For millions of iPhone users, Apple’s CarPlay marries basic transportation with a satisfying technology experience for navigation, entertainment and more.
But an expert’s new report points to troubling reasons why CarPlay’s days may be numbered, thanks to a growing automotive industry profit motive. Yes, of course, it’s all about money.
How the battle for your dashboard threatens CarPlay’s future
CarPlay, which Apple recently updated in iOS 26, transforms driving from a frustrating tech nightmare into something seamless. Since its debut in 2014, CarPlay has become one of Apple’s most beloved features, as it projects your familiar iPhone interface onto your car’s screen, enabling hands-free calls, navigation (with Apple Maps or competing apps) and streaming audio without needing to rely on a car’s clunky built-in system.
But the golden age of CarPlay may be ending. In a troubling sign for Apple enthusiasts, General Motors recently announced that new vehicles from the automotive giant will no longer support CarPlay or Android Auto.
As Patrick George, editor-in-chief of InsideEVs, wrote in The Atlantic, this isn’t just GM making an odd choice to kill a popular feature. It signals a fundamental shift in how automakers view the relationship between your car and your phone.
The money behind the decision
Why would GM eliminate a feature that about one-third of car buyers consider a requirement for their next vehicle? The answer is straightforward: revenue.
George explained that by cutting out Apple as a middleman, GM creates opportunities to charge for services that CarPlay currently provides for free. GM’s replacement system requires its own data plan — starting at $10 per month — to access the full software suite.
While the company promises eight years of free service for new buyers of electric vehicles, the long-term strategy is clear. Your car’s features will become another subscription on your credit card statement.
“It’s a turf war, and the car is real estate,” as George put it. In other words, automakers realized they can profit from in-car technology beyond the initial sale — whether through subscription fees for features like hands-free cruise control, apps that control your car remotely, or selling data your navigation system collects about your driving habits.
What you’ll lose
GM’s replacement software is admittedly impressive, according to George. It features apps like Spotify and HBO Max, plus Google’s Gemini voice assistant. But it’s not CarPlay. Popular services like Apple Podcasts and Apple Music are missing. More fundamentally, you’ll need to learn an entirely new system rather than using the iPhone interface you already know.
The broader picture should concern Apple fans, too. While overall vehicle satisfaction improved in 2024, infotainment systems remain one of the lowest-scoring categories industry-wide, with satisfaction averaging 805 points. While that’s lower than the 840 points achieved by CarPlay users, automakers seem hell-bent on bringing it up with much-improved systems of their own.
GM isn’t alone in this battle. Tesla and Rivian have never offered CarPlay, betting on their proprietary systems.
Meanwhile, other manufacturers are locking previously standard features behind paywalls. Toyota now charges subscriptions for navigation tools that CarPlay provides free, for instance, and some newer vehicles require subscriptions of up to $200 annually for remote start, a feature that used to work with a simple key fob button press.
CarPlay’s counteroffensive
Apple isn’t surrendering without a fight. It developed CarPlay Ultra, a next-generation system that extends across multiple vehicle displays and controls more car functions — including climate control through Siri. Aston Martin already made CarPlay Ultra available in new U.S. and Canadian models, with Hyundai, Kia and Genesis expected to follow. Other automakers, like Ford, have hesitated due to how invasive the system is. And BMW flatly rejected it.
Yet some automakers recognize CarPlay’s value. Toyota’s EVs share battery range information with Apple Maps, enabling intelligent charging stop recommendations during road trips. But this cooperative approach represents exactly what concerns automakers. If Apple controls more vehicle functions, car companies risk becoming mere “makers of rolling shells for tech companies,” as George described it.
What Apple users should know about the future of CarPlay
Research shows that only 28% of U.S. consumers would switch to native systems if smartphone integration were unavailable. That shows the challenge automakers face in winning over drivers. Yet the financial incentives driving this shift seem too significant to ignore.
If you’re shopping for a new vehicle and CarPlay matters to you, research carefully. While more than 800 vehicle models currently support CarPlay in the United States, that number may not grow as expected. GM continues offering CarPlay in 34 of its 40 models — primarily its higher-volume, gas-powered vehicles — but the direction is clear.
The uncomfortable truth is that the glory days of seamless, free smartphone integration in your car might be numbered. As George concludes, prepare for a future where your vehicle’s technology expenses become another recurring charge, sitting right alongside your Netflix and Apple Music subscriptions.
For now, if CarPlay is non-negotiable for you, make sure it’s a confirmed feature before you sign that car purchase agreement. Or consider buying an aftermarket rig to add CarPlay to your car.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
