Despite a wave of headlines suggesting General Motors reversed course on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the company is not restoring phone projection to vehicles that already lost it. The latest software update for gas-powered 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups improves how those systems sit alongside GM’s own interface. It does not change the automaker’s EV policy.
In 2023, GM said it would drop CarPlay and Android Auto from future electric vehicles and push drivers toward a native experience built on Android Automotive with Google services. That plan largely held. Most current GM EVs — including the Chevy Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Bolt, Silverado EV, and several Cadillac and GMC electric models — still lack phone projection. The Cadillac Lyriq is a notable exception.
Gas-powered models never lost the feature. The new 2027 light-duty trucks therefore are not a restoration. They get a redesigned infotainment layout in which CarPlay or Android Auto appears in a large card or split-view panel next to native functions such as trailering data, tire pressure, maps, and Super Cruise status, instead of taking over the entire screen. GM executives have described the old full-screen switch as feeling like moving “from room to room.” The new approach keeps vehicle-specific information visible at the same time.
A GM spokesperson confirmed the distinction to journalist Joanna Stern: the company is not rolling phone projection to its EVs. The announcement applies only to the new gas-powered pickups, which have always supported CarPlay and Android Auto.
Correction: GM has confirmed it is NOT rolling phone projection to GM EVs. Instead this announcement is specific to JUST their new gas powered light-duty pickups, which have always supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
You know where I stand on this!
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) September 21, 2026
Confusion was understandable. CEO Mary Barra had previously indicated that phone projection might eventually leave gas vehicles as well. The company later said those models would keep it “for the foreseeable future.” Some coverage treated the truck UI as a broader cave after customer and dealer pushback. Surveys have found large shares of buyers — including many GM owners — treat the absence of CarPlay or Android Auto as a deal-breaker. GM still wants tighter control of the dashboard for data, subscriptions, and deeper vehicle integration, especially on EVs where native Google Maps can factor in range and charging.
MacDailyNews Take: Not that any GM product was ever on our list, but for those who prefer inferior vehicles saddled with substandard tech, the practical picture is a split strategy: native-first software on most EVs, and a more cooperative split-screen approach on high-volume gas trucks that already had phone mirroring. Whether that coexistence later spreads — or whether EV owners ever get CarPlay back — remains unannounced. For now, GM’s position on electric models has not changed.
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ALL EVs, Unsafe at any Speed! 🔥🔥🔥