GM blocks Apple CarPlay retrofit kit for Its newer EVs

For some exasperated owners of GM’s latest electric vehicles, White Automotive appeared to be a beacon of hope. When GM opted to eliminate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility from its Ultium-platform EVs — and eventually its entire range — White introduced an aftermarket solution that dealers could install to bring back both phone-mirroring features for new buyers. However, this initiative has quickly reached its inevitable conclusion, as GM recently pressured the sole Chevy dealer in the U.S. offering the installations to cease, effectively compelling White Automotive to abandon the kit altogether.

Nico DeMattia for The Drive:
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A source within GM confirmed to The Drive that the automaker had investigated how the integration was being done and found that it could have adverse impacts on “critical” vehicle functions and stop working altogether with future software updates. Meanwhile, the dealer in question—LaFontaine Chevrolet in Plymouth, Michigan—told us that GM instructed them to stop offering and installing White’s kit. And without that distribution channel, or any chance of getting another dealer on board, White Automotive—who declined to comment directly for this story—had to shut down the project.

It’s hard to imagine how White Automotive or LaFontaine Chevrolet thought these CarPlay retrofit installs were going to continue without a hitch. The kit modified proprietary GM software without the manufacturer’s permission, breaching a line in the sand that it’d publicly drawn. While dealerships aren’t necessarily required to only use OEM parts—they can throw aftermarket wheels or tires on a car, for example—changing the fundamental functionality of a vehicle using unauthorized third-party hardware is never going to fly with the manufacturer, especially when tapping into sensitive elements like the instrument cluster. At that point, mods like these arguably do carry a safety concern, to GM’s point.

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MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote back in May 2023 of GM’s decision to kill CarPlay from its vehicles:

For us, and many, many others, General Motors simply moves even further out of consideration for future purchases (GM never really was in consideration anyway).

Interns: It’s time. Prost, everyone! 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻

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