GM Kills Third-Party Kit That Brought Android Auto And CarPlay To Its EVs

GM has been adamant in its decision to remove Android Auto and Apple CarPlay from its vehicles, and now the automaker has killed a third-party kit that made it possible to still use those platforms.

In 2023, GM announced that its future vehicles – especially EVs – would lack phone-projection systems including Android Auto and Apply CarPlay. This came as GM was moving over to a new Android Automotive-based platform. The move was met with strong and immediate backlash, but GM has continued to move forward with the decision, with one of its main arguments being that ditching those platforms would make drivers use their smartphones less, improving safety as a result.

That hasn’t stopped the consumer demand, though.

In late 2024, a third-party kit from White Automotive & Media Services (WAMS) offered a clever solution that brought Android Auto and CarPlay back to affected GM EVs. The kit wasn’t widely available, though, only being available for installation by approved dealerships, and even then only being available through a single dealership in Plymouth, Michigan. The kit was claimed to cost around $900-1000.

Since that kit made headlines, though, it has vanished. The promo video has been removed from YouTube, and GM Authority noticed earlier this month that it had been removed from WAMS’ website, with a message on that page simply saying the project was “discontinued” with no other information.

The Drive has since confirmed that the dealer in Michigan was told by GM to stop installing the kit on vehicles leading to WAMS shutting the project down.

Why did GM kill the project? A source inside the company told The Drive that GM found “adverse effects” from how the kit operated that affected “critical” systems and that the workaround could “stop working altogether” with future updates. But what about those who did have it installed? The Drive asked WAMS and the dealer, but received no answers, and GM pointed out that the product “may cause unintended issues for customers” and that it “could affect critical safety features and may also void portions of the vehicle’s warranty.”

It remains clear that customer demand for Android Auto and CarPlay support is exceptionally high, so it’s still tough to understand why GM has been so adamant in removing the feature which has become standard in virtually every other new car on the road today.

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