General Motors Was Right. You Don’t Need Apple CarPlay

GM’s latest infotainment software is slick enough that I happily used it over CarPlay in the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq.

InsideEVs

Last year, General Motors revealed plans to eliminate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its future electric vehicles, effectively forcing buyers to use its own built-in operating system instead of the phone-projection features they know and love. Since the idea was that you would now need to entrust software to GM over Google and Apple, the backlash was immediate and intense. 

People fired off angry tweets. They posted on Chevy forums that they’d pull their reservations for upcoming models. They staggered through the pouring rain, dropped to their knees and cursed the heavens, screaming “You can pry my CarPlay from my cold, dead hands!” Or so I like to imagine. 

The revolt makes sense. Tons of drivers have grown accustomed to using a simplified version of their phone’s familiar operating system for things like navigation, music and podcasts. People are wary of change, especially when it concerns one of the biggest purchases they’ll likely ever make—and lately, hold onto longer than ever before. And legacy car companies don’t exactly have a track record of providing slick user interfaces remotely like what Silicon Valley firms can deliver. 

But all the hullabaloo largely missed one key question: How does GM’s latest software actually stack up to the CarPlay experience? If the automaker can cook up a native interface that’s as satisfying to use as CarPlay and offers similar functionality, then a lot of the bellyaching is moot. Maybe some phone-projection users are true fans of CarPlay and its Android equivalent, but many only use it because it’s better than the clunky garbage that came with their car. (That’s what GM is betting on here, too.)

For the answer, we turn to the Cadillac Lyriq, which, handily enough, is a GM EV that has both CarPlay and the automaker’s new Android Automotive-based infotainment system. (This is confusing, but the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV, which both launched recently, are GM’s first CarPlay-less models. The Lyriq still has it and so does the Hummer EV—for now at least. Future GM EVs will not. Asked whether the Lyriq will retain phone projection going forward, a GM spokesperson said the company will share more about the 2025 model in the coming weeks.)

During my week with the Lyriq, I was able to switch back and forth between CarPlay and the Cadillac’s integrated music and navigation apps—all to get a sense of where each system shines and falls short. Much to my surprise, when I wasn’t using CarPlay, I didn’t miss it one bit. For the apps I use most while driving—that’s Google Maps and Spotify—the Cadillac system performed great. Better yet, it outclassed CarPlay in more ways than one.

All of that bodes well for the high-stakes software revolution GM is undertaking with this move. Like its peers, the Detroit automaker is betting that consumers are down for their cars to feel more like smartphones on wheels. That means bigger, better touchscreens; attractive software with a plethora of apps; over-the-air updates that add or augment functions over time; and lucrative subscription features. GM says the best way to create a seamless, integrated ecosystem moving forward is to ditch phone projection.

How the Lyriq stacks up to Apple CarPlay

Briefly, let’s go over the hardware we’re working with in the Lyriq, because that’ll come into play later. You get a 33-inch, curved and crescent-shaped display that houses both your digital gauges (on the left) and your main touchscreen (on the right). It looks damn impressive, especially compared to the last GM EV I drove, the wonderfully affordable but decidedly more low-tech Chevy Bolt EUV. That car has a more conventional layout of a couple of modestly sized and lower-quality screens. (It also makes CarPlay a vastly more palatable option.) 

All in all, the Lyriq’s interface is attractively designed, straightforward enough to read at a glance and highly responsive to taps and swipes. Its polished feel and configurability give off some tech-product vibes, even if it isn’t quite as dazzling as what you’d find in a Tesla or iPad. The best part about it, and what makes it such a good CarPlay competitor, is that it’s built atop an Android Automotive operating system and features Google Built-in capability. That brings functions like Google’s voice assistant and app store to the table. 

Most importantly, navigation comes by way of Google Maps. Using Google Maps is a chief reason why I, and I suspect many others, tend toward CarPlay. And it’s especially good in the Lyriq for a few reasons. It shows up huge and crisp on the main display. Alternatively, you can set the driver’s screen to display the map, a setting I was a big fan of. It was nice to just glance downward a few inches to see my next move. That also means you or your passenger can futz around with the radio or other settings in the main display without missing a turn. 

Plus, Maps shows not only your ETA, but also your estimated state of charge on arrival. Plug in a destination, and Maps will project out how much battery life you’ll have when you get there, which can be extremely helpful. That estimate will fluctuate over the duration of your trip. Side note: This is the exact kind of “integration” GM points to when it argues for deleting CarPlay in favor of native apps. 

And Maps pairs nicely with the Google Assistant, which consistently understood where I wanted to go, even when it was the unusual name of a restaurant. Once, I asked it to find a charging station on my route, and it quickly showed me some options to pick from. Asking for only 350-kilowatt stations threw it for a loop, so there’s work to be done for sure. 

Compare all of this to how Google Maps works in CarPlay. Because of the display’s irregular shape, CarPlay shows up as a small rectangular island in the middle of the screen. You can’t switch the map view to the driver’s cluster (unless you use Apple Maps instead, apparently.) And there’s no state of charge reading to be found. Overall, it’s just a downgraded Google Maps experience from what the Lyriq provides.

The built-in Spotify app worked admirably as well. And the Play Store has other entertainment apps to choose from, like Audible, Tidal and YouTube Music. But it doesn’t have everything. So if you’re partial to Apple Music, for instance, your overall take may differ vastly from mine. GM says more apps will be added over time, though. Some other useful ones include PlugShare (which helps find charging stations) and Waze.

I don’t tend to do a lot of calling or texting from the car, but I was able to pick up a call hands-free from the Lyriq without issue. I couldn’t quite figure out how to get the Lyriq to access my phone contacts so I could send texts, but it is technically possible, so I’ll chalk that up to user error on my part. 

Paying for connectivity is where it gets tricky

So, that’s all great. Internet connectivity is where things start to get dicey. Although I liked Maps, Spotify and so on, in a Lyriq with a data plan I don’t pay for, I can’t pretend that’ll be the case for actual GM customers. Factoring in the subscriptions required to access these features, I can see how a future without CarPlay or Android Auto might come off as genuinely concerning. 

The good news is that the Chevy Blazer EV and Equinox EV each come with eight years of connectivity for Google Maps and the Google Assistant. They also come with three years of “App Access,” which provides internet for things like Spotify or Audible. But after those periods elapse, owners will have to pay up if they want to retain those capabilities. 

GM offers a broad and, frankly, confusing array of OnStar connected-services plans, and we don’t know how those will change in 3-8 years. Just as an example, as things stand right now, $14.99 per month gets you “App Access,” which includes things like Spotify and connected navigation. That may be a tough pill to swallow for people who already have a phone data plan and are perfectly fine using that. 

And yet, people’s tastes and attitudes change drastically over time. Not that long ago, we all thought it was normal to pay for ringtones and absurd that Netflix could replace cable. Today, deleting CarPlay sounds ridiculous, but Tesla and Rivian have already proven that customers will look past that if a car’s user experience can make up for it.  

So, could GM prove the haters wrong and create software people not only like but are willing to pay extra for? It won’t be easy, judging by the software-related stumbles from legacy manufacturers lately. But my short time with the Lyriq says the automaker is on the right track. 

Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com

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