GM confirms $130,000 Escalade IQ won’t have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

/

GM said it was going to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in all vehicles, and now, that includes Cadillac’s latest EV.

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.

Share this story

Kiosk showing just the panoramic display dashboard that goes inside the Escalade IQ along with a driver control screen panel under it

A display showcasing the Cadillac’s 55-inch screen and driver controls, but there’s no room made for CarPlay here.
Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in Cadillac’s new ultra-luxury Escalade IQ. Despite the huge new 55-inch pillar-to-pillar infotainment screen in the new EV revealed yesterday, compatibility for the popular phone projection features is completely gone.

GM said earlier this year that it was going to remove CarPlay and Android Auto from future vehicles. In April, GM’s VP of software, Scott Miller, shared some reasons for the decision, including allowing more EV-centric functionality like battery preconditioning when navigating to a charging station. Tesla offers a similar feature and also does not have CarPlay or Android Auto options. But customers nowadays expect these features in new vehicles. Even Apple has said that nearly 80 percent of new car buyers insist on having CarPlay. It’s an unusual omission from a modern, let alone high-end, car.

The Verge received email confirmation that CarPlay and Android Auto weren’t going to make it into the Escalade IQ from GM’s East Coast communications representative, Paige Tatulli. Now that iPhones and Androids are confirmed to not connect to the IQ’s screens like most vehicles today can, drivers will instead need to rely on the Escalade IQ’s included Google built-in infotainment software.

Google built-in supports Google Maps navigation and some Google Play apps that you can log in to on the dash. Some confirmed entertainment apps in the IQ include YouTube, YouTube Kids, and Hulu, but Google built-in could enable more apps like Waze and even Zoom.

Earlier this year, GM was universally jeered for its decision to no longer support CarPlay and Android Auto in its future vehicles. The Escalade IQ marks another confirmed GM vehicle to not include the features after the Chevy Blazer EV, which is starting to ship now.

Go to Source