GM is killing Apple CarPlay in all of its cars and here’s what that actually means

Well, this isn’t really a surprise, but GM is now planning to ditch Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support in all of its cars — not only Electrified. It’s a disappointing decision and points to the ongoing anti-consumer choices that many companies, not just automakers or GM, seek to justify today.

When General Motors first announced that it would stop supporting phone displays in its electric vehicles, the company made a bunch of excuses:From safety to ease of use. The automaker continues to make similar arguments now. In a recent interview with EdgePodcast decoderConsumers have criticized GM’s CarPlay experience in its cars, CEO Mary Barra said. I noticed:

“We received a lot of feedback from customers that going back was very difficult. It wasn’t smooth, and frankly, in some cases, it could be distracting to go back and forth between whether you’re doing something you can do on the phone’s display system, versus whether you need to do something in the car.

That may be true, but if that’s really the case, just build a better infotainment system. That’s not to say GM’s current setup is bad — in fact, We absolutely love it. But why develop displays and interfaces knowing that they won’t be compatible with one of the most popular devices on the planet?

This all sounds like GM is creating a problem so they can sell you the solution. Just because something is different doesn’t make it better or more useful. No one disputes that carplay The experience is perfect, it’s not. But this does not justify ruling out the option entirely. This is about control.

Instead of continuing to offer that choice and freedom, which GM has done for nearly a decade, the automaker decided its only recourse was to put up a paywall and charge subscriptions for services that people already pay for, or that are accessible for free, like Apple Maps, which you can use without needing an iCloud account. Or even an internet connection.

After hearing about GM’s decision Eliminate Android Auto and Apple CarPlay Of its gas-powered cars, I conducted an experiment. I wanted to see if I could get CarPlay and Maps working without an iCloud account, and I kind of did, but I ran into trouble.

The wiped iPhone 14 I used didn’t have a SIM card, so once CarPlay connected, the phone’s Wi-Fi turned off, disconnecting the device from the internet in my home. I messed around with my phone and tried using the wired CarPlay connection, but couldn’t find a way to keep the Wi-Fi on.

So, I decided to connect to Wi-Fi, navigate to the destination and then connect to CarPlay, and it worked.

Maps call up distances to upcoming turns, road names, and hazards without the Internet. It couldn’t redirect me when I intentionally made a wrong turn, that’s for sure, but the maps didn’t panic or stop working, but rather continued to show the map and the correct route as you’d expect. I couldn’t figure out how I could get back on track.

No one is arguing that the CarPlay experience is perfect, it’s not. But this does not justify ruling out the option entirely. This is about control.

The point is: It worked offline and without the need for an Apple ID or iCloud account, a level of digital freedom GM doesn’t want owners to have in its cars.

With the option to view your phone soon, GM will be gone, and GM is keen on that Stop any after-sales attempts That could allow owners to modify their vehicles as they please, GM could more easily monetize data connectivity, navigation access, a paywall for any number of features and services already in people’s pockets.

It’s a smart business move that will make GM more money. This is the mission of Barra and her crew. But the automaker should at least be honest about why it’s doing this – it’s all a cash grab.

In a statement, a GM spokesperson said the company will not make any changes to existing vehicles and that its gas-powered vehicles will continue to offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay “for the foreseeable future.”

The company also said: “We value our collaboration with Apple and Google and continue to focus on delivering experiences that customers love.”

Americans love freedom. Give them that. Don’t take the worst aspects of the modern digital ecosystem and expect consumers to praise you for it.

In the same interview, Barra was joined by chief product officer Sterling Anderson, who attempted to explain GM’s thinking behind the decision. He tried to compare mirroring a phone in the car to mirroring your iPhone on your MacBook and said:

“How many of you access online services like email, social media, etc. through a phone display app on your laptop? Almost none of them do. Why? Because you have a much larger screen on your laptop. You have a more convenient HMI via the keyboard.”

It’s a smart business move that will make GM more money.

That’s true, but it misses an important point — Apple users can access almost all the features on their phones on their MacBooks without needing additional accounts or having to pay for additional subscriptions to access what they’ve already paid for.

And what happens when you have an iPhone and a Windows PC? There’s a more frustrating mismatch, as Decoder host Nilay Patel pointed out.

Anderson suggested that limiting vehicles to GM’s operating system would enable better integration of charging infrastructure information and Super cruise Availability. Ford doesn’t seem to be as handicapped as GM in this regard, with the Blue Oval able to offer CarPlay, electric mobility, and hands-free driving capability without any fuss.

In fact, Ford CEO Jim Farley has explicitly gone on record that the automaker has done so There are no plans to abandon smartphone mirroring Because “we don’t think we have to limit it to make money from customers. We don’t want it to be a hassle.”

This seems like the opposite approach from General Motors, which has Google Car Services and access to the Google Play Store, which requires users to sign in to use it.

Sterling later said in the podcast: “If you’re sitting in your car, you wouldn’t pick up your phone to use the maps app if it was on a bigger screen in front of you in the car, would you?”

Yes, I would if it meant I wouldn’t have to sign up for another service, create more digital accounts, share data with more third parties, or pay subscription fees for things I already have access to.

But GM couldn’t make money on that, so the company decided to pull something it had offered successfully for years only to sell it back to owners as services that would one day require a monthly fee for continued access.

Shareholders should be proud.