GM to phase out Apple CarPlay, Android Auto in EVs

Photo: GM

GM's electric vehicles will lose access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, starting with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Instead, the carmaker's EVs will rely on Android Automotive and its apps. EV owners will get eight years of free Google Assistant and Google Maps without an extra charge. But GM hasn't mentioned what you'll pay to use the features afterward.

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Android Auto to make split-screen a standard for all displays

Google

Android Auto's latest refresh will now adapt to the changing sizes and nature of the car's touchscreens. Google says its split-screen display will be a standard for all users, giving you access to critical features like navigation, messages, and the media player on one screen. This option used to be limited to certain vehicles, but it'll now be the default experience for everyone. And this system will adapt to any type of touchscreen. With screens getting larger in cars, like the 56-inch wide display on the Mercedes-Benz EQS, Google decided to adapt to this change. 

"That was part of the new motivation behind this redesign, was being able to adapt our product better to these vehicles that are coming out with these massive portrait displays and massive widescreen displays," said Rod Lopez, lead product manager at Android Auto. "And so our approach has been working really closely with these OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] to make sure that things make sense and they work."

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BMW's new cars temporarily won't ship with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

If you're planning to buy or already bought a BMW recently, that might not come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on board. The carmaker is in the middle of switching chip suppliers to improve its supply chain in the long term as it continues to feel the impact of the global chip shortage. The new chips built into many of the new BMWs manufactured this year require updated software to run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. According to MacRumors, the BMW customers who received a new car without CarPlay or Android Auto were asked by dealerships to wait for an over-the-air update to enable the feature "by the end of June at the latest."

Google will shut down Android Auto phone app

Google Assistant driving mode (Source: Google)

Google has introduced an Android Auto experience on its devices in the last few years. The feature allows those without a compatible dashboard unit to quickly access Google Maps, music apps, and other data you need. But now, with the Google Assistant driving mode finished, Google plans to stop offering the old experience on devices running on Android 12.

A statement from Google shared with 9to5Google confirms this plan. "Google Assistant driving mode is our next evolution of the mobile driving experience," the statement reads.

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