General Motors is doubling down on its decision to remove Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from future model electric vehicles.
The company announced earlier this year that it would be removing its widely-used Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality due to driver-safety concerns. This decision was met with significant backlash from customers.
General Motors (GM) claims its decision to phase out the two features stems from concerns about persistent connectivity issues.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto “have stability issues that manifest themselves as bad connections, poor rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections,” said Tim Babbitt, GM’s head of product for infotainment, in an interview with Motor Trend.
Babbitt explained that when CarPlay and Android Auto experience connectivity issues, drivers take their eyes off the road and handle their phones in an attempt to resolve the problem, thus defeating the purpose of “phone-mirroring programs.”
“Solving those issues can sometimes be beyond the control of the automaker,” Babbitt added.
Not all automakers appear to share the same concerns over Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For instance, Ford says its customers will continue to see the two features offered in future Ford vehicles.
“We continue to offer Apple Carplay and Android Auto because customers love the capability that enables easy access and control of their smartphone apps, especially our EV customers,” Ford spokesman Alan Hall told the Detroit Free Press.
According to GM owners Will Lindsey and his wife, when a feature becomes so ingrained in one’s everyday life, it can be hard to adjust once it is taken away.
“We’re an Apple family as far as computers,” Lindsey said, per USA Today. “Both of our cars work with CarPlay. The navigation is there, all the contacts for our phone are there, so if CarPlay is not an option, we’re going to go elsewhere.”
Instead of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, GM says it will offer a built-in Google-powered infotainment system that includes Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Spotify.
