General Motors’ decision to remove Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity features from vehicles wasn’t a popular one. Consumers bemoaned the decision, originally pressuring the automaker to postpone just how swiftly changes would be implemented. But the overriding plan remained unchanged, resulting in aftermarket solutions that would allow the kind of smartphone integration drivers now expect. Unfortunately, reports are suggesting that GM has forced the company providing the kids and the dealerships offering installations to stop the practice.
According to GM Authority, White Automotive & Media Services had introduced an upgrade kit that brought OEM-style integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto back to General Motors’ all-electric vehicles that no longer offered them. However, the business no longer offers the kit.
“We have made the difficult decision to discontinue this product,” reads the explanation on White Automotive’s website. “Rather than removing it from our website entirely, we wanted to leave this notice so customers are aware of its discontinuation. This was not a decision we made lightly, but due to a variety of factors, continuing to offer this product is no longer viable in the long term.”
From GM Authority:
The discontinuation may be related to the fact that White Automotive only offered the upgrade kit through GM dealership installation. Its installation was complex enough that it couldn’t be bought and installed in your garage. White Automotive required a dealership that was “up to the task of not only meticulously upgrading your EV, but also one that will continue to provide stellar service after the fact.”
For the current 2025 model year, the only GM EVs with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV, Chevy Silverado EV (but only the base WT trim), and the Chevy BrightDrop commercial van. Notably, it’s not available at all on the GMC Sierra EV since it has no work truck equivalent to the Chevy Silverado EV WT.
The options for GM EVs with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are shrinking, so we recommend acting quickly if you want one with these handy features.
Subsequent reporting from The Drive has yielded some additional context. White Automotive has very little to say on the topic, perhaps indicating they’re worried about being subjected to legal actions. But dealerships were less willing to beat around the bush. The Michigan-based LaFontaine Chevrolet had an employee alleging that GM directly instructed the dealership to stop installing the White Automotive kits on vehicles.
“Aftermarket services that introduce features not originally designed, thoroughly tested, and approved by GM may cause unintended issues for customers,” elaborated a spokesperson from the manufacturer. “These issues could affect critical safety features and may also void portions of the vehicle’s warranty.”
Safety has been a popular reason for automakers to try and prohibit people from modifying their vehicles. John Deere was probably the first major company to normalize the trend, after farmers became irate that they could no longer service their own equipment. But the trend has since become popular with cellular phones, automobiles, and other products so that manufacturers can exert higher levels of control of the goods they sell while also profiting off user data. Industry lobbyists have likewise used vague claims regarding cybersecurity to undermine the right-to-repair movement’s attempt to pass legislation protecting independent repair shops and at-home mechanics.
This is also presumably the reason why General Motors went out of its way to eliminate smartphone mirroring in vehicles. Your author remembers listening to shareholder meetings from all the way back in 2015, where CEO Mary Barra discussed how the company would be pivoting toward more data-driven business models. This has been the trend for most automakers and having smartphone providers effectively gotten in the way. While drivers tend to prefer smartphone mirroring in most surveys, automakers would rather them interface with the proprietary user interface as much as possible.
GM has been pretty firm that it refuses to offer CarPlay or Android Auto services on EVs anymore, so there was no chance that White Automotive wasn’t going to draw the company’s ire. The manufacturer owns the software and will almost certainly be pushing out over-the-air updates that will strip the functionality that will nullify any vehicles already equipped with the White Automotive kit.
Legally, the manufacturer is probably within its rights. But you presumably already know my opinion on the ethics of things like this. If safety was truly the top priority, manufacturers wouldn’t have had all of this computer integration and connectivity to begin with. Nobody can steal your data or remotely modify a vehicle that’s not connected to the internet and yet, every manufacturer on the planet has decided to do exactly that with their automobiles. However, if all you care about is having a dashboard that can mirror your smartphone, plenty of other brands are still offering Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integration.
[Image: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
