Based on a report by Automotive News, forthcoming EVs from General Motors won’t have the well-liked Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features that the majority of cars – EVs and otherwise – come with today. Bypassing a manufacturer’s own infotainment system in favour of their smartphone is now possible thanks to this technology. Instead, GM will require users to use a fresh infotainment system created in collaboration with Google, which also happens to be the owner of the Android operating system.
In today’s cars, options like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are extremely popular. In the US, they are both available on almost every car for sale. In the initial periods of their introduction, a wired link between both the phone and the car was necessary, but today wireless functioning is typical.
Only a select few automakers who come to mind are able to sell their vehicles without even offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as options. Many EV-only manufacturers like Tesla and Rivian are among them. Owners have never been happy with that choice, but it appears that it is not terrible enough to drive them to purchase an EV from a major automaker.
Why then would GM, like Tesla, decide not to provide two things that are extremely well-liked by the public that purchases cars? Despite the two internet titans’ reputations for demanding a piece of every transaction that happens within ten feet of them, neither Apple nor Android costs automakers a price for integrating this functionality in their vehicles.
If drivers choose to utilise Apple CarPlay or Android Auto rather than the manufacturer’s own infotainment system, GM might not like it. GM may use such information in a variety of ways, including as enhancing other car systems and navigational systems. Although there is no proof to support it, GM also might sell it to other parties.
Since GM will continue to use Android technology in its upcoming infotainment systems, its choice hurts Apple more than it hurts Google. Prominent third-party apps like Spotify, Audible, and others will be fully assimilated into the experience, in addition to Google Maps and Google Assistant. However, Apple will completely vanish from GM EVs.
The Chevrolet Blazer from 2024 will be the first affected vehicle. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will still be available in GM’s gas-powered vehicles, but the firm has vowed to stop producing combustion-engined cars completely by 2025.
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