Car manufacturers are ditching CarPlay in 2026: Here's why

Drivers and auto makers alike have enjoyed CarPlay since its inception, but many manufacturers are turning their backs now.

Gabriel Nica/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover Apple CarPlay has given drivers a great alternative to clunky car infotainment systems for over a decade. It has a simple premise: connect your iPhone and use the apps you already know. Like Android Auto, CarPlay is a service that vehicle manufacturers have adopted in great numbers and with relative enthusiasm — at least, until lately.

Some of those same manufacturers are starting to backtrack. General Motors, for instance, has been removing CarPlay from its EVs and plans to phase it out completely. Tesla and Rivian have never offered support for it, although Tesla has reportedly tested out CarPlay .

Removing CarPlay erases a layer of convenience for you as the driver. But for the manufacturer, it gives greater control over data and the services you use. Automakers might argue that removing it provides better integration with the car, but with CarPlay Ultra looking to close the gap, this disagreement is likely going to get bigger.

Hadrian/Shutterstock Apple CarPlay's biggest strength is consistency. You can step into any compatible car and, no matter the type of display or its size, you'll see the same interface. The apps you use on your phone, along with your contacts, are all accessible. You don't need to port anything or create new accounts to get going.

Drivers don't need to worry about whether built-in infotainment systems are any good, since you can ignore them with CarPlay. Before the the CarPlay and Android Auto era , drivers were stuck with whatever infotainment system the manufacturer had built. This wasn't consistent, nor were many long-lasting: MyFord Touch on Ford and Lincoln cars lasted just five years. BMW, meanwhile, tried to charge $80 a year for access to CarPlay. Navigation was a common problem with older systems. Maps would quickly become out-of-date and sometimes required a costly fee to update.

It made sense for manufacturers to add CarPlay (and Android Auto) support to their vehicles: they could hand over the bulk of functionality to Apple's (or Google's) system while focusing on other areas. Apple CarPlay now supports over 800 different models, so the arrangement has certainly taken hold.

For manufacturers, though, handing over the dashboard to Apple has become a bit of a problem. Electric cars in particular require much more integration between the dashboard software and the vehicle itself. A whole host of features on EVs aren't an ideal fit for Apple CarPlay, including battery preconditioning and manufacturer-specific charging controls. Standard CarPlay sits on top of the car's own software to effectively act as a mirroring app for your phone, and you may need to leave it if you need a feature Apple's solution doesn't support.

CarPlay support matters to drivers. Apple claimed at WWDC 2022 that 79 percent of car buyers wouldn't choose a model without CarPlay support, while a more recent survey suggested losing CarPlay was a "deal breaker" for 55 percent of its users.