With the level of encryption going on in modern connected cars, finding a way to port CarPlay and Android Auto onto a Chevrolet Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Silverado EV LT or RST, or GMC Sierra EV seems improbable, right? Yeah, right. The aftermarket always finds a way. Remember when the R35 Nissan GT-R launched and its makers called its ECU un-tuneable? Look how that lasted. This latest effort in finding a way doesn’t have anything to do with unlocking horsepower, but it does have something to do with performance, as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are simply expected components of pretty much any new car in 2024. Any automaker looking to do away with these functionalities needs to realize that the consumer already has a native tech environment and it isn’t their freaking car.
Unfortunately, GM hasn’t realized that, which is why the company’s latest EVs, along with future electric products, will not have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto capability from the factory, instead relying on a clunky implementation of Android Automotive OS. However, a Michigan company called White Automotive and Media Services is here to help.
See, here’s a little context on this aftermarket company — they specialize in all sorts of cool electronics workarounds for modern GM products. Want to swap a manual transmission into a Caprice PPV? This company will reprogram the body control module to play nice. Want CarPlay in your pre-2016 Cadillac ATS with CUE? No problem. So, it really makes sense that this would be the firm to rise to the occasion on the Ultium cars.
In this video from YouTuber EddieX, the CarPlay and Android Auto retrofit looks incredibly slick. Not only can it reportedly put Apple Maps in your instrument cluster if that’s your thing, it also claims to have full integration with factory head up displays, and the phone connection process looks 100 percent factory. Not a huge fan of going wireless? No problem, White Automotive and Media Services states that this retrofit supports both wireless and wired connections, and it doesn’t require anything funky to toggle between the native interface and CarPlay or Android Auto — icons for these newly added features simply appear on the screen.
Taking a step back, it makes sense that this retrofit is possible. The Silverado EV WT has CarPlay, as do the GMC Hummer EV and Honda Prologue, all EVs on the Ultium architecture. The support for phone mirroring is there somewhere for this generation of infotainment, it just hasn’t been fitted to all models.
While White Automotive and Media Services aims to bring this support to all Ultium models, there is a catch — White Automotive and Media Services requires technician installation, and there’s currently just one shop approved to do it — the service center at LaFontaine Chevrolet in Plymouth, Mich. is your only option right now.
Of course, there’s also the lingering question of if this retrofit plays nice with the end user licence agreement. The moral answer here is “fuck ’em,” and I won’t hear it any other way. There’s something in life called assumed risk — you open up Pandora’s box, you bear responsibility for that. Hackers and hot-rodders have been deviating from factory equipment for ages now, and this is one tradition that’s not going away, potential legal responsibilities be damned. Mod your stuff. The more people who do, the more GM should get the message.
(Photo credits: White Automotive and Media Services)
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I would have been more supportive of GM making the “no carplay/android auto” if they had just given an open OS environment.
Let people choose what they want, and add and remove applications at will, almost like every other computer we use?
Personally I would do this offline, I will never connect my cars to the internet.
Yeah and when people install netflix on GMs android OS and crash because they’re watching tv the litigation would be something fierce. I think getting rid of carplay is dumb but as a new lyriq owner for my wife I haven’t paired my phone with the car to use carplay and instead using the built in google maps and youtube music has been totally fine.
Suck it, GM…
I’m adding CarPlay to all the things. Upgraded the MIB1 to an MIB2 and gained not only CarPlay but a much larger display (I went big) in my 2015 GTI, and I’m in the middle of gathering the components to do a similar (though not larger display) upgrade on our 2017 Pacifica. The Volkswagen upgrade was a bit more involved, including some coding by a guy in Serbia. From what I can tell, the Chrysler upgrade is completely plug-and-play, with the exception of a FAKRA cable that is needed in order for the display to work.
The fun part of DIYing the conversions is procuring good parts as cheaply as possible. You can buy a full upgrade kit for the Pacifica (and I’m sure other FCA models that use pre CarPlay/AA Uconnect) for about $1,600-$2,000. But where’s the fun in that?
When I got my Mk6 a long time ago, the first thing I did was pop an RCD-330 in there for CarPlay. Bought on AliExpress for $200 and I get occasional firmware updates from the RCD-330 guy in… Turkiye maybe? I have no idea.
It’s got just the right amount of jank but has worked reliably since the day I installed it. It’s the single best mod I’ve done to my car, period.
My want for satellite radiio precluded the AliExpress option, or at least it did when I was researching the update.
Out my 4 crapcans, 3 have CarPlay (2 wireless, 1 wired). A BMW E39 that I installed an OEM-looking Dynavin in, a G30 that I had to pay a guy in SE Asia to code CarPlay (it was an option from the factory but the dealer wanted stupid money for it) and a 2003 Pathfinder with a standard double-din. Only my 70’s Corolla still lacks it but unless someone comes up with something that looks period appropriate, that one is staying put.
Having the same stereo interface in all cars is totally underrated and completely necessary for me at this point.
Do you have any resources you can share for the Pacifica upgrade? I have driven about 24 hours in ours in the last couple of weeks, and wish I could get current maps on the display, instead of the outdated ones that are on it now.
I’m still in the parts collection phase, so until I’ve plugged it in and had it work, I’m hesitant to share a definitive parts list, particularly of the head unit (there are so many P/Ns). Depending on the year of your van and the trim level, it could simple or it could be pretty comprehensive. The display I purchased on eBay was a 68316175AC, and I had a FAKRA 4 core universal video cable on-hand from an upgrade I ended up not doing to my since-sold Pontiac G8 that should work.
Ok, no problem
And now your warranty is voided and oh you had a faulty battery in your GM EV sorry that is voided now because you changed head unit software.
Exactly. ANYTHING electrical goes wrong with the car, and GM will force you to pay for it. Better to just choose one of the MANY competitors who aren’t morons.
The obvious solution is to not buy that GM EV.
I put a $60 head unit in my car that does all this stuff. The problem I see with these new infotainment systems is that in a few years they’ll all be outdated and there’ll be nothing you can do about it.
In some vehicles that’s difficult since you have to control a bunch of things through the touch screen, like climate, seating positions, *air vents* and opening the glove box (sheesh), etc.
Do you mean the built-in systems like GM? Yes.
The benefits of CarPlay and AA are that the phone is much more easily upgradeable so as your phone hardware updates, the interface does as well. In theory, anyway.
People seem confused why GM would do what they have done, but the answer should be obvious. Money. They control the data, they control the dollars. Of course, if in reality it hampers sales dramatically, then it doesn’t actually increase dollars, so there is a balance here. I think there is a good possibility they believe ignorance will be their friend, most customers never thinking to ask about phone integration details until after they own the car.
People don’t know until it’s too late, I mean how many test drives include testing the phone integration? It’s 2024, that’s just a given….. until it’s not.
Best treat all new cars like used cars and test everything yourself. Don’t want to find out that on the ’25 models they’ve switched the HVAC controls to subscription based that requires an app on your phone which has to talk to HQ every time you want to change the temp to ensure your license is paid for.
I still can’t grasp the level of hubris that GM has to think that replacing the seamless integration of Apple Carplay and Android Auto would both work anywhere near as well or be the customer preferred option.
The $$$$ in their eyes obscure everything else.
My understanding is that there isn’t a license fee to install them. I assume there is a cost for the manufacturer to make it work with their system but I can’t imagine that the cost of that is somehow less than building your own standalone system.
The point is that GM can now harvest all that sweet user data and sell it. The development costs are trivial to the data mine they intentionally made
Exactly. It’s not a cost issue, it’s a potential profit issue. Unless, of course, they lose enough sales to offset the extra revenue…
My personal approach to the this would be to just avoid the vehicle if I can’t have the Android Auto I want supported by the manufacturer. It’s one of the many reasons I wouldn’t want a Tesla – np Android Auto, no thank you.
I’m risk-averse to spending tens of thousands of dollar on something and then potentially bricking it or incurring high $ repair costs with something like this mod.
I’ve going to venture a guess that GM itself will offer the same service within two years for, oh, about $400 to upgrade any Ultium car that doesn’t have it. The coding likely already exists, it’ll be like having the dealer add navigation functionality to the FCA UConnect 8.4 system
I’m curious if GM starts to act like Nintendo here. I would not be shocked if they started pressing charges on these types of shops for “hacking” and “security” and “safety” reasons. I have no idea if they’d have any standing though.
Sadly, I think the law will be on their side.
They have to find you first.
In all honesty I don’t see them taking the Nintendo route. There are alternatives to GM that consumers can pick, nobody makes a legal alternative to Nintendo. Plus GM isn’t really hurt much here, you bought their car already.
I hope their legal departments are smart enough to ignore it.
But will Android Auto also be available?
Don’t throw things at me.
……I am an idiot and apparently cannot read.
Having used both, AA is the better option. Having said that, it’s only marginally better and they’re both better than whatever GM is giving you.
I currently lease an EV Blazer and I miss native Android Auto so much. I mean….I get the theory but the execution is just so shitty.
Glad to see this developed on the secondary market and have no clue why GM can’t get out of their own way on this… Well, besides their past history, wanting to do everything in GM fashion, and they should know that they’re GM and make many poor decisions. OEM INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE IS RARELY A BETTER CHOICE!!!
My 2023 Outback has wireless CarPlay and it is a game changer, especially from a safety aspect. Cables get tangled up, especially if your shifter is on the center console. Losing the charger to connect is something every manufacturer should do whether the platform they choose is Apple or Android. Maybe GM could make another questionable decision and drop $5.5 billion into Rivian like VW did. At least they would have a 6 or 7 year head start on an OS that way.
GM keeps making bad decisions. Why did we bail them out again?
If GM tries to crack down on this and intentionally break functionality, it’ll only hurt Ultium platform cars sales sooner. This existing as a workaround would make a lot of their cars more compelling because I exclusively use CarPlay, not having it is a massive detriment, and playing stupid games with software like that would make it an immediate no-go at any price new or used.
Now the question is, will GM start doing tit-for-tat updates to break it, or will they just never update their infotainment software like most OEMs?
I’m sure it’ll be gone in the next generation of the infotainment system, but I’m glad that this exists.