GM has tried several different angles to explain their decision to drop CarPlay and Android Auto from all their EV’s going forward.

It’s safer, they say. But wait, no, the experience is more ‘integrated’, whatever that means.

“GM’s chief digital officer, Edward Kummer, told Reuters as much when the decision to drop CarPlay and Android Auto was announced. Automakers see subscriptions as huge new source of income to be tapped, with GM alone hoping to make as much as $25 billion per year just off subscriptions by 2030.”

-Motortrend, December 12, 2023 (Link)

If you own a new Chevy EV like I do, you can create an account and view the subscriptions you currently have associated with your vehicle. They ‘generously’ give you 3-8 years of free subscriptions that cover basic functions of your new EV. What happens when these expire is anyone’s guess, it doesn’t mention how much this will eventually cost you. It also doesn’t guarantee that someone buying a Chevy EV next year will get this same trial period.

APP ACCESS: 3-year plan

“Enjoy streaming content and access maps and traffic updates from your touchscreen – or simply ask Alexa.”

Does this mean I get no maps in three years? Who knows. And since I’m forced to stream Spotify instead of using Apple Music, does that go away? So great, a basic function like listening to music will require an additional subscription (to my car) in addition to Spotify itself. I think I wasted money getting the kick-ass Bose sound system in my new car if it’s going to cost me a subscription fee to listen to music in three years.

NAVIGATION AND VOICE ASSISTANT: 8-year plan

This includes Google Assistant, which allows you to send voice commands to do things like search the map, answer calls, etc. GM talking heads mention ‘safety’ in some of their press releases about dropping CarPlay and Android Auto, but having to resort to pressing buttons on the touchscreen to do these basic things (unless you give them more money!) is the opposite of safer.

Let’s also not forget that GM is ‘partnering’ with Google to provide some of these services. In case you didn’t know, Google is the world’s largest advertising agency, and also the world’s largest privacy invader. GM ‘partnering’ with Google is just another way for them to drive revenue to their business by collecting information about your location, apps you run, how/where you drive, etc. and selling it to Google.

Have you read GM’s and OnStar’s privacy policies? I have. They both use the word ‘may’ a lot, but OnStar alone ‘may’ collect:

“When location services are enabled in your vehicle, we collect Geolocation Information while the vehicle is used and upon the occurrence of certain events.”

“Can include IP address, browser type, unique device identifier, cookie data, associated identifying and usage information of computers and mobile devices that interact with our products, and information about how you use our products and services, such as infotainment system usage, Wi-Fi data usage, and information about your use of Vehicle Mobile Apps.”

There are a plethora of other things they may collect that are problematic, including images from your vehicle’s cameras. They can essentially do what they want with much of this info, including:

“Identifiers and Digital Activity Information may be disclosed to companies with which GM enters into business or marketing arrangements, such as third-party advertising networks.”

“Disclosed” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. What they mean is “sold”. That $25 billion isn’t coming from nowhere.

Regarding images from your cameras, the GM privacy policy states they can provide them to:

“Service providers who work on our behalf and who do not have an independent right to use the vehicle Camera Images, such as companies that help us develop our products and services.”

In other words, Google.

Your vehicle says a lot about you, and now GM, Google, and whoever, knows all about you, too. Including where you are, where you’re going, what music you listen to and potentially what you and the surroundings of your vehicle look like.

This is the real reason GM has dropped Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its EV’s. They want you to have to subscribe to services you already have on the supercomputer in your pocket. CarPlay and Android Auto essentially bypass your car’s system to provide you services on their terms. For those of us with an iPhone, those terms are generally consumer-friendly and often have a ‘privacy first’ component to them. GM instead wants to tap into all that sweet, sweet personal data to sell it to third parties, at their discretion, and charge you for the privilege.

If that’s not blatantly consumer-hostile, I don’t know what is.