General Motors is getting rid of Apple Carplay on its new electric vehicles.
The company is also ditching Android Auto, the Android equivalent, according to Benzinga.
“… [W]e will be moving beyond phone projection systems, namely Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,” General Motors said in a statement via the Verge.
Apple Carplay and Android Auto allow drivers to use their phones while driving via a car’s display screen and have become a very important feature for many car buyers.
“As we scale our EVs and launch our Ultifi software platform, we can do more than ever before with in-vehicle technologies and over-the-air updates. All of this allows us to constantly improve the customer experience we can offer across our brands,” Edward Kummer, chief digital officer for General Motors, said in the statement, according to Fundzilla.
General Motors plans to replace Apple Carplay and Android Auto with a new infotainment system that is built into the car.
The first car where this is expected to happen is the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV.
It was only in 2021 that General Motors announced a deal with Google to use Android Automotive OS to power the infotainment system in the company’s vehicles.
The website HotCars.com opined some of the reasons why General Motors might be moving away from Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
One of those reasons, the website writes, has something to do with data collection. The data collected within Apple Carplay and Android Auto are not shared with car manufacturers, HotCars.com reported. But if drivers are made to use General Motors’ infotainment system, the company will be able to collect data on driver habits.
Despite this, General Motors has said that it is making the move primarily to improve navigation for its vehicles as well as its ability to charge new electric vehicles.
“This would maximize range and minimize the time a customer is at a charging station,” Kelly Cusinato, executive director of corporate communications for General Motors, said in an email to the Verge. “The vehicle can know more than the phone does.”