GM is removing Apple CarPlay from every future vehicle, including gas cars. If you’re an iPhone user, that’s immediately going to feel like a punch in the gut.
The company started phasing it out in EVs in 2023, and now it’s doubling down across its entire lineup. CEO Mary Barra says the goal is to prioritize GM’s own infotainment system, Ultifi, which she calls more “immersive” and capable than CarPlay.
GM Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson even described it as a “very Jobsian” move, likening it to phasing out the disk drive in computers.
That comparison doesn’t hold up. Removing hardware, such as a disk drive, made devices thinner and faster.
Removing CarPlay doesn’t improve performance or convenience; instead, it strips away a feature that millions of drivers already rely on.
CarPlay has become the default for iPhone users in vehicles. It provides seamless navigation, messaging, music, podcasts, and even integration with productivity or learning apps.
Replacing it with a proprietary system introduces friction, forcing drivers to relearn interfaces and sacrifice the apps and workflows they already trust.
The issue goes beyond mere convenience. CarPlay effectively shields user data from automakers, while GM’s Ultifi opens the door to subscriptions, in-car streaming, and data collection.
By removing Apple’s system, GM gains control over a stream of driver data and potential revenue that it couldn’t access before.
For drivers, the trade-off is clear: a familiar, reliable system is replaced with one designed to lock them into GM’s ecosystem.
The move also risks alienating a portion of GM’s most loyal customers. Many iPhone users chose their cars specifically for CarPlay support, and its absence could drive them to competitors or older models that still include it.
Convenience, familiarity, and seamless integration with the iPhone are powerful drivers of brand loyalty, and GM is betting that drivers will adapt to its proprietary solution instead.
Beyond the immediate customer base, this could signal a broader shift in the auto industry.
Other manufacturers may follow suit, prioritizing in-house systems over universally adopted smartphone interfaces. That could mean more subscriptions, more learning curves, and fewer choices for drivers across the market.
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GM frames this as shaping the future of in-car technology, but the reality is that millions of drivers are losing a feature they already depend on.
Software control and monetization are taking precedence over customer experience and loyalty, and the company is testing whether its customer base will accept this approach.
For iPhone users, the decision feels less like innovation and more like a wager against existing habits.
CarPlay has set the standard for what drivers expect in their vehicles, and GM is challenging that expectation at its own risk.
Whether drivers adapt to Ultifi or abandon GM entirely will reveal just how far brand loyalty stretches when convenience, familiarity, and personal data access are at stake.
Would you ever buy a GM without CarPlay, or is this a deal-breaker? Let us know in the comments.
