Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been the default expectation in new cars for most of the last decade — and now the industry's biggest domestic automaker is walking away from both. GM confirmed it will remove CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone projection from its future gas-powered vehicle lineup, a phase-out that starts in 2028 with the Cadillac Escalade IQ on GM's new Centralized Computing Platform and rolls out model by model as each vehicle goes through its normal refresh cycle. GM's EVs already dropped both back in 2023.
GM's reasoning, in their own words
On The Verge's Decoder podcast, GM CEO Mary Barra said customer feedback pointed to a specific frustration: switching between a car's native infotainment system and a phone-projected interface is a clunky, distracting experience — two different pieces of software fighting for the same screen. GM's stated position is that a fully native system, built end-to-end by GM, is a smoother experience than toggling into someone else's software mid-drive.
The reasoning nobody at GM says out loud
Multiple outlets covering the decision have pointed to a less customer-facing motivation: when CarPlay or Android Auto is running, Apple and Google — not GM — control the interface, the data about how it's used, and any future in-car subscription or commerce revenue built on top of it. Analysts have pointed to vehicle software, data, and services as a market some project reaching into the tens of billions of dollars annually industry-wide over the coming years, and every mile driven through Apple's or Google's interface instead of GM's own software is a mile of usage data and potential revenue GM doesn't capture. A fully native system keeps that entirely in-house.
The companies that never had it in the first place
GM isn't inventing this strategy — Tesla and Rivian both built their businesses on fully native infotainment from day one and have never supported CarPlay or Android Auto on any model. For Tesla in particular, that native-software approach has long been treated as part of the product identity rather than a limitation, which likely gave GM's leadership some confidence the approach can work at scale without killing sales.
The backlash
This isn't a quiet decision. Survey data on how much buyers care about CarPlay varies by source: McKinsey research found 38% of car buyers won't even consider a vehicle without CarPlay or Android Auto, with a separate McKinsey figure putting outright refusal to buy a combustion car lacking it at 35%. Other industry surveys have put the number closer to half of new-car buyers. Apple's own research, as of 2022, found 79% of U.S. car buyers would only consider vehicles that were CarPlay-compatible. Whatever the exact figure, the direction is consistent across every survey: a meaningful chunk of the market treats CarPlay as non-negotiable, and GM is betting its own native software can close that gap before 2028.
"Every automaker chasing this is betting their own software is good enough to replace the thing customers already trust."DopamineKart Legit Car Desk
Tesla and Rivian proved a car company can survive without CarPlay. Whether GM's much larger, much more mainstream customer base reacts the same way — especially the buyers who currently cross-shop a Chevy against something that still has CarPlay — is the real experiment starting in 2028.
Sources. InsideEVs — GM removing CarPlay/Android Auto from all cars, Cars.com — GM CarPlay removal timeline, Kelley Blue Book — GM abandoning CarPlay/Android Auto, autoevolution — McKinsey CarPlay survey data, iMore — CarPlay dealbreaker survey. Photography: Rivian and Tesla images are reader-submitted photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited and licensed individually (see each image's Commons file page). This article contains no affiliate links and no buy buttons. Corrections: email us