Picture this: You just dropped north of $80,000 on a new Corvette—America’s supercar, a technological marvel with a mid-engine layout and track-crushing performance. You slide into those sculpted seats, fire up that glorious V8, reach for your iPhone to queue up your driving playlist… and discover your cutting-edge sports car won’t play nice with your cutting-edge phone.
Welcome to GM’s brave new world, where even Corvette owners—the brand’s most passionate, affluent customers—are being told to leave their Apple ecosystem at the door.
But it’s not just Corvette owners – the decision is across the board, eliminating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support for future products from all GM vehicles – Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC.
GM CEO Mary Barra says that customers complained about clunky transitions from Apple CarPlay/Android Auto to their vehicle’s native infotainment interface, so the next-generation GM vehicles will switch over to Android-based software that works without the need to piggyback off a smartphone.
While GM’s Android-forward system will integrate with Google’s Gemini AI, the new system still has its flaws, according to a report by Popular Mechanics magazine. For instance, it forces users to log in to each app individually, a process that Sterling Anderson, the Auto Group’s Chief Product Officer, claims GM is working to streamline. The Android-based system also makes it impossible for iPhone users to use native apps like Apple Maps, Messages, Phone, Podcasts, and Music, causing it to be much tougher to use these apps safely while driving down the road.
Fortunately, there is some good news. Existing GM vehicles like the Corvette and many others that have smartphone mirroring support will retain that capability.
The decision to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto isn’t surprising. GM said in 2023 that it would be phasing out these systems in its upcoming EV models, replacing them with its own new system that customers will have to pay to use. With the change to EV slowing down, it appears that GM is expanding the pay system to forthcoming ICE vehicles that apparently will be sticking around longer than they expected.
Source:
Popular Mechanics
Related:
GM Phasing Out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for Subscription-Based System
[VIDEO] Wall Street Journal Reporter Tests Apple CarPlay in 2016 Corvette Stingray
The First Chevrolet with Apple CarPlay is this 2016 Corvette Z06
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Pointless cash grab to enforce techno-feudalism so that we’ll be forever enslaved to GM’s subscription fees.
GM could just as easily program it the other way, so it’s more open and accessible than previous. If “workarounds” are suboptimal, GM could always just offer its own vehicle-integration app for everything from navigation to music; FREE.
I don’t see this playing well to Gen-X. They’re already pissed because they had to convert their music collection from LP to 8-Track to Cassette to CD to MP3 to iTunes/Spotify. Forcing another tech transition is going to spectacularly backfire.
Well I wouldn’t trade my M6 4LT C6 Grand Sport convertible for a mid engine Vette, but with their elimination of Apple Car Play across the board I won’t consider buying any of their other vehicles now and stick to Lincolns and Ford trucks like we have now and love.
I sure hope other follow my lead and boycot GM forever until they reverse that ill advised decision!!!
It certainly doesn’t surprise me that GM is dropping the Appleplay on its new vehicles. I mean let’s face it corporate greed is running rampant with these conglomerate companies that are looking for higher profits.
This is just another reason why I’ll never purchase another new vehicle from GM!
“GM to mandate subscriptions to OnStar and other proprietary infotainment options that nobody wants”
There, I fixed it for you.
Another reason to keep my C7 Z06 and not move up to a new C8 (in addition to the fact I much prefer the look of the C7 to the C8).
I dropped OnStar this year as well when they started forcing you to subscribe to a data plan and a bunch of other media features (which I have absolutely no use for) just to get the remote command capabilities that used to be included with the standard safety features (stolen vehicle assistance, crash response, etc.), but now it’s double the price to get both of these things. no thanks.
Hey guys,
Walmart has a new USB flash drive that holds 2Tb or 2000 Gb worth of your favorite music for the low, low price of $15.89 on their website. That’s about 1,000 or more full length albums of your favorite bands playing loud and proud. So who cares what Chevy will charge for their Spotify access, you have commercial free music that you want to listen as you cruise in that Corvette.
OnStar has always been an inferior product. GM does not know what they’re doing with software. All I need is a map that shows me where I’m at – like a 2016 Honda does.
I hate that my 2015 doesn’t have it, and I bought my 24 Trax while it was still available. I’ve been part of the Apple ecosystem for two decades. CarPlay works better than auto company tech. Period. There are workarounds but GM seems determined to drive (pun intended) customers away. No sedans. No opening price point muscle cars. No CarPlay. More subscriptions. Little to no hybrid options. We used to have choice. Now with more choice than ever with world wide brands GM wants to tell us what we can buy. But we can go elsewhere.
And there it is spend 80 g’s or more on your car but rent the electronics congratz gm you most likely just lost over half your customer base
just get a Bluetooth sound bar, 12 volt version, mount it in the back and connect your phone to it.
Didn’t this cutover happen on a recent Corvette model year?
If it’s as described here GM can kiss my BFA. I’ll be spending my 150k somewhere else.
To some of the commenters here, sure there are alternatives for playing music, but there’s more to Apple CarPlay than playing music. I mainly use Apple CarPlay for navigation using either Google or Apple Maps. Not having the ability to display the maps from my phone on the car display would be a huge loss, having to go back to finding a phone mount that would put the phone in a good viewing position but you’d still having to deal with a map on a much smaller phone screen than the car display. not ideal.
Mo money to fund GM executives bonuses. Wait till AI is fully implemented in their cars. No more GM for me unless I pickup another low mileage C7 Z.
GM just doesn’t get it! We don’t want to buy one of their vehicles and then not be able to use features unless we pay! Also we like to have the option to connect our phones to the car screen without problems or have to pay more per month. I would just forego buying their products or use an after market device instead.
My Apple car play works great in my ’20 C8 coupe. I don’t know what Barra is talking about with the clunky operation that people have complained about. The loss of messages, phone, my music playlist, is something that will keep me from upgrading to a newer model C8, or buying any other GM vehicle without it. I use those features frequently in the Vette without signing in to anything. Bad move I’d say, especially if I have to pay to get that same capability. I do have an Onstar plan that suites my needs and desires, and I have no complaint about it. In fact it has been valuable to me several times in the past. It’s the Safety and security plan they offer, and I like it, and not terribly expensive. Check it out.
I can’t believe how STUPID GM can be! My 4th vette purchase has just been put on hold! There is nothing I hate more than corporations that nickel and dime you until death do you part!
Yeah, I had the Onstar plan before that Safety and Security but it also included the Remote commands (lock/unlock, etc.) and I think it was something like $33/month, but with the new plans, you have to purchase the top level plan, OnStar One for $50/month to get both the Remote Commands plust the Safety and Security and it includes the useless Music, PodCast, WiFiHotspot, etc. features that I don’t know who would have any use for if you have a smartphone anyway. I think the plan I had was Safety and Security, but I suspended it for the winter when my Vette was in storage, and when I tried to restart it, they said I would have to swith to the $50 plan to get what I had before and I bailed. I always thoughr $33/month was a bit more than it should have cost.
GM build cars, not phones GM executives overpaid and should be fired not interested in a Corvette if I can’t use my iPhone duh☹️ thank God they can’t f up my 58 or 65 Corvette
They took away Marketplace on my C7 about a month after I bought it new. I paid for it and they just cancelled it.
The GM CEO must believe she is charge. Sorry to tell you the customer is in charge. They will ultimately decide this tragically dumb decision. Look no further than Cracker Barrel or the Bud Light debacle. You can charge whatever you want for info system it won’t matter because people will not be buying your vehicles. The CarPlay system is fundamental to the car. It’s easy to use and people are used to using it. Most importantly it’s free. I own two Corvettes with Car Play they day I can’t purchase a new Corvette with it, will be the day I stop buying Corvettes. What a shame.
I’m tongue tied .
My 23 chev equinox works great.
I phone,google maps have a problem.
We own 7 GM cars, pickups and SUVs, Bye, bye General Motors. We will not be buying any more. Compare the always up to date Apple Maps or Google Maps to the poor, clunky, user unfriendly, out dated GM navigation.
I’m not paying for any subscription service on a car for any reason GM. Your software won’t be as seamless as Carplay.
This reeks of a corporate decision analogous to Porsche deciding to transition much of their line to EV. They are now staring at a 99% decrease in operating profit for FY2025 due largely to that tone-deaf strategic change. Of course their reasoning is this is a temporary loss that will recover in 2026.
Loss of the tight and transparent coupling between apps on my iphone and my vehicle via CarPlay is a deal breaker. No new 2026 C8 for me!
Just Purchased a $80k ZR2 and stumbled on this article. I would have not purchased this truck if it did not have car play or android auto capabilities. They pushed me for onstar “free subscription” with my card number on file so I can cancel (if you remember and am proactive) after the free trial. I declined. No thanks. I can change my own tire or use my phone if I need to call someone. I thought onstar would have died years ago. Maybe they have a gov’t style contract to “make it work” without the care of losing money!
I was going to upgrade my ’24 C8 Stingray to one of the newer C8 models. Instead……bye Felicia.
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