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Apple CarPlay is one of the most popular and searched for options on cars today. It’s great. With it, you can sync your phone to your screen and integrate many of the apps from your phone right to your touch screen. Android Auto does the same. But, General Motors plans to ditch Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for its new cars, starting with the 2024 Blazer.

GM Apple CarPlay apps will disappear

A screen showing AppleCArPlay in a car
GM says its electric vehicles won’t have Apple CarPlay | Fabrice Coffrini via Getty Images)

GM has often boasted that more if its cars and trucks came with CarPlay or Android Auto than any other brand, according to Reuters. However, GM has a partnership with Google to design a new interface. The new interface will primary slot into the GM’s new electric vehicles and there’s no word, yet, on whether phone apps will continue to stay relevant on gas-powered cars and trucks. Today, about 80% of vehicles can support Apple CarPlay.

But, if you have an iPhone or an Android phone, you’ll still be able to make calls and listen to your own music in a GM Car. Bluetooth, the industry standard for connections to everything from smart speakers to headphones, will stay standard.

Why is GM getting rid of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

A car screen showing hte Android Auto logo
GM will also drop support for Android Auto in future cars | Rafael Henriquevia Getty Images

GM is getting rid of cell-phone based tech because, as GM engineer Edward Kummer told Reuters, the manufacturer doesn’t want to lock people into having a specific kind of cellphone in order to access their new car. As GM moves to develop its self-driving technology, locking people into an Apple or Android system can overcomplicate a system. Instead, the company wants its cars and trucks to be independent thinkers.

GM’s Super Cruise system lets you drive hands-free over thousands of miles pre-mapped highways and it uses its own system. Though the system isn’t standard on most GM cars, it will be on new electric SUVS, cars and trucks, like the upcoming Sierra EV and electric Chevrolet Silverado EV, as well as the new EV Blazer.

GM will offer Google Maps and Google Assistant for eight years

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV | Chevrolet

GM also smells profit in the subscription service arena. Google Maps and Google Assistant, where you say, “Hey Google,” and the system responds like Alexa, will come standard on GM EVs. But, after eight years you’ll have to start paying for the services, which is fine if you don’t plan on keeping your car. Future cars will also offer Spotify for music, Audible for audio books, and other will be able to access other apps, too.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.