Switching from Apple to Google Will Be Easier, Says GM

By ditching Android Auto and CarPlay, General Motors believes it could provide customers with an upgraded experience, as embedded systems make common features, such as navigation, more convenient.

Despite these promises, General Motors has been under heavy fire since making this controversial announcement a few weeks ago. Many believe the company just wants to turn subscription systems into a more important source of revenue, especially as customers could end up being charged for certain infotainment capabilities.

The company has already defended its strategy on multiple occasions, yet one of its executives recently admitted that the infotainment could eventually help General Motors make more money.

In the meantime, GM keeps looking for ways to prove that blocking Android Auto and CarPlay in its vehicles is the right decision. And the switch from iPhone to Android (or the other way around) is now used as an argument in this never-ending controversy.

Nick Festa, director of digital business at General Motors, says the transition from one platform to another would be easier once Android Automotive becomes available in its cars. Festa explained that drivers are occasionally forced to use a different platform "for whatever job they're seeking to accomplish." As a result, "bouncing back and forth in between different ecosystems" only produces more frustration regarding the way users interact with their infotainment systems.

Android Auto and CarPlay

At some level, Festa's statement is accurate.

Right now, if you own an Android device and drive a vehicle that only supports CarPlay, using mobile phone projection is a major pain in the neck. The same thing for iPhone users who drive cars with Android Auto, as Apple and Google do not provide cross-platform compatibility.

Sure enough, going from one platform to another isn't necessarily the most convenient thing you'd have to do, especially when switching company cars or driving rentals.

On the other hand, most cars fitted with Android Auto support also offer CarPlay compatibility and the other way around. CarPlay is indeed more popular in certain countries where iPhones dominate the mobile market, but otherwise, the majority of carmakers tried to offer support for both platforms in their cars.

What's so special about Android Automotive?

An Android Automotive-powered vehicle would no longer require a mobile device to run. Therefore, the mobile device you own is irrelevant, so switching from an iPhone to Android would be much easier.

Android Automotive is pre-loaded with the vehicle and is the operating system that powers the infotainment capabilities. It can also run Android Auto and CarPlay if proper support is added.

General Motors, however, will block the two features, as it wants customers to stick with the genuine Android Automotive experience.

The carmaker claims it's just a matter of time until customers discover the true benefits of Android Automotive. The platform comes with Google services integration, so Google Maps and Google Assistant are available out of the box.

Thanks to this integration, Google Maps gets access to additional vehicle data, such as the battery level. The application can look for nearby charging stations and suggest stops whenever the range drops below a certain threshold. Google Assistant can also control more vehicle systems with voice commands, including the air conditioning settings.

Rivals also adopting Android Automotive (without killing off CarPlay)

The main benefit of Android Automotive, besides offering an embedded solution to power the infotainment capabilities, is the heavy customization power.

Carmakers can customize Android Automotive's look and feel in order to preserve their brand identity. As such, despite running the same operating system, two car models could sport a visually different UI. The features offered to drivers would also be similar, except for the capabilities that are developed by each carmaker in-house.

General Motors promises to focus heavily on this approach, and this is why it believes Android Automotive would provide a significantly upgraded experience over Android Auto and CarPlay. No further specifics have been provided, but we should get an early taste of what Android Automotive feels like in a GM model rather soon.

The company's controversial strategy will come into effect on the 2024 Blazer EV before expanding to the entire electric vehicle lineup in the next years. Models powered by internal combustion engines would still offer Android Auto and CarPlay, but given GM has already planned the full transition to electric motors by 2035, it's all a matter of time until mobile phone projection is entirely retired.

Whether or not customers will enjoy the easy transition from one device to another, as per Festa's promise, is something that remains to be seen. But right now, GM's transition to a world without CarPlay faces heavy resistance, and the decision is very likely to backfire, at least in the short term.