General Motors’ announcement earlier this year that it would begin phasing out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity on its new electric vehicles, and in the end, all of its future products were pretty poor, to say the least. These phone mirroring programs are very popular among new and used car buyers, making GM’s ad difficult to understand. Now, the company has explained more about its thinking Motor Trend.
While GM representatives gave some basic reasons for ditching the beloved software at the time of the announcement, the whole decision was a bad one. A two-page “Media Fact Sheet” listed some of the benefits of electric vehicle path planning and charging as well as the company’s Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise semi-autonomous driving systems; Basically, GM can organize more expertise by doing its own thing. None of this explains why the company would remove features that customers like enough to base purchasing decisions on, at least as an alternative option.
Stop using your phone while driving
said Tim Babbitt, GM’s president of infotainment products metric tons Better explained at a press event for the new Chevrolet Blazer EV, the car pioneering the no CarPlay or Android Auto strategy (and our 2023 car) Motor Trend Winner of the SUV of the Year award.) According to him, there is an important factor that did not appear in the fact sheet: safety. Specifically, he cited driver distraction caused by cell phone use behind the wheel.
According to Babbitt, both CarPlay and Android Auto suffer from stability issues that manifest as poor connections, poor display, slow responses, and dropped connections. And when CarPlay and Android Auto have problems, drivers pick up their phones again and take their eyes off the road, completely defeating the purpose of these phone mirroring programs. Resolving these issues may sometimes be beyond the automaker’s control. You can start to see the GM’s frustration.
Babbitt’s hypothesis is that if drivers had to do everything through the car’s built-in systems, they would be less likely to pick up their phones, and therefore less distracted and safer behind the wheel. He admits, though, that GM hasn’t tested this thesis in the lab or in the real world yet, but believes it has potential, if customers choose it.
How does this work?
To that end, GM’s “Ultifi” infotainment software features a suite of fully integrated Google apps like Maps and Google Assistant, in addition to popular apps like Spotify and Audible. Installing Google Maps directly into the car avoids a major source of customer ire and a major incentive to use CarPlay and Android Auto in the first place by eliminating sub-par interior navigation systems and replacing them with software everyone knows and loves.
However, the real backbone of this strategy is Google Assistant. Voice control in cars is nothing new, but it has long been worse than automakers’ navigation systems. However, a digital assistant that actually works and has full access to the car’s systems is a potentially powerful tool. Not only can it handle calls and text messages through any Bluetooth-paired phone, it can control audio, navigation, climate and more while the driver keeps their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Although CarPlay and Android Auto’s capabilities and in-car data access have expanded over the years, they still don’t have access to most of these systems.
Can’t you just connect the phone?
The issues Babbitt mentioned with CarPlay and Android Auto seem to be mostly related to using these programs wirelessly, and while he says that’s true, simply plugging the phone into a USB data port doesn’t solve all the problems. Even when using a physical connection, Android phones are vulnerable to compatibility issues between the car and all the different Android phone manufacturers, Babbitt says. Meanwhile, iPhones have backward compatibility issues that cause older iPhone models to constantly have trouble getting CarPlay to work.
He points to JD Power data showing that CarPlay and Android Auto issues are common complaints among owners, and that customers tend to blame the automaker rather than the phone manufacturer or the phone’s software. In this way, eliminating CarPlay and Android Auto would likely relieve GM of a major customer complaint resulting in lower perceived quality scores.
It’s also about money and data
While Babbitt’s logic is sound, there is more to this strategy than just altruism. Automakers around the world have been sparring with Apple and Google for years over access, control and ownership of data generated in a car. No matter what software a driver uses, vast amounts of data are collected about how they drive, where they go, what apps they use while driving, and more. This data is valuable to automakers and technology companies both in terms of finding customers and anonymizing, packaging, and selling it to third parties.
Then there’s what the actual spending drivers do. Although they are not yet very popular, apps already exist that allow owners to spend money through a car’s infotainment system, such as when purchasing gas or food from certain retailers and restaurants. In addition to being able to buy things from GM or GM partners through their car’s infotainment system, GM is also looking into subscription services that can be managed through the same interface. Edward Comer, GM Chief Digital Officer, said: Reuters Just as much when the decision to abandon CarPlay and Android Auto was announced. Automakers see subscriptions as a huge new revenue stream to exploit, with GM alone hoping to generate as much as $25 billion a year from subscriptions by 2030.
GM already operates the oldest in-car subscription service, OnStar, and has clearly announced plans to expand its subscription model to Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise in the future. The new free CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment systems coming in the Blazer EV and future GM EVs include eight years of data to power their Google-based software like Maps and Assistant, but after that, owners will be expected to pay to use even more data.
It’s not just GM
While GM is getting a lot of heat for avoiding CarPlay and Android Auto, it’s worth noting that other companies have done the same. Most notable is Tesla, which has never offered either and has still managed to gain massive popularity. Rival EV automaker Rivian doesn’t offer either software on its vehicles yet. However, it’s clearly a gamble on GM’s part, and a bit of a game of chicken with a large group of modern car owners and smartphone users. We’ll have to see if GM’s confidence in its own system can pay off without its own connectivity and reliability drawbacks. At the end of the day, it’s probably worth sitting in the car you’re interested in buying and fiddling with the buttons to see what you can actually live with.
Update 12/12:
After this story was published, GM contacted us with the following statement:
“We wanted to reach out to clarify that comments about GM’s position on the phone offering were misrepresented and to reinforce our valuable partnerships with Apple and Google and each company’s commitment to driver safety. GM’s integrated infotainment strategy is driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with GM’s larger vehicle ecosystem Motors.”
In a surprising move, General Motors has announced that it will be phasing out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its infotainment systems in order to prioritize driver safety. The decision comes as a response to concerns about the potential distractions posed by these smartphone integration systems while driving. This bold move by GM reflects a commitment to ensuring the safety of drivers and passengers on the road, and signals a shift in the auto industry’s approach to in-car technology.