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Earlier this year, GM said it would remove Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its future EVs. But its reasoning for the move—not wanting a system that's "dependent on [a] person having a cellphone"—didn't really land, so it's trying another argument: It's concerned about your safety.
Tim Babbitt, GM's head of product for infotainment, tells MotorTrend that "CarPlay and Android Auto have stability issues that manifest themselves as bad connections, poor rendering, slow responses, and dropped connections." When this happens, people pick up their phones to see what's wrong and take their eyes off the road, creating a distracted driving scenario.
MotorTrend spoke to Babbitt at a press event for the upcoming Chevrolet Blazer EV, which will be one of the first GM EVs to launch without support for CarPlay or Android Auto.
Initially, the reasoning for dropping both services appeared to be profit-driven. GM can instead push its own subscription services, like OnStar, as CEO Mary Barra aims for up to $25 billion in annual revenue from such plans by 2030. MotorTrend says GM plans to add its semi-autonomous driving features, like Super Cruise, to the subscription list as well.
GM isn't leaving Silicon Valley in the dust completely. Its infotainment system will run Google apps like Google Maps and Google Assistant; the latter will control things like HVAC and other car systems that Android Auto doesn't have access to normally, MotorTrend notes. It'll also support apps like Spotify and Amazon's Audible.