GM’s New Software Plays Nice With Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

General Motors showcased a host of updates to its dashboard infotainment suite for its latest-generation pickup trucks this week. The new software includes a revamped home screen layout that can display more info more flexibly, deeper integration with the automaker’s Super Cruise highway-driving assist tech and a new, less bolted-on way to interact with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The combustion-powered 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups will be the first to get this new tech.

Phone Mirroring: A Different Tack for EVs

GM has offered CarPlay and Android Auto on its gas-powered vehicles for years, but has recently taken a different tack with its electric cars and trucks. The automaker pulled the phone-mirroring technologies from its EVs back in 2023, nudging owners toward its onboard Google Built-In software suite instead. GM CEO Mary Barra told journalists last year that Apple CarPlay or Android Auto would likely be phased out of its portfolio by 2028.

The news that development of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity has continued suggests that GM hasn’t totally walked away from the tech. But while we can continue to hope, that doesn’t mean mirroring is returning to the automaker’s EV lineup, either. What it does suggest is that GM thinks that internal combustion engine and battery electric vehicles require different tech tacks: “Customers should see a consistent GM foundation across our vehicles, but not an identical experience,” Sebastian Bauer, GM’s executive director of Human Interface Design, said in an internal interview shared alongside the announcement. “On top of that foundation, each brand and vehicle type should express its own character and personality.”

I reached out to General Motors for comment on the future of CarPlay and Android Auto in its EVs and was told, “We don’t have any additional updates to share at this time regarding the future availability of phone projection in GM EVs.”

Integrated Split-View Experience

The 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 will bring the tightest integration yet between the automaker’s native software and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Rather than treating phone-mirroring technologies as separate modes that take over the entire screen when connected, CarPlay and Android Auto content will now appear in a split-view panel alongside native features like trailering data and vehicle status.

In a blog post announcing the tech, GM says that drivers will be able to “seamlessly move between the two experiences, taking advantage of the features developed specifically for their truck and their device.”

Redesigned Home Screen and UI

The touchscreen infotainment in the 2027 Sierra and Silverado features a redesigned home screen with a new split-view layout that can be reconfigured to show:

• a large map
• trailering and fuel-efficiency data
• media sources

In a blog post, the automaker says the new setup means drivers will be able to “browse audio and manage vehicle details without ever losing sight of your navigation.” The new split-view home screen and dashboard interface brings the same multitasking prowess to the onboard navigation software, audio and media sources.

The automaker has also tweaked its one-tap “quick access” control window to be more customizable and easier to reach, and redesigned the incoming call and message notifications to be less intrusive.

Super Cruise Integration

GM is also bringing deeper dashboard integration with its Super Cruise highway-driving assist. This hands-off, eyes-on driver assistance system enables the vehicle to steer itself on supported highway segments and is one of my favorite technologies in the automaker’s portfolio.

In the new 1500s, Super Cruise (and Adaptive Cruise Control on vehicles without the top-tier system) can now be engaged with a single button press, streamlining the process for the driver.

An updated digital instrument cluster now features new dynamic views that automatically adjust when:

• Super Cruising
• trailering
• going off-road

There’s also a new “3D driving visualization” view that lets the driver see what the vehicle sees (surrounding vehicles, lane markings and other objects on the road) in real-time.

Software Platform and Future

The new UI is built as a single software platform across GM’s gas, diesel and electric powertrains, though not every vehicle that gets the tech will get an identical feature set. (EVs and phone mirroring being the most obvious example, but also vehicles not targeted at trails and towing may not get those dynamic views.)

The automaker says the new infotainment suite will expand beyond trucks over time, with continuous over-the-air updates adding features after launch.