Several car manufacturers are pulling back from Apple CarPlay, the smartphone-mirroring system that has let drivers use familiar iPhone apps on their dashboard screens for over a decade. General Motors is leading the shift, having already removed CarPlay and Android Auto from new electric models such as the Chevrolet Blazer EV, with plans to drop support from petrol-powered cars once its own computing platform arrives around 2028; Tesla and Rivian have never offered it at all. The move matters because it strips away a layer of convenience and consistency that many buyers value, even as it hands manufacturers greater control over vehicle data and integration.

The rift stems from electric vehicles needing deeper software integration than CarPlay allows, since features like battery preconditioning and proprietary charging controls sit outside what Apple's system can manage. Surveys cited in the piece suggest the stakes are high for consumers: Apple said at WWDC 2022 that 79% of car buyers wouldn't consider a model lacking CarPlay, while a more recent survey found 55% called its loss a "deal breaker". GM's replacement will reportedly be built on Google's Android Automotive operating system rather than simple phone-mirroring, though its full rollout details remain unclear.