General Motors announced on Monday that it will introduce several new Apple-related features in its vehicles.
The information comes just two months after the company revealed that support for Apple CarPlay will be removed from its infotainment system.
According to the company, the native Apple Music app will be available for customers in North America.
“Apple Music is coming natively to GM vehicles,” the brand stated, adding that “the app begins rolling out to select 2025 and newer Cadillac and Chevrolet models.”
The app is integrated into the vehicle’s infotainment system, which runs on Android Auto, with availability across other GM brands to follow.
Owners in the US and Canada it will also be offered free internet connectivity for audio streaming services.
The ‘Standard Streaming’ feature will be a part of the OnStar Basics connectivity bundle, which is included in all 2025 and newer GM models for free.
The connectivity feature is valid for eight years after the vehicle purchase, according to the brand.
Apple Car Key
General Motors will also be rolling out support for the Apple Wallet app’s digital car key feature.
However, it remains unclear when the feature will be rolled out and what specific models will be compatible.
Apple announced in June that several automakers will soon support car keys in its Wallet app — which included Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC.
Brands such as Lucid Motors or Porsche are also expected to include the feature.
US EV maker Rivian reaffirmed earlier this month that the digital car key will be included by year-end.
Legacy automakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and several Volkswagen Group brands already support it.
Is is also available for brands such as Nio and its Onvo sub-brand, BYD’s Yangwang, XPeng, and Geely-backed Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co.
Apple CarPlay Removal
In October, GM stated that it plans to phase out both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in all of its vehicles by 2028, as it transitions to a Google-powered software platform.
By 2028, the automaker said its new vehicles will feature a Gemini-powered AI assistant, with the upcoming version of the luxury Escalade IQ debuting a completely new hardware and software platform, including true Level 3 autonomous driving.
Speaking with The Verge‘s podcast Decoder, GM‘s CEO Mary Barra commented on smartphone integration systems in its vehicles, calling it “distracting.”
“It wasn’t seamless, and frankly, in some cases, it could be distracting to move back and forth if you were doing something that you could do on a phone projection type of system, versus if you needed to do something in the vehicle,” the chief executive noted.
Apple CarPlay allows iPhone users to mirror their smartphone’s interface on the car’s infotainment system, with a layout optimized for driving.
The solution is integrated into over 800 models across more than 20 brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, BYD, Ferrari, Hyundai, and US electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors (since 2023).
Last month, Bloomberg reported that Tesla is considering the integration of Apple CarPlay, with internal testing having already started.
Up until now, the Elon Musk-led company had refused to support the system. However, a rollout “in the coming months” is under discussion.
