General Motors is trying to turn a public-relations headache into a selling point by leaning on Apple’s most popular service instead of its most beloved in-car interface. After angering loyal iPhone owners by stripping out Apple CarPlay, the company is now betting that deeply integrated Apple Music, bundled with data and tuned to its own software stack, will satisfy most drivers who mainly want their playlists and podcasts to work every time. The strategy asks a simple but high-stakes question: if the music is seamless and the screens are GM’s, will everyday customers really miss mirroring their phones at all?
The answer will shape not only how GM designs its dashboards, but also how much control it can exert over navigation, payments, subscriptions, and data in the cars it sells over the next decade. By pairing native Apple Music with its Google-based infotainment systems and OnStar connectivity, GM is trying to keep the Apple ecosystem inside the cabin while keeping Apple’s interface off the main screen, a compromise that could redefine what “smartphone integration” means for millions of drivers.
GM’s break with CarPlay and Android Auto set the stage
GM did not arrive at Apple Music integration from a position of harmony with smartphone platforms. Earlier this year the company confirmed that it would Remove Apple CarPlay and Android Auto From Future Vehicles in its electric vehicle lineup, signaling that the familiar phone-mirroring experience would not be part of its next generation EVs. That decision quickly expanded, with reporting that GM would Phase Out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Across All Models, not just battery-powered ones. The shift was framed internally as a move about control and consistency, a way to standardize the in-car experience rather than letting Apple and Google dictate what drivers see when they plug in their phones.
GM’s leadership has been explicit that this is a strategic pivot, not a temporary experiment. The company has said it will ditch Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all its cars, with CEO Mary Barra telling customers to expect a native software experience instead of phone projection. Another report on GM’s plans to offer native Apple Music and Apple Car Key described the move as an Apple CarPlay Removal, noting that, In October, GM said it would phase out both Apple and Android Auto in all of its vehicles. That backdrop of deliberate separation from CarPlay is what makes the new embrace of Apple Music so striking.
From backlash to “Whiners” and a new Apple Music pitch
Customer reaction to losing CarPlay and Android Auto has been loud, especially among iPhone owners who have grown used to a consistent interface across brands. GM’s latest move is an attempt to redirect that frustration by giving drivers the Apple service they use most often, even if the CarPlay icon never appears on the dash. One colorful account of the rollout framed the move with the line that GM Is Bringing Apple Music To Its Cars So Fewer People Will Complain About Not Having CarPlay, explicitly calling out that the company expects Is Bringing Apple Music To Its Cars So Fewer People Will Complain About Not Having CarPlay. That same report joked that Whiners are going to have a much different story once they see how the new setup works, underscoring how central customer perception has become to this software gamble.
Another version of that same coverage leaned into the idea that GM Is Bringing Apple Music To Its Cars So Fewer People Will Complain About Not Having CarPlay, describing the rollout as a kind of peace offering to vocal critics. It repeated that GM Is Bringing Apple Music To Its Cars So Fewer People Will Complain About Not Having CarPlay and again used the word Whiners to capture the tone of the debate, a reminder that this is not a quiet technical change but a public fight over who controls the screen in the middle of the car. GM is effectively telling those customers that while CarPlay is gone, the core Apple experience they use every day will be built in, not bolted on.
What GM’s native Apple Music actually offers
Underneath the rhetoric, the product itself is straightforward: Apple’s streaming app is being embedded directly into GM’s infotainment systems, with data included for a set period on new vehicles. GM has announced that Apple Music is coming natively to its vehicles, with the app Starting to roll out to select 2025 and newer Cadillac and Chevrolet models. The company is bundling several years of streaming with the vehicle purchase, so drivers can hit play without worrying about tethering their phones or burning through a mobile hotspot. That kind of frictionless access is exactly what made CarPlay so sticky in the first place.
GM is also using the rollout to highlight specific vehicles and features. The company has said that Chevrolet 2025 and 2026 Blazer EV, Equinox EV and Silverado EV will support the app, along with the 2026 Corvette and full-size SUVs like the Suburban and Tahoe MoreApple Music has to be natively integrated into the vehicle’s entertainment and sound system to work this way, and that General Motors Co. has cut a deal so that older models still have CarPlay while newer ones lean on the built-in app. The message is clear: the more recent the GM vehicle, the more the company wants drivers to live inside its own software environment.
Cadillac, Chevrolet and the OTA bridge for early adopters
GM is not limiting the new app to future buyers, which is crucial if it wants to soften the blow for early adopters of its Google-based systems. The company has said that for “select” 2025 and 2026 Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles, it will perform an OTA infotainment-system update to add native Apple Music. That over-the-air approach lets GM retrofit cars already on the road, turning what might have been a static hardware decision into a living software platform that can gain new capabilities over time. It also demonstrates how central connectivity has become to the company’s pitch: the car is no longer just a product, it is a subscription-ready device.
Other reporting reinforces that Apple’s music-streaming app is now available on select Cadillac and Chevrolet models with GM’s OnStar Basics package, which bundles connectivity services. That means the same pipeline that powers safety features and remote diagnostics is now also delivering playlists and Spatial Audio. For drivers, the benefit is that they do not have to juggle phone cables or Bluetooth quirks to get their music; for GM, it is another reason to keep customers enrolled in its connectivity plans long after the free trial ends.
Google built-in as the backbone of GM’s software strategy
Behind the Apple Music headlines sits the real foundation of GM’s infotainment strategy: a deep partnership with Google. Many of the vehicles getting native Apple Music are already shipping with Google built-in as standard, including the 2024–2025 LYRIQ, 2025–2026 ESCALADE, Escalade ESV, OPTIQ, CT5, CT5-V Blackwing, and 2026 ESCALADE IQL and VISTIQ. That stack brings Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Play Store into the dash, giving GM a robust app platform that it can still brand as its own. Apple Music is effectively being slotted into that ecosystem as another app, not as a controlling interface.
For GM, this architecture solves a key tension: it can offer the services drivers expect from their phones while keeping the overall experience consistent across brands and models. The company’s decision to integrate Apple Music natively, rather than rely on CarPlay, fits neatly into a world where Google built-in handles navigation and voice control while GM manages the look, feel, and monetization. Apple’s own ecosystem, from Apple Music to Apple Car Key, becomes a set of services that plug into GM’s platform instead of taking it over. That is a very different balance of power than the one that existed when CarPlay and Android Auto sat on top of automakers’ software like a second operating system.
Still no CarPlay: what drivers gain and lose
Even as Apple Music arrives, GM is not backing away from its decision to keep CarPlay off its newest electric vehicles. One detailed rundown of the rollout noted that GM Adds Native Apple Music, but Its EVs Still Don’t Get CarPlay, emphasizing that General Motors is sticking to its plan to keep phone projection absent on its new EVs. Another analysis put it bluntly: General Motors Still Won’t Give You CarPlay or Android Auto, but You Get Integrated Apple Music Now. That framing captures the tradeoff: drivers lose the familiar mirrored interface but gain a tightly integrated streaming service that does not depend on their phone being plugged in.
From a user-experience standpoint, the biggest loss is the ability to bring a personalized, cross-app phone environment into the car, complete with third-party navigation, messaging, and audio apps that look the same across brands. The gain is a system that boots faster, talks more directly to the car’s hardware, and can be updated over the air without waiting for Apple or Google to change their projection software. GM is betting that for a large share of drivers, especially those who mostly use CarPlay for music and basic navigation, the convenience of a built-in Apple Music app plus Google Maps will outweigh the frustration of losing the CarPlay home screen.
How GM and Apple are framing the partnership
Both companies are presenting the integration as a win for customers, but the details reveal different priorities. GM has highlighted that the native app will allow drivers to control music selection hands-free through the vehicle’s voice assistant, and that the system will tie into features like Apple Wallet and Digital Keys in the future. One report on the rollout of Cadillac and Chevy getting native Apple Music noted that it will also allow them to control music selection hands-free through the vehicle’s voice assistant, and that GM is framing the move as part of a broader digital-key and payments strategy. That aligns with other reporting that GM Joins With Apple Music After Scrapping CarPlay For Payments, with General Motors going so far as to install the Apple Music app as part of a connectivity plan that also supports in-car transactions.
On Apple’s side, the integration keeps its services front and center in millions of vehicles even as CarPlay itself recedes from GM’s lineup. The company continues to promote Apple Music as a premium streaming platform with features like Spatial Audio and curated playlists, and the GM deal extends that pitch into cars that might otherwise have leaned more heavily on Google’s own media ecosystem. Apple’s broader ecosystem, from iPhone to Apple Watch to services like Apple Music and Apple Car Key, remains the connective tissue for customers, even if the dashboard UI is controlled by GM and Google. For Apple, that is a way to stay indispensable without having to win every fight over in-car operating systems.
The business logic: data, subscriptions and control
Underneath the user-facing features, GM’s strategy is about owning the digital relationship with its customers. By removing CarPlay and Android Auto, the company keeps more control over what appears on the screen, which apps are available, and how data flows between the car and the cloud. The decision to integrate Apple Music natively, rather than rely on phone projection, fits into that logic: the app becomes part of GM’s own software stack, subject to its update schedule and its connectivity plans. One analysis of GM’s software pivot noted that the company’s move to offer native Apple Music and Apple Car Key came after its Removal of CarPlay, underscoring that this is not a retreat but a reconfiguration.
There is also a clear subscription angle. Reports on the new integration emphasize that Apple Music access is included through GM’s connectivity plan, with streaming bundled for a set number of years with the vehicle purchase. One account of how GM Joins With Apple Music After Scrapping CarPlay For Payments noted that the service is included through GM’s connectivity plan, which encourages drivers to stay enrolled in OnStar and related services. Another report on General Motors Still Won’t Give You CarPlay or Android Auto, but You Get Integrated Apple Music Now pointed out that the company is offering the streaming service as part of a package for new vehicle purchases, effectively turning music into a gateway for broader digital upsells. In that context, Apple Music is not just a perk, it is a hook.
Will Apple Music be enough for most drivers?
Whether GM’s bet pays off depends on how drivers actually use CarPlay and Android Auto today. For those who mainly rely on CarPlay to stream Apple Music, podcasts, and audiobooks, a native app that launches instantly, responds to the car’s voice assistant, and does not require plugging in a phone may feel like an upgrade. GM is clearly targeting that majority use case, hoping that once the music is handled, complaints about the missing CarPlay icon will fade. The company’s willingness to perform OTA updates on select Chevrolet and Cadillac models, and to bundle streaming through OnStar Basics, suggests it believes convenience can outweigh habit.
For power users who depend on CarPlay for third-party navigation, messaging, and a consistent interface across multiple vehicles, the loss will be harder to swallow. Even with Google Maps built in and Apple Music integrated, they will still be missing the unified, phone-centric dashboard they have grown used to. Some of those drivers will likely continue to be vocal critics, the same Whiners who were called out when the Apple Music plan was first described. But GM is not trying to win over every enthusiast. It is aiming for the broad middle of the market, the drivers who want their favorite playlists, a reliable map, and a car that feels modern without requiring them to think about which tech company is in charge of the screen.
The broader stakes for in-car ecosystems
GM’s Apple Music gambit is part of a larger realignment in the auto industry, where carmakers are trying to reclaim territory ceded to smartphone platforms over the past decade. By pairing Google built-in with native Apple services and its own connectivity plans, GM is sketching out a hybrid model in which automakers, not phone makers, define the core in-car experience. The company’s willingness to accept short-term backlash over CarPlay and Android Auto removal suggests it sees long-term value in that control, from data monetization to in-car payments and digital keys. The fact that it is now working with Apple on music and Car Key, even after an explicit Apple CarPlay Removal, shows that the relationship between automakers and tech giants is evolving from simple integration to more complex, service-by-service deals.
For drivers, the outcome will be measured in everyday convenience rather than corporate strategy. If the native Apple Music app works flawlessly, if Google Maps is reliable, and if voice commands feel natural, many will accept the new normal without thinking much about what was lost. If the system feels clunky or limited compared with CarPlay and Android Auto, the complaints will continue, and some buyers may look to rival brands that still offer full phone projection. GM is betting that its combination of native apps, OTA updates, and bundled connectivity can clear that bar. The next few model years, from the Blazer EV and Equinox EV to the LYRIQ and ESCALADE, will show whether Apple Music can indeed stand in for CarPlay for most drivers, or whether the icon on the dash still matters more than the songs coming out of the speakers.
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