GM will remove CarPlay and Android Auto from more cars

GM continues its crusade to remove Android Auto and CarPlay from its vehicles, and this will now include future gas-powered vehicles instead of just electric vehicles, while the automaker is also developing a Gemini-powered assistant.

GM today announcement that future vehicles from the Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC brands will feature a new AI voice assistant powered by Google Gemini. There is no tonne details about that experience, but beyond that, supporting “natural conversations” that can integrate with both phone services such as messages and in-car features such as navigation. It would allow access to vehicle data, meaning the assistant would be able to provide more native and personalized information.

GM explains:

Starting next year, GM vehicles will feature conversational AI with Google Gemini, making it possible to talk to your car as naturally as you would to another passenger. In the future, GM will introduce its own AI, tailor-made for your vehicle. With your permission, it will be fine-tuned with your vehicle’s intelligence and personal preferences, all connected by OnStar. This might include explaining one-pedal driving in your new vehicle, spotting a maintenance issue early, or finding the perfect place to dine en route to your destination.

This should happen next year, but a new war against phone projection systems like Android Auto and CarPlay is also in the works.

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In a interview with The edgeGM’s Mary Barra and Sterling Anderson engage in another discussion about GM’s support, or lack thereof, for Android Auto and CarPlay. GM has removed this feature on electric vehicles in recent years, and it appears that future gas-powered vehicles are next in line.

When asked why GM’s gasoline vehicles don’t remove Android Auto and CarPlay, Barra said it “depends on when you update that vehicle,” referring to an overhaul of the vehicles’ software stack. When asked directly if “we should expect new gasoline cars to not have smartphone projection,” Barra responded that “that’s the right expectation” as GM’s new software comes to a “major rollout.”

The entire interview is an interesting listen – including a weird a comparison that attempts to say that phone-screening a car doesn’t make sense for the same reason you wouldn’t use phone-mirroring apps on a laptop – but we’ve time-coded the YouTube embed below for the relevant discussion of CarPlay (and, by extension, Android Auto).