latest
GM believes removing Android Auto and CarPlay support makes its cars safer
The push for a custom solution may open up more monetization opportunities through subscriptions
Android Auto is a convenient feature which brings your phone’s critical functions like navigation, calling, messaging, and media control right to your vehicle’s infotainment system. Your phone connects to the car over a wired or wireless connection, while substituting a handful of features — like your device's keyboard — for driving-friendly replacements, such as Assistant. Despite the obvious benefits of such systems, earlier this year, GM announced its future EVs won’t support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, instead preferring Android Automotive running alongside proprietary software called Ultifi.
Future GM EVs won’t support Android Auto
You’ll be able to access Google Maps through a built-in infotainment system instead
Android Auto may have its flaws, but when it comes to linking our phones with our vehicles, we at least like to have the option. If you purchase an electric vehicle from GM in the future you might not be able to use Android Auto with it. Instead of connecting your phone to your car via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, the car manufacturer is looking at using a new built-in Google-powered infotainment system instead for its fleet of electric vehicles.
Android Automotive is coming to a lot more vehicles this year — here's which brands are supporting it so far
Meanwhile, BMW is integrating Android Auto more tightly
Read update
Google is trying to take over in-car software with initiatives like Android Auto and Android Automotive OS, and that effort seems to be well received among customers and car manufacturers. The company today announced that there are now over 100 million cars compatible with Android Auto on the road. And Android Automotive, Google's dedicated software kit for in-car infotainment, is also coming to ten more vehicles launching this year.
Google has shown off Android Automotive a few times in the last couple of years, but you haven't been able to buy any cars with Google's fully integrated version of Android. That will change soon, but things will kick into high-gear in 2021 thanks to a partnership with GM. This might not be the first time we get to see Android Automotive in a real vehicle, but it could be what pushes it into the mainstream.
OnStar, GM's connected car service, has been standard on all of the company's cars and trucks for years. The basic functionality includes remote access, vehicle diagnostics, and some other simple connected features, with more advanced fare like GPS navigation and theft protection hidden behind paid tiers. For the last few years Chevrolet has also offered in-car Wi-Fi hotspots powered by the OnStar system, connected to AT&T's LTE network. Following the latest tweaks in AT&T's unlimited plans for smartphones, the companies are now offering unlimited data to cars, too.
General Motors Announces Android Auto Updates For Various Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, And GMC Models
General Motors is rolling out Android Auto in a big way. The company has announced that it's providing updates for select vehicles that previously only supported Apple CarPlay. The models are spread through its Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands.
[CES 2014] Google And NVIDIA Team Up With GM, Honda, Audi, And Hyundai For The Open Automotive Alliance
[CES 2014] Google And NVIDIA Team Up With GM, Honda, Audi, And Hyundai For The Open Automotive Alliance
Cramming mobile technology and other goodies into automobiles is a recurring theme at CES 2014, and even Google is getting in on the action. The web giant is normally pretty quiet at the industry's biggest hardware trade show, but today it officially launches the Open Automotive Alliance, a collaborative association aimed at bringing Android to your car. Google and NVIDIA have already partnered with some of the biggest car companies in the world, encompassing the American, European, and Asian markets: General Motors, Honda, Audi, and Hyundai.
In the future, your car is going to be connected to the internet. This is a matter of when, not if. Volvo and BMW are already working on auto connectivity, and Verizon has partnered with just about everyone. Today, AT&T and GM announced that they're joining the fray by combining their strengths. Starting in 2014, cars from General Motors will have LTE radios .