Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
GM Adds Apple Music App to Cadillac and Chevy Models Following CarPlay Phase-Out
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Free market is what it is called if one company does not support CarPlay and another company does and you want CarPlay buy from the company that does. If enough folks buy the the other companies vehicles eventually the company does not offer CarPlay we’ll have to reconsider
ratspg
macrumors 68020
They want to control their sh***y platform. They have a good idea, they just don't have a good replacement platform to back up their idea, so I'm with you it will hurt them, but I like when companies make these hard decisions and then face hard truths, lol.
firstcitazen
macrumors member
Free market also allows for criticism of the company that does not offer a service or product. Win/Win for everyone, except for those buying GM....
tennisproha
macrumors 68020
Meanwhile CarPlay exists for free. Another reminder of how automakers like GM and Rivian are hellbent on paywalling the dash so they can charge lucrative monthly subscriptions.
Not the same person, but yes, this has been quite frustrating for me. I was planning to replace my current GM vehicle with a GM EV. The vehicle I have now has wired CarPlay, and I've made it wireless using one of those adapters. The last thing I want is their integrated Google spyware, and I'm certainly not interested in paying for the "privilege" of being able to continue using it after 8 years.
I'm not in a rush to buy the new car at the moment, but I expect to be in the market in the next 12-24 months. And now that GM has dug in their heels on CarPlay, I'm most likely going to be replacing this car with a Ford.
ratspg
macrumors 68020
I can definitely see how frustrating that is. I hope Ford keeps what you need and it works great!
wanha
macrumors 68030
Nokia and Blackberry had and have a ton of patents, too... and despite them, they got wiped out in the smartphone wars
(but it did give them a steady supply of cash for years to come to try to transition to other markets where they might actually stand a chance)
B4U
macrumors 601
"Vehicle owners will be able to access Apple Music and other apps with no connectivity cost for eight years, but after that eight-year period, there will be a fee."
This is all we need to know why they got rid of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Meanwhile, AA/CP is still available for the same models overseas. SMH.
This is all we need to know why they got rid of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Meanwhile, AA/CP is still available for the same models overseas. SMH.
ratspg
macrumors 68020
Well maybe GM will transition to something else, again thats their business decision. I'd do things differently if I were running Blackberry when they were dominating with BBM. They made a decision and they have to live with it. I think Apple is in a similar position with iMessage/Messages. I think they'd actually do better if they opened it up more and they would extend their hold.
JoB4031
macrumors member
Well I guess if I ever buy another Chrysler I will need the dealer to install a CarPlay enabled system. While I remain in the Apple ecosystem, I won't be buying another car without CarPlay. Unless it is a vehicle that drives 50 miles to a gallon of gas while pulling a 3500 lbs camper or something phenomenal like that.
RaoulDuke42
macrumors regular
As someone who bought a 2022 Bolt EUV because I knew the third gen Bolt would lack CarPlay… I’m actually tempted to trade up for the newer Bolt as it’s faster DC charging would make it a capable road tripper, and with at least Apple Music being offered without data fees for eight years, that nearly obviates the need for CarPlay, in my case anyway.
RaoulDuke42
macrumors regular
Chrysler cars (Stellantis really these days) still have CarPlay. GM is the one killing off CarPlay and Android Auto.
I'm in the market for a Corvette Z06 and will shop the back catalog specifically because of this idiotic decision. I really like the updated 2026 interiors too. Moronic.
The supposed reason for dropping it is to forcibly steer their customers into the integrated infotainment built with Google software. Presumably with deeper data harvesting capabilities than CarPlay allows, which is very little beyond what is necessary to project the display and accept inputs from the vehicle.
GM's resistance appears to specifically be about CarPlay, as they've also recently committed to offering CarKey in a number of new vehicles earlier this year. It seems to me that they're following the Tesla roadmap for infotainment systems just as Tesla is preparing to offer CarPlay support, ironically. Tesla has long supported Apple Music via an app in their vehicles, but never officially supported CarPlay.
I imagine the consumer pushback would just be too severe if GM refused to even offer Apple Music app support. I'm guessing they support Spotify, too. After all, consumers who refused to subscribe to their infotainment subscription after the 8 "free" years would be relegated to streaming over Bluetooth and virtually no way to access playlists and control their music app without directly touching the phone while driving, a crime in many US states now.
My guess is that the fear of being the target of EU regulation might be prompting them to be more cautious about removing CarPlay in that market. The good news is that that means the general vehicle designs likely can still support it and it would be faster/more feasible for them to reintroduce it in North America once they come to their senses. I am under no illusions that they would back port it to vehicles that don't launch with it, but newer model years could bring it back.
Westside guy
macrumors 604
In the end, it boils down to money. The $50K you gave GM for the car isn't enough... they want you to be paying them ongoing subscription fees.
GM is of course free to not include CarPlay, just as I'm free to preemptively reject any car that doesn't support CarPlay and Android Auto. Although to be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn't consider buying a GM car regardless - quality-wise, American cars have been lagging the rest of the world for a few decades now.
GM is of course free to not include CarPlay, just as I'm free to preemptively reject any car that doesn't support CarPlay and Android Auto. Although to be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn't consider buying a GM car regardless - quality-wise, American cars have been lagging the rest of the world for a few decades now.
But that wasn’t the spirit of the comment, nor the subsequent ones — it was that GM was making an anti-customer choice removing a popular feature people like, and not only removing it — but making a subscription. As someone in the market for a new vehicle in the new year, it strikes their vehicles off the list. Not JUST because of CarPlay (or even Android Auto) but the anti-consumer tactic of making something a subscription they don’t need to (as they do not actually develop the system) but as an opportunity to bleed customers for low hanging fruit.
“…full advantage of our industry-leading audio capabilities.” What industry is that? This is a weird claim from a car company.
I will never buy or rent another GM product until they bring back CarPlay in it's entirety. Dumbest move GM, just dumb.
For what it’s worth, gas GM cars won’t drop Carplay yet, there’s no announced date they will drop it from gas cars and the 2026 Corvette will have Carplay, it’s estimated that maybe by ‘28 they may start dropping Carplay from gas cars.
Electrics have dropped Carplay for over a year now. It’s weird to see a new gas Escalade has CarPlay, but an electric Escalade has no Carplay despite both having the same system, so all they’re doing is making things worse for electric drivers, but oh well.
Good point about renting. What’s their plan for that? Have everyone share their contacts and destinations? Last Chevy I rented didn’t even have data activated so none of the built in apps even worked.
If I understand your stance, if you get to the rental counter/key pickup and they can't offer you a car that you believe will have CarPlay, you'll just wait there until they do? Or in the case of some large airports, get back on the shuttle bus and go to another rental company in the hope the cars they have available that otherwise meet your needs have CarPlay?
I thought that was backwards, too. There's likely much more overlap between prospective customers in the market for an EV and prospective customers who consider a lack of CarPlay a dealbreaker.
I could be convinced that it might even be a decision to intentionally cause their EV efforts to fail, sales-wise.