Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Lincoln
General Motors certainly hopes the world will eventually forget about its aggressive anti-CarPlay and Android Auto strategy, but every new important model release reminds us all that all these systems can easily live together under the same.
Let's go back to 2023 to refresh your memory.
General Motors decided to go all-in on Android Automotive in its cars, and while Google's embedded system comes with the technical means of supporting Android Auto and CarPlay, the carmaker decided to block both. GM defended its decision by pointing at Android Automotive's feature lineup, claiming it's the only way for its customers to experience an upgraded infotainment experience behind the wheel.
While critics read between the lines and accused GM of paving the way for subscriptions, rivals rapidly stepped in and reconfirmed their commitment to keep Android Auto and CarPlay in their cars.
The just-launched Lincoln Nautilus is a demonstration of how Ford manages to give customers the choice without ignoring the upgraded infotainment experience.
The Lincoln Digital Experience boasts a 48-inch panoramic display with a central 11.1-inch screen. The display spans the entire dashboard and comes with advanced customization options, letting the front passenger run separate apps.
More importantly, Lincoln's new model runs Android Automotive out of the box. This means that the car comes with Google's embedded system pre-loaded, offering one-tap access to Google Maps, Google Assistant, Vivaldi browser (and soon Google Chrome, too), and the Google Play Store. YouTube is also available, and users can install more apps from the store.
However, unlike General Motors, Ford lets customers choose how to enjoy the infotainment capabilities in the new Nautilus. If they're not big fans of AAOS, customers can connect their phones to the vehicle and launch Android Auto or CarPlay. Everybody is familiar with these apps, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a significant number of people ignoring Android Automotive and still plugging in their smartphones for Android Auto and CarPlay.
It doesn't mean the American carmaker isn't trying to make extra bucks with the new Lincoln Nautilus. The 5G wireless support is available with a Premium Connectivity plan, but the carmaker didn't hide the most popular options behind a paywall, keeping Android Auto and CarPlay free and standard.
Ford has already expressed its commitment to keeping Android Auto and CarPlay in its cars regardless of the operating system powering the infotainment experience, so GM is mostly alone in its attempt to leave the two platforms behind. In the last few months, I've seen many former GM customers threatening to switch to Ford because of this anti-CarPlay strategy, and now that the new Nautilus demonstrates that all systems can live under the same roof, it's probably the right time for the migration to begin.
General Motors decided to go all-in on Android Automotive in its cars, and while Google's embedded system comes with the technical means of supporting Android Auto and CarPlay, the carmaker decided to block both. GM defended its decision by pointing at Android Automotive's feature lineup, claiming it's the only way for its customers to experience an upgraded infotainment experience behind the wheel.
While critics read between the lines and accused GM of paving the way for subscriptions, rivals rapidly stepped in and reconfirmed their commitment to keep Android Auto and CarPlay in their cars.
The just-launched Lincoln Nautilus is a demonstration of how Ford manages to give customers the choice without ignoring the upgraded infotainment experience.
The Lincoln Digital Experience boasts a 48-inch panoramic display with a central 11.1-inch screen. The display spans the entire dashboard and comes with advanced customization options, letting the front passenger run separate apps.
More importantly, Lincoln's new model runs Android Automotive out of the box. This means that the car comes with Google's embedded system pre-loaded, offering one-tap access to Google Maps, Google Assistant, Vivaldi browser (and soon Google Chrome, too), and the Google Play Store. YouTube is also available, and users can install more apps from the store.
However, unlike General Motors, Ford lets customers choose how to enjoy the infotainment capabilities in the new Nautilus. If they're not big fans of AAOS, customers can connect their phones to the vehicle and launch Android Auto or CarPlay. Everybody is familiar with these apps, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a significant number of people ignoring Android Automotive and still plugging in their smartphones for Android Auto and CarPlay.
It doesn't mean the American carmaker isn't trying to make extra bucks with the new Lincoln Nautilus. The 5G wireless support is available with a Premium Connectivity plan, but the carmaker didn't hide the most popular options behind a paywall, keeping Android Auto and CarPlay free and standard.
Ford has already expressed its commitment to keeping Android Auto and CarPlay in its cars regardless of the operating system powering the infotainment experience, so GM is mostly alone in its attempt to leave the two platforms behind. In the last few months, I've seen many former GM customers threatening to switch to Ford because of this anti-CarPlay strategy, and now that the new Nautilus demonstrates that all systems can live under the same roof, it's probably the right time for the migration to begin.
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