Earlier this month, General Motors sent shockwaves through the automotive industry when it announced that it would be ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility in its future all-electric models, starting with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. This decision was made because it gives GM the ability to capture more user data, focus its engineering efforts into one single software platform, better integrate its own features such as SuperCruise, make vehicles less dependent on smartphones, and perhaps most importantly, help it accelerate its mission to drive revenue through connected vehicle services. While most of GM’s rivals – including Ford – don’t plan on following suit, GM is doubling down on that decision, according to The Verge.
Scott Miller, GM’s vice president of software defined vehicle and operating systems, defended the automaker’s decision to limit access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in a recent interview, noting that while both platforms remain incredibly popular among users, he sees it as a sign that those folks are seeking a better experience, and notes that he believes GM can deliver an in-car entertainment system that rivals both.
“I don’t think anybody would tell you that projection experience is fantastic,” Miller said. “Right now, it’s convenient, it’s good, and compared to where we’ve been in the past, it’s been really good.” Thus, GM’s goal is to make something that’s “holistically integrated” with a vehicle’s systems, though that also means cutting off access to third-party apps as well. Miller remains convinced that people can be weened off of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if they’re presented with a superior experience.
“People are creatures of habits, and if they’ve been using it, they’ve been using it,” he said. “We do have customer data that says when system is embedded and it just works and you don’t have to fumble with your phone or pair it or do other things with it, you get in your vehicle and everything works seamlessly. It knows you, it recognizes you, and sets it up for you. They will like that better. It takes time, money, effort, and resources to integrate everything. There’s nothing that happens in a vehicle that didn’t take an awful lot of work, an awful lot of testing, and an awful lot of development. So it’s just a matter of where do you choose, you know?”
However, on the same token, Miller wouldn’t go so far as to guarantee that GM won’t back off of this decision at some point in the future. “Should I wrap my finger like a politician?” he said. “I’m not going to be a George Bush here. I’m not going there. We are very comfortable with our decision. We are going to evolve and learn, and I think we are going to be in good shape here.”
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Comments
Mr. Miller is wrong. No one wants to pay GM for software and features they already have. The 3rd party software and features have always been better than any of the automaker’s built-in systems. This isn’t going to change. Automakers build vehicles. Software houses write software systems. The odds of an automaker creating software that is better than a software house is about as good as a software house building a better vehicle than an automaker. Just not going to happen.
Additionally, phones go everywhere. I walk. I bike. GPS, mapping software, etc., I use these software systems when I’m not in a vehicle. I want one device, one interface, that works anywhere. I’m not going to use GM’s in-vehicle-only software. And if GM takes away my ability to connect and project my phone screen on the display in the dash, one of two things is going to happen. I’ll either be relegated to being thrown back into the dark ages of 2012 technology where I have to buy, install, and use a phone mount inside the vehicle. Or, more likely, buy a different brand of vehicle where common sense prevails and screen projection isn’t taken away.
Agreed 100% nobody wants to pay extra to use navigation , music and phone calls
You are 100% correct sir! Stupid idea by gm.
The best part of todays world is there’s always some YouTube video to show you how to hack or install whatever software you want so while GM think they’re smarter than Google or Apple (haha) Microsoft Sync couldn’t beat those two but General Motors does lol.
GM should win “dumbest automotive idea of the year” for this move.
Scott Miller is right in one sense: it’s about the user experience. But it’s a bad idea overall because most of GM’s customers are not going to want to pay subscription fees for services they get on their phones for little to no money. That’s why most OEM-developed nav systems eventually flopped.
But it’s also true that GM (like Ford and many others) rely on external software companies to do most of the development and integration. Epic Games’ Unreal engine, not something developed solely in-house, is the platform for much of the UI/UX in GM and other vehicles. GM’s Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) stack, Ultifi1, relies on Google, Microsoft, AWS, and other third-parties, which allows developers to build and test code in the cloud using the same hardware and software architectures in the vehicle.
So, net-net, this is a risk for GM. But one that could pay off for them. If it does, other OEMs will follow suit.