Lately, we’ve been seeing more and more carmakers move away from adopting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay – in fact, some are only supporting one over the other. Even GM announced that it is dropping support for Android Auto from its EVs and eventually all vehicles. Instead, they will use Google Built-in, which is a version of Android Auto that runs at the system level, instead of running on your smartphone.
Then there are other EV car makers like Rivian, Tesla, and even Lucid, who never supported either platform and have no plans to add support. This is because they build their own OS, which they feel is a better experience.
So why are car makers ditching Android Auto and Apple CarPlay? Well it’s quite simple actually. These car makers want control over the data that comes from your car. With Android Auto, Google is able to collect GPS and mapping data and none of that goes to car makers. GM and Rivian both say that this denies them the data needed to improve their vehicles.
Another big reason is the feature limits. GM says that its Google Built-in system, which we first saw on the Hummer EV a few years ago, can go beyond what a phone projection is able to do. As it can go right into the system. This means that getting directions can also include the state of charge of your vehicle and tell you when and where to charge, as well as how long you’ll need to charge on your road trip.
The real reason is money
These days, everything is a subscription, and we as consumers hate it. But let’s face it, if you’re a company that sells a product that a consumer is only buying ever 5, 6, 7 years, you need other ways to make money. And that’s where subscriptions come in. GM has been selling subscriptions for decades, in the form of On-Star.
With car makers going back to developing their own infotainment, they can bring in some subscription models for their new vehicles. BMW has tried this already, and it got a ton of backlash for charging a monthly fee to use heated seats.
Car makers already have some subscriptions like 4G LTE or 5G connectivity, things like On-Star in GM vehicles, and more. But these are subscriptions that most people don’t see the need to purchase.
The post Carmakers Are Ditching Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and It’s Not for the Reason They’re Telling You appeared first on Android Headlines.
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