move was considered somewhat risky given the immense popularity of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, as GM outlined in 2022, the automaker seeks to generate $20 billion to $25 billion in annual revenue from subscription services by the 2030 calendar year, and leveraging an in-house infotainment system is undoubtedly a major component of that. In addition, GM hopes to more fully integrate advanced technology like the GM Super Cruise semi-autonomous driver assist system, and to that end, a more cohesive infotainment ecosystem could prove to be highly beneficial.
In an interview, GM vice president of software, Scott Miller, defended the decision, saying that the automaker was “very comfortable” with it.
“We are going to evolve and learn, and I think we are going to be in good shape here,” Miller said.
Further rationalization for the decision to phase out the popular phone mirroring systems include creating “a comfort level around the [EV] charging experience,” per a GM Authority interview with GM Infotainment Business Strategy and Planning Manager, Ryan Buffa. According to Buffa, GM built in highly accurate data around battery health and battery monitoring into its new EVs, which helps with things like battery preconditioning.
Nevertheless, nearly 90 percent of GM Authority readers voted that the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was a dealbreaker, per a GM Authority poll conducted earlier this year.
Nevertheless, GM is pushing forward. The latest comes from GM Senior Vice President of Software and Services Product Management, Program Management and Design, Baris Cetinok, who told The Verge that he believes GM is “best positioned” to create a “deeply integrated experience” when it comes to vehicle infotainment.
“We are not shipping devices with just monitors; we’re not a monitor company,” Cetinok said. “We’re building beautifully designed, complete thoughts and complete convictions. We say, ‘This car is designed to do the following things awesomely.’ This is Silverado, this is what it stands for and this is what it does. Let’s get to it.”
For GM, the commitment to a custom platform represents a significant step in positioning itself as a tech-driven automaker in an increasingly digital landscape. The automaker’s system, Ultifi, runs on Google’s Android Automotive OS, allowing GM to manage software updates, add new features, and make future improvements via over-the-air updates.
It’s a long-term bet, that much is sure, but it remains to be seen if customers will embrace it.
Comments
Absolute deal-breaker for me.
TAKE NOTE GM, 54 THUMBS UP (SO FAR), FOR THIS COMMENT!
Why ? Both applications are useless !! I don’t use or want to use Apple Car play !!
No car play = no GM vehicle. It’s that simple. And I have a 2024 Chevy Traverse.
Just spent 70k on a Buick BECAUSE I liked how integrated it is with Google and my phone right now. Every other car feel short. They have a really good thing going right now. Sucks they are going this direction.
Wow.
It’s going to blow up in their faces the number one option new Byers look for is apple CarPlay they won’t even consider a vehicle without it. Numerous studies done on this.
This is not an intuitively true claim when the overwhelming market leader in EVs doesn’t offer CarPlay.
BS !! I could care less about Apple car play !
The question is will GM vehicles allow bluetooth connections of Apple iPhones so we can use our contacts for calls and music. It does in the anti Apple Tesla’s so that should satisfy most people.
Contacts still connect. You can even get text messages.
I have not found a way to reply to texts (like with Apple Carplay) though.
Google built in works exactly the same. All you have to do is say “Hey Google, text (contact name)” and the text is sent. Replies are read back to you. What more do you need?
If it’s an actual text, does that use a phone number associated with the SIM card of the vehicle? Probably better to use other messaging apps on the vehicle like Messanger, WhatsApp, so that your identifiers stay consistant.
👍
I have tried to be open minded on this, but I can not say that I’m in love with the Google infotainment system in our ’23 GMC Yukon. Seems like it isn’t as quick to respond, and it doesn’t integrate as well with your iPhone media.
Open minded to what? Your vehicle still has carplay. Nearly all OEMs are using Android automotive as their OS.
Mine too !! HATE GOOGLE , wish they’d find another operating system or make up their own !!
Not sure why this article quotes Scott Miller. He was fired from GM over a year ago. It also fails to point out that Baris Cetinok is a former Apple executive. He spent nearly 10 yrs there. He’ll say whatever he’s paid to say.
I would love to say that sales numbers dropping will make them do a complete 180 but now they are number two in best selling EVs so it seems most buyers don’t seem to care. Besides doesn’t seem to be hampering Tesla and Tesla was anti-Carplay from day one.
But like I said before. I fail to understand the concept of alienating customers in an attempt to gain others. Why not just go for as many customers as possible, by not alienating them and focus on overall growth? I don’t understand why this is such a problematic idea for GM to grasp?
Again, it won’t be a dealbreaker for me. I have one car with it (my XT5) and one without it (my Rav4) so while I do find it convenient I would just get a nice phone holder and stick to doing it the old fashioned way through the phone. But if they think I will be entertaining a subscription to use Googles connected services after the free trial is done when I can get these services for free on my Galaxy Phone they are in for a rude awakening. So I hope they realize, they are alienating customers for a customer that won’t entertain their subscription scam.
Thanks Chris for your input. I guess I’m going to have a deeply rewarding experience in a Ford or Lexus which wasn’t on my radar until now without car play. So you’re saying my current 5 GM cars are the last ones that I get to decide what I want them to feature.
Wasn’t my plan but OK.
I’m not sure who is doing all the weird stuff at GM. Seems like they are out of touch with buyers. Wonder how EV sales will be now with President elect Trump. That 4 banger in Acadia is junk for towing.
No they’re not out of touch with buyers !! CarPlay and whatever Androids is called is NOT NEEDED !! I have Apple phone but I DON’T use CarPlay while in the car , USELESS to me !!
Well, after 3 Volts, 2 Yukons and a Grand Sport Corvette, it now looks like ther is a Ford in my future
GM is creating redundancy in adding their own system, I just bought a new GM vehicle and if it did not have Apple CarPlay, I would not have purchased the vehicle. I already pay for phone service that includes GPS, music, emergency crash, notification, I’m not going to be paying an extra subscription service. I have only used the satellite subscription they provided once and do not intend on renewing it after the trial. In my opinion, the bad move on GM’s part but hey, it’s their business. Let them run it how they will that’s why there are several auto makers out there that I can go to after this vehicle.
“We are not shipping devices with just monitors; we’re not a monitor company”
Oh yeah? Tell that to all the C7 Corvette owners that were told by GM that they will no longer offer any map updates for their expensive GM navigation systems.
Let them eat cake!
Starting to think about replacing our car. Buick Enclave. Sad the next car won’t be an Enclave or any GM product.
So … you pay 30 to 70 thousand $$$ for the vehicle, THEN a monthly fee, on top of your smart phone/internet streaming fees.
BUT it’s NOT about the MONEY …
It’s about the convenience and in house control. ( really long Seinfeld eye roll ) .
I actually welcome paying a subscription on software. Hear me out: for the last 100 years you bought a car and it wouldn’t get any better over time. Tech would get outdated a year later? – too bad, no one cares. A small recurring fee actually incentivizes a manufacturer to improve the feature for existing drivers. Maybe I’m naive, but this gives me hope that in the future SuperCruise will cover more roads, ParkAssist will stop sucking etc. So I want the vehicle to have a separate SIM card and receive those updates. If you can afford a $100k truck, you can afford $60/mo in subscriptions..
And as for CarPlay – too bad if all your playlists are in iTunes, but CarPlay was always a crutch to work around terrible infotainment from old-school car manufacturers. The new OS doesn’t suck and that crutch is much less needed – in fact the experience is better naively than when projecting a phone.
And in 50 years when you’re wishing you could retire you’ll think back and say “I wish I hadn’t blown 5% of my salary each year on 20-40 different subscriptions.” It adds up kid, but you’ll learn.
And conveniently GM has total EXCLUSIVE control over the info it gleans from EVERY communication in the vehicle. It can then sell that valuable info to Capitalist Pig Marketers at a premium price and doesn’t have to share the $$$ with anyone else. BUT it’s not about $$$, it’s about convenience .
Dealbreaker for me. I think it would likely be a dealbreaker for a lot of others. I know for sure that I would likely not pay for another subscription to use my truck’s features.
GM IS WELL ON ITS way to losing loyal customer sales..ignoring customers’ wants and needs…time for Mary Barra to take a walk!
I’m out. Apple CarPlay is too valuable of a tool to give up. I see this as an enormous miscalculation by GM.
How is CarPlay so useful ? I find it WORTHLESS !!
Well, that’s a deal breaker for me. Life long GM buyer no more. I was going to replace my Sierra HD with a new one in a year or so. I guess I will look at Ford even after a horrible experience with an Escape my wife drove.
I am not about to pay for any service you offer that I already have via my cell service.
The other side of that is the data you will mine and sell to whomever pays the most.
Can only imagine how much more data you will get to sell beyond what OnStar collects. (Seems I remember hearing of a current lawsuit related to that?)
Good luck GM, you have a huge current and potential customer base of young adults who rely on those two technologies heavily that will walk away, they will not care enough who they buy from as long as they have the tech they want.
To all those folks saying they’ll switch to a Ford: have you seen how much Ford software sucks? For finding EV chargers along a roadtrip route that’s a show-stopper. Watch some some YT videos and see how glitchy that $hit is.
If the service is better, people will use it. It is a poor tactic to force people into a situation where they have no option.
I find it hard to believe a vehicle couldn’t simply send data to your phone to let it know its current charge status and range estimates.
Hopefully, there will be a more forward-thinking solution going forward, although I fear it will only be changed once the financial implications have been felt.
pure hubris
GM write your apps to work on apple and be car play compatible
‘We’re Not Selling Monitors’
If you believe the research, they’re not going to be selling monitors…or vehicles to a whole lot of people.
In 10 years when I buy a used Chevy something, will they still update the software? Issue security fixes? They will not see new revenue… Unless of course my infotainment system is a service I have to pay monthly to use.
The built in Google navigation crap is the worst thing about my 24 Silverado. They took a useful button that made driving safer (the steering wheel button to initiate voice prompts) and made it into a “you don’t have OnStar” notification button, so now I have to look away from the road to press the microphone on the screen. My jeep, Honda, and Ford has no such problem. The worst part of starting my car is receiving crap notifications about a system I don’t use while I wait for Android Auto to initiate. They have no idea how much customers hate their system and will not tolerate the removal of useful alternatives that we actually enjoy.
Deal breaker for me.
The hardware will be slower than phones when released as they will cut costs hard here. 2 years in the hardware will be even further behind your new phone. Changing phone every few years isn’t that expensive. Changing vehicles every few years is.
Toyota is likely where I will land. Unfortunate as I really like my Chevy dealer.
Sad. GM has been building vehicles for how long? And still having issues all over but now they’re going to venture into something different the norm? lol. Might should try and get to basics and find quality lifters and cams to keep their vehicles actually on the road.
Who put the idiots in charge at GM?
GM is interested in selling Google subscriptions, OnStar subscriptions, data plans, anything that isn’t necessarily better for the consumer but generates more revenue. They may end up going the route of the high-end Germans and make you subscribevto use festures such as heated steering wheels, etc. As a sales manager at a GM store, we aren’t enamored with the moves.