GM's announcement earlier this year that it would begin phasing out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity on its new Evs.
Tim
Babbitt, head of infotainment products at General Motors, recently spoke
to MotorTrend to provide additional insights on the deprecation of
CarPlay and Android Auto.
Babbitt said GM has always put consumer
safety first, and CarPlay and Android Auto can have issues such as poor
connectivity, slow response times, compatibility issues, and
connectivity issues that cause drivers to be distracted by smartphone
troubleshooting.
Babbitt said the built-in in-car system reduces
reliance on services such as CarPlay and improves road safety by
reducing the likelihood of drivers picking up their phones while
driving.
According to Babbitt, CarPlay and Android Auto have stability issues that manifest themselves as bad connections, poor rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections. And when CarPlay and Android Auto have issues, drivers pick up their phones again, taking their eyes off the road and totally defeating the purpose of these phone-mirroring programs. Solving those issues can sometimes be beyond the control of the automaker.
GM plans to work with Google to develop a custom in-vehicle system based on Android Automotive. The adopted infotainment system will integrate with Google apps, including Google Maps and Google Assistant for voice commands.