General Motors plans to phase out the two most popular smartphone integration systems in its electric cars. In their place, the company will offer its own infotainment system, developed with help from Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
The move applies only to electric cars, but GM plans an almost-all-electric lineup by 2035.
Related: Apple CarPlay – Do You Need It?
What Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Do
In a statement, GM told Reuters it would “be moving beyond” what it calls “phone projection systems.”
That’s a decent description of what Apple CarPlay and Android Auto do. Both systems essentially use your car to access your phone, displaying commonly used phone apps on the car’s display screen and letting drivers use voice commands to control them.
Related: Android Auto – How it Works and Why You Need It
We’re big fans. With distracted driving becoming a dangerous temptation, both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can be seen as safety systems. They allow drivers to send and receive text messages, listen to streaming entertainment, and use phone navigation apps, all through voice commands alone. Drivers don’t need to resist the temptation to engage with their phones if they can do it all without their hands.
The systems have grown ubiquitous – found on most new 2023 cars.
GM Cars Will Replicate Many Features
But GM says it “will be offering new content, features, and services that help connect customers to their digital lives” without using phones. GM’s system may replicate much of what Apple CarPlay and Android Auto do, the company says, by “integrating industry-leading applications such as Google Maps, Google Assistant, Audible, Spotify, and more.”
That list notably doesn’t include calls or text messages, however – which could lead some drivers to touch their phones while driving because the car can’t help them do it in a touchless manner.
Why Do This? Probably, To Collect Data
Why would GM drop such popular features?
Mike Himche, GM executive director of digital cockpit experience, told Reuters the company doesn’t “want to design these features in a way that are dependent on a person having a cellphone.”
That, however, is likely a deflection. A Pew Research Center study found that 97% of Americans owned a cell phone, with 85% using a smartphone, in 2021.
GM Authority, however, notes that the change “will allow GM to capture additional data on how its customers drive and charge their EVs, as well as provide GM with an avenue to accelerate its strategy of leveraging EVs as a platform for digital subscription services.”
