Apple CarPlay and Android: I always do the same things when I get into our family car or any other car I drive to work. I always plug my phone into a USB port in the vehicle when I’m in the driver’s seat. This evokes Apple’s CarPlay, which I know very well. It’s a perfect idea, but I need every car company to stop trying to force me and others to use their original slow-moving systems.
Use CarPlay or Android Auto
Once Apple’s phone mirroring system debuted in 2014, it was ubiquitous, and since then, automakers have put it in almost every new car. 98% of new vehicles can now use CarPlay or Android Auto. Some people were initially scared, which was another severe distraction for the car. But smartphones didn’t go away, and people found CarPlay to be very useful and less distracting than most manufacturers’ systems.
What happened? The user experience (UX) is clean, by and large, and has everything most people use every day — 3.1 hours a day, according to my iPhone, which tracks how much time I spend looking at screens. It was and still is just a copy of their phone on their car screen, making it easier and more common to use than if they had to learn two completely different systems.
With these phone mirror designs, you can use your phone’s features, like Apple, Waze, or Google Maps, to get directions, music from Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, podcasts, and your phone’s natural functions, like calling people and texting. Recently, I’ve been using my phone’s Hunt app to find turkeys. The same applies to Android Auto users who have abandoned the Apple environment. I won’t judge them, but when they start syncing, they’ll also have everything they use on their phone.
And because it’s so common, it’s fun to do. Consumer Reports surveyed 73,000 members and found that people who used CarPlay and Android Auto were happier with their infotainment experiences than those who used the original user interfaces.
These numbers also aren’t a huge surprise. Even though car companies have spent billions developing their systems, they face the same problems: They’re slow, hard to use, and require a lot of focus to find what you want. In short, it is not as good as our phones. Many people don’t like how their original UX systems still feel three or four steps behind what Apple and Android offer.
Apple says that nearly 80% of people buying a new car would only do so if it had a screen mirroring system like CarPlay or Android Auto. That’s a huge number, but I believe in it because I’ve heard it from people when I talk to them before they buy a new car. “Does it have CarPlay or Auto?” It’s the first thing they always ask for.
New GM EVs will not have Apple CarPlay,
With the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, GM will stop putting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its electric cars. Instead, the company prefers to track how drivers use their vehicles and how they charge. Reuters broke the news on Friday. It said models with internal combustion engines would still carry popular smartphone software. Engineers at GM said they are working with Alphabet, which owns Google, to create map software that works with driver assistance systems like Super Cruise.
Android Auto starts in 2024
It’s also a number that could bring in billions of dollars for car companies. However, automakers are either dropping hints or coming out and saying they’ll be ditching Apple or Android systems in their cars. They think they can “turn” people away from the user experience they are used to. And their methods are much better than those of Apple and Android. Given each automaker’s track record and current regulations, these claims are insane.
But it’s easy to see why auto companies want to push their integrated infotainment systems. It’s cash in hand. These companies know that people’s information is important to advertisers and others if you can keep it in a home system. They bundle everything together and sell it for a lot of money, which helps them make a profit. Apple and Android do the same thing with your phones; now, cars want to get in on the action.
And here’s the rub: 1.5 billion active iPhone users and 3.3 billion active Android users worldwide. There are 120 million active iPhone users in the US, with about 133 million active Android users making up the other half. Automakers’ claims only drive potential buyers to dealerships across the street that offer CarPlay or Android Auto. And nowadays, when people buy new cars for a lot less than in the past, why would you do anything that might hurt your income?
I know GM, the latest automaker to abandon CarPlay, won’t change its mind. If that happens, you will be at risk of harming her. The company understands that entertainment is becoming more critical to new car users. CarPlay and Android Auto are essential parts of that. But when you don’t have what most buyers want, you lose it to other producers.
