GM ditching – When General Motors said it would drop Android Auto from its EVs and eventually remove it across its vehicles, the reason wasn’t just technology. It pointed to a future built on paid features, connected-car data, and AI-powered infotainment—an approach that al
The moment General Motors put Android Auto on the exit list, the reaction didn’t stay in the tech corner. It spilled into car shopping conversations—because for many drivers, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have been less “optional convenience” and more the default way a dashboard feels usable.
GM’s plan is blunt: it announced it would drop Android Auto from its EVs and intends to pull the system from all of its vehicles in the near future. Instead, GM says it will offer its own conversational-based infotainment system that will use Google’s Gemini AI. And that shift comes while buyers are staring at an uncertain landscape for 2026 models—one where several automakers still offer Android Auto. but not all of them. and the balance could change.
For years, the deal has seemed simple. Since 2015. consumers and automakers have relied on a kind of handshake: buy the car. and you get the ability to plug your phone into Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. You get music, maps, and communication without the car trying too hard to reinvent your phone. In that arrangement, carmakers could lean on Google or Apple for key infotainment work.
But the groundwork for today’s push away from phone projection was laid long before GM’s announcement. Android Auto began, much like CarPlay, as a projection system. Connect your phone and car via USB, and you get a phone-friendly version of apps on the infotainment screen. Adoption didn’t arrive overnight. Toyota and Ford tried to make their own systems. and BMW even attempted a paywall—charging users $80 a year for CarPlay while not supporting Android Auto at all until 2020.
Those efforts didn’t win the steering wheel. Car buyers wanted the ease of plugging in: tunes, contacts, and addresses with no hassle and no extra cost. Gradually, automakers offered Android Auto alongside in-house infotainment systems, and Google made integration even easier by not charging for it.
Then Google introduced another route with Android Automotive OS, or AAOS. The system debuted with the Polestar 2 in 2020 and supports Android Auto—while also acting as an Android-based vehicle operating system that doesn’t require the phone’s processing power. The timing mattered. Traditional carmakers discovered that building an in-car operating system wasn’t like designing a drivetrain component. Many scaled back and adopted AAOS for some or all models. starting with Volvo and including a couple of Stellantis and GM brands.
The promise of convenience comes with a darker trade: data.
When Android Auto—or even the AAOS stack underneath—runs in a car. Google collects a lot more than the tidy “what music are you playing?” kind of information. The article highlights that beyond typical driving-related information. it also grabs GPS and mapping data that can be used for advertising targeting. This is the part that makes some automakers uncomfortable.
GM insists it isn’t trying to sell the data to advertisers. and the company says it’s forbidden from doing so after breaking California’s privacy laws and paying a $12.75 million fine. Still, others argue the data withholding costs them. Rivian and GM have said it deprives them of valuable information they could use to improve vehicles and keep customers.
GM’s explanation for its change ties directly to that road-level data. In 2023. GM’s infotainment manager told GM Authority that with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay environments. the vehicle energy model or road segment data—paired with energy usage information—is being sent to the phone. making it “pretty difficult to off-board it from the phone.” GM says its own system would support intelligent EV routing that factors in charge state. range. and charging station availability. plus integration with its Super Cruise driver assistant.
GM also argues it will preserve the familiar “phone-like” behavior for tasks like calls and streaming from contacts and apps. It says users will be able to use built-in assistants like Siri and Google Assistant using Bluetooth pass-through. The company adds that its built-in hardware will make this work more smoothly.
And GM isn’t just promising parity. It told MotorTrend that its own system will deliver features “that go beyond what’s possible with just phone projection,” pointing to Dolby Atmos on Amazon Music as an example, calling that experience “impossible” with simple phone projection.
Not everyone has even started from Android Auto.
Rivian and Tesla never adopted Android Auto in the first place. and both say they want tighter control over the driver experience. Rivian’s operating system is built on top of AAOS. but Rivian also believes phone mirroring systems aren’t necessary anymore because of what it describes as deep AI integration in the car. The company told The Verge last month. “The possibilities now for such deep AI integration in the car make the entire CarPlay debate completely obsolete.”.
Even if drivers buy the idea, the second problem is already familiar to anyone who’s been annoyed by subscriptions in their daily lives: paying for features.
GM has acknowledged that its shift opens up “subscription revenue opportunities” through its own infotainment systems. That’s the same pressure that previously landed BMW in hot water. BMW wanted to charge $18 per month for heated seats in select regions.
Connected features also change the conditions of use. Built-in apps require an active cellular connection because the phone is no longer doing the job. GM’s latest vehicles ship with eight years of OnStar connected services, but the article notes it’s not clear what happens after that period.
Rivian runs into a similar question with its own paid data service: Rivian Connect+ costs $150 per year. Tesla also charges $150 per year for its Connect+ premium cellular data service.
And even automakers that do support Android Auto aren’t fully immune to the subscription trend. Kia, for example, supports Android Auto but still puts features like remote locking behind trial subscriptions that eventually require payment.
That’s where the human blowback comes in.
GM’s elimination of Android Auto triggered pushback in the real world of shopping decisions. The article says many Engadget readers responded by saying they wouldn’t buy cars that don’t have it. The reason isn’t technical—it’s emotional, tied to the broader groundswell against subscription services of all kinds. Drivers are already tired of paying for things they used to expect to work immediately. and having to pay for in-car features chafes.
For now, at least, Android Auto and CarPlay remain available in most vehicles. Traditional automakers also keep showing that building their own infotainment systems is harder than it sounds. So even as Android Auto disappears from a few brands, plenty of others should keep supporting it.
Still, GM’s move lands like a warning label for anyone buying a 2026 model. If the future of dashboards becomes more AI-driven, more connected, and more subscription-shaped, the days of that old handshake—plug in, and everything just works—may not hold everywhere.
General Motors Android Auto Gemini AI AAOS CarPlay infotainment subscriptions OnStar Rivian Connect+ Tesla Connect+ cellular data privacy laws EV routing