Car manufacturers are ditching Android Auto in 2026: Here's why
Key takeaways
- It's down to subscriptions, data and new AI-driven infotainment systems.
- Google/BMW Since 2015, consumers and automakers have had a handshake agreement: we'll buy their cars if they let us connect our smartphones to Android Auto or Apple Car Play.
- One of the world's biggest automakers, General Motors, announced it was dropping Android Auto from its EVs, and plans to pull it from all of its vehicles in the near future.
It's down to subscriptions, data and new AI-driven infotainment systems.
Google/BMW Since 2015, consumers and automakers have had a handshake agreement: we'll buy their cars if they let us connect our smartphones to Android Auto or Apple Car Play. For ten years or so, it has worked like a charm. We get seamless access to our music, maps and communication, while carmakers offload key infotainment system technology to Google or Apple.
Recently, though, that equation has changed. One of the world's biggest automakers, General Motors, announced it was dropping Android Auto from its EVs, and plans to pull it from all of its vehicles in the near future. In its place, GM will offer its own conversational-based system that will employ Google's Gemini AI.