General Motors looks to continue the trend of auto manufacturers moving away from third-party infotainment control, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Just weeks after Ford’s CEO noted the company wasn’t thrilled with Apple’s latest CarPlay Ultra software, GM CEO Mary Barra confirmed that the company will be phasing out support for Apple and Android in an interview with The Verge.
In 2023, GM ended support for these infotainment solutions in its electric vehicles, while continuing to support them in its gas-powered models. The Verge’s Nilay Patel questioned Barra on this decision, leading the CEO to reveal that the company plans on ending support across all vehicles:
Patel: “Let me ask you the second part of that question again, because, again, we’re talking so much about the future, and I understand the argument about the future you’re making, but you still have the smartphone projection in the gas cars. Why is it still in the gas cars?”
Barra: “A lot of it depends on when you do an update to that vehicle. When you look at the fact that we have over 40 models across our portfolio, you don’t just do this and they all update. As we move forward with each new vehicle and major new vehicle launch, I think you’re going to see us consistent on that. We made a decision to prioritize our EV vehicles during this timeframe, and as we go forward, we’ll continue across the portfolio.”
Patel: “So we should expect new gas cars will not have smartphone projection?”
Barra: “As we get to a major rollout, I think that’s the right expectation. Yes.”
In the interview, Barra mentions that GM is planning on rolling out its own “centralized computing platform” across its vehicles in 2028, so it would make sense to assume that third-party support will be ending sometime before then. For the complete interview, head over to The Verge.
