CarPlay & Android Auto have a stranglehold on the new car market

Posted:
in General Discussion
Recent data indicates that nearly every newly manufactured car now comes equipped with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, responding to the growing consumer preference for these connectivity features.

Tesla had one of the best infotainment systems
Tesla had one of the best infotainment systems


A report from Straits Research found that 98% of newly produced vehicles were compatible with either CarPlay or Android Auto. Meanwhile, 80% of prospective car buyers strongly preferred having these smartphone-based infotainment systems in their new vehicles.

Automotive manufacturers increasingly embrace modular hardware architecture, which allows them to lower infotainment systems' costs. Additionally, they are actively developing technology to make integrating smartphone functionality into in-vehicle infotainment systems more affordable.

Tesla has one of the best infotainment systems worldwide, as demonstrated by an 86% satisfaction rate reported by surveyed owners. Similarly, BMW's iDrive has earned a noteworthy satisfaction rating of 80%.

However, General Motors is moving in the opposite direction with a partnership with Google to develop an infotainment system and cut out CarPlay and Android Auto. So, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, future electric vehicles from GM won't have smartphone-based systems for entertainment.

But the report also notes that the proliferation of infotainment systems has unfortunately contributed to a rise in distracted driving-related fatalities. In the United States alone, these fatalities increased by a staggering 22% in 2022, resulting in 3,142 deaths compared to 2021.

Overall, the Automotive Infotainment Systems Market in the U.S. is expected to grow at the rate of 6.26%, driven by Increasing demand for connectivity and seamless integration of advanced vehicle technologies.

In 2021, the global market for automotive infotainment systems was valued at $29 billion. According to the forecasted period, it is anticipated to reach $56 billion, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8% from 2022 to 2030.

As auto manufacturers work to add CarPlay and Android Auto into vehicles, Apple will unveil the next generation of CarPlay technology. Scheduled for release in 2023, CarPlay will function as an operating system designed specifically for cars.

It will assume control of the car's instrument cluster, displaying essential gauges such as fuel and oil levels, engine temperature, mileage per gallon, and additional information.

So far, partners for the new version include Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, and Volvo.

Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 820member
    It will be interesting to see if CarPlay and Android Auto continue to dominate. Tesla has shown that you can sell premium cars without supporting either one, but it's still a relatively small player in car sales. The bigger test will be GM and whether its abandonment of both in favor of its own system will hurt sales. Personally, a lack of CarPlay support is an non-starter. I was a loyal Lexus customer for more than a decade, but when it came time for a new car in 2019 and Lexus STILL wasn't supporting CarPlay, I switched to Acura. Of course, now Lexus supports it, but they've lost me as a customer. I absolutely would have shopped GM because of their superior self-driving tech in some models, but now I wouldn't even consider a GM car without CarPlay. 
    tzterrigregoriusmravnorodomAnilu_777watto_cobralolliverW_D_Richardsapplguyjony0
  • Reply 2 of 25
    tzterritzterri Posts: 110member
    Years ago I walked out of the Toyota dealership because back then Toyota did not have CarPlay. Sales ppl said they had something better. I drove over to Honda and bought a Honda instead.

    I will not buy a car without the CarPlay.
    SGilbertgregoriusmappleinsideruserAnilu_777watto_cobralolliverjibkurai_kagejony0
  • Reply 3 of 25
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,804member
    charlesn said:
    It will be interesting to see if CarPlay and Android Auto continue to dominate. Tesla has shown that you can sell premium cars without supporting either one, but it's still a relatively small player in car sales. The bigger test will be GM and whether its abandonment of both in favor of its own system will hurt sales. Personally, a lack of CarPlay support is a non-starter. I was a loyal Lexus customer for more than a decade, but when it came time for a new car in 2019 and Lexus STILL wasn't supporting CarPlay, I switched to Acura. Of course, now Lexus supports it, but they've lost me as a customer. I absolutely would have shopped GM because of their superior self-driving tech in some models, but now I wouldn't even consider a GM car without CarPlay. 
    No CarPlay, no Tesla…..
    SGilbertgregoriusmentropysAnilu_777watto_cobralolliverjib
  • Reply 4 of 25
    ciacia Posts: 248member
    Having used the Tesla UI for 6 years now, I'm used to it where it's actually easier for me to use than the CarPlay UI.   I agree that most manufacturers OEM infotainment systems are hot trash though.  Tesla's UI is just much better than all other OEM UI's out there.  It's not perfect (even CarPlay has issues) but it's good.


    williamlondongrandact73Anilu_777kurai_kageapplguyjony0
  • Reply 5 of 25
    sflagelsflagel Posts: 803member
    I wonder what it is that Tesla owners find so satisfactory about their infotainment systems, or why drivers of other cars are not as satisfied with theirs. I find the Tesla systems lack others, especially CarPlay.
    The navigation is terrible, its just a top down view with confusing (and sometimes contradicting) step by step directions - like Apple Maps 5 years ago. Granted, it now has Apple Music, but if you share a car, your wife destroys your algorithm because you cannot switch easily to her Apple Music account. Sure, Tesla can integrate your Contacts and Calendar, but again, no way to switch easily in a shared car. Sending texts is possible, but cumbersome. Not to mention that there are no Audiobooks, WhatsApp, etc.

    edited May 2023 caladaniangregoriusmravnorodomAnilu_777watto_cobralolliver
  • Reply 6 of 25
    sflagelsflagel Posts: 803member
    It would be preferable to have an infotainment service that does not rely on a mobile phone - I leave my phone at home a lot, but it must be fully integrated with Android and/or Apple Apps and the respective data on iCloud; and switch automatically based on the driver's key that is being used. Even if GM manages to do this with Google, do they really want to narrow their target market to Google/Android clients; I doubt Apple will allow a Google system full access to data stored in iCloud.
    williamlondonAnilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 25
    mikethemartianmikethemartian Posts: 1,297member
    The last thing I care about when buying a vehicle is the infotainment system.
    williamlondondewme
  • Reply 8 of 25
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,564member
    sflagel said:
    It would be preferable to have an infotainment service that does not rely on a mobile phone - I leave my phone at home a lot, but it must be fully integrated with Android and/or Apple Apps and the respective data on iCloud; and switch automatically based on the driver's key that is being used. Even if GM manages to do this with Google, do they really want to narrow their target market to Google/Android clients; I doubt Apple will allow a Google system full access to data stored in iCloud.
    I like that point, but it would be even better if the car could recognize all the passengers in the car, not just the driver. Either by recognizing voices or faces. If Joey in the back seat says, "I hate this type of music," the car will hear that and make adjustments to its music-choosing algorithm to satisfy everyone.

    Your final point is thought provoking too. I'm not sure if Apple can "disallow" anything, because CarPlay (i.e., the receiving side that's built into the car) can perhaps be modified to interface with Android on the car's side, rather than letting Carplay control the car's screens, speakers and speakers directly. It would comparable to the way "hypervisors" and "virtual machines" work. Carplay (the side of CarPlay that runs in the car) could be forced into running as a virtual machine, allowing the "Androidvisor" to access anything on the iPhone, as long as the user has unlocked his iPhone and started up his CarPlay on his iPhone. In such a case, would you say it's Apple allowing Google full access, or would you say it's the end user allowing full access (since he unlocked his phone and connected it to an Android car)? I'm not sure myself.
    Anilu_777
  • Reply 9 of 25
    Tesla owner and lover. Apple owner and lover. And the intersection, or lack of intersection, of the two is a huge pain point.

    Tesla's navigation system has been behind Apple Maps and Google Maps for awhile in terms of accurate and up-to-date data. For the first six months of ownership Tesla's navigation system directed me to take a non-existent road near my house. It took a couple of data updates before this problem was fixed. It is a good thing I didn't have FSD and FSD doesn't work on city streets yet or my Tesla would have driven itself through someone's house. (Yes, that is a bit of hyperbole.)

    It is great that Tesla's navigation can help you plan long trips by routing you to your destination via Super Chargers. But it doesn't recognize Destination chargers or other chargers. And it doesn't give you alternate route options in this instance. (Alternate route options for shorter trips was a recent upgrade.)

    I know I am suppose to keep my eyes on the road, but I do like being able to see my texts on the main dashboard and hear them being read. Tesla's texting is less than perfect.  I hate the less than accurate dictation. I hate that sentences never start with capital letters unless the first word is "I". I hate that it stops listening and assumes your done after a short sentence. I hate the fact that I cannot have the texts re-read.

    Adding Apple Music to Tesla's Infotainment system has been a small step forward, but it is so slow and buggy. I used to have to log out and log back in every other day. Now it is every couple of weeks.

    As much as I love and want CarPlay, though, no other EV offers the performance and features of a Tesla. The biggest draw is the Super Charging network. I have planned family trips using hypothetical vehicles from other manufactures and it just doesn't work. Not enough fast chargers available or no fast chargers available. Not enough distance on a charge. Most importantly though is the combination of features. No other EV allows my disabled daughter easy access to the vehicle and has room for her wheel chair and lets all five of us sit inside.
    williamlondonAnilu_777watto_cobralolliverkurai_kagemuthuk_vanalingamjony0
  • Reply 10 of 25
    ravnorodomravnorodom Posts: 692member
    Ever since CarPlay going wireless, I love it. I use it more and more now. Before it was pain to physically connect to the iPhone every time I got in the car therefore I barely used it. Now I can ditch subscription and use CarPlay instead. Cars that I lease recently (Lexus) and leased in the past (Mercedes) require subscriptions after 3 years for their infotainments.
    edited May 2023 Anilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 25
    jimh2jimh2 Posts: 611member
    charlesn said:
    It will be interesting to see if CarPlay and Android Auto continue to dominate. Tesla has shown that you can sell premium cars without supporting either one, but it's still a relatively small player in car sales. The bigger test will be GM and whether its abandonment of both in favor of its own system will hurt sales. Personally, a lack of CarPlay support is a non-starter. I was a loyal Lexus customer for more than a decade, but when it came time for a new car in 2019 and Lexus STILL wasn't supporting CarPlay, I switched to Acura. Of course, now Lexus supports it, but they've lost me as a customer. I absolutely would have shopped GM because of their superior self-driving tech in some models, but now I wouldn't even consider a GM car without CarPlay. 
    Tesla is loaded up with world class software engineers so they can produce products that excel or are good enough. The rest of the car manufacturers need CarPlay or Android Auto because they are not capable of creating or continuously updating their infotainment system. It is obsolete by the time you take delivery.

    Also the article implies there are cars that only have Android Auto or CarPlay and not both. Are there examples anyone knows of? 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 25
    rotateleftbyterotateleftbyte Posts: 1,630member

    As much as I love and want CarPlay, though, no other EV offers the performance and features of a Tesla. The biggest draw is the Super Charging network. 
    There are plenty of EVs that offer equal and sometimes better performance and features (other than Plaid versions) available right now. With the SC opening up to non-Tesla vehicles, its advantage is going to be less than it was in the past.
    It used to be that Tesla was the only game in town. No longer. It was inevitable that the opposition would catch up with Tesla. They have not only caught up but in many cases, exceeded them.
    avon b7Anilu_777watto_cobralolliversflagel
  • Reply 13 of 25
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    charlesn said:
    It will be interesting to see if CarPlay and Android Auto continue to dominate. Tesla has shown that you can sell premium cars without supporting either one, but it's still a relatively small player in car sales. The bigger test will be GM and whether its abandonment of both in favor of its own system will hurt sales. Personally, a lack of CarPlay support is a non-starter. I was a loyal Lexus customer for more than a decade, but when it came time for a new car in 2019 and Lexus STILL wasn't supporting CarPlay, I switched to Acura. Of course, now Lexus supports it, but they've lost me as a customer. I absolutely would have shopped GM because of their superior self-driving tech in some models, but now I wouldn't even consider a GM car without CarPlay. 
    I suspect Tesla’s most demanded feature is CarPlay.
    Anilu_777watto_cobrasflagelkingofsomewherehot
  • Reply 14 of 25
    Anilu_777Anilu_777 Posts: 521member
    I upgraded my Toyota only when CarPlay was available for the RAV4. My next purchase will have to have the new full dash CarPlay or no purchase. So no Tesla. I don’t like their business model and there are other EVs in town. 
    watto_cobralolliver
  • Reply 15 of 25
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,036member
    I wonder how the EU are going to handle this in the future. If one were to think like the EU, CarPlay is a lock in for the Apple iPhones. Even though Android Auto also locks one into an Android phone, there are over a dozen Android phone brands to choose from. There's only one choice with CarPlay. I can see the EU forcing  Apple to supply EU auto makers and for any autos sold in the EU, a version of CarPlay that can also work with an Android phone. Otherwise the buyers of a new auto sold in the EU with CarPlay, would be locked in to buying an iPhone for as long as they own the car. And with some of these German cars, that could be well over 20 years, with several owners along the way. With each forced to use an iPhone.

    I guess the EU could also choose to force EU auto makers to sell autos where the infotainment system can be easily and affordably be changed, even after the purchase. This way the original buyer and any future owners of the car when bought used, are not locked into buying a phone that is compatible with the infotainment system that originally came with the car. (As some would like to say here ..... it's my car and I should be able to install any software I want.) This also helps against any planned obsolescence from outdated infotainment systems that are no longer supported by newer devices. But then again, none of the EU auto makers are "gatekeepers" and fining them 10% of their World revenue for non compliance, would be a drop in the bucket, compared to fining Apple for the same.
    edited May 2023
  • Reply 16 of 25
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    davidw said:
    I wonder how the EU are going to handle this in the future. If one were to think like the EU, CarPlay is a lock in for the Apple iPhones. Even though Android Auto also locks one into an Android phone, there are over a dozen Android phone brands to choose from. There's only one choice with CarPlay. I can see the EU forcing  Apple to supply EU auto makers and for any autos sold in the EU, a version of CarPlay that can also work with an Android phone. Otherwise the buyers of a new auto sold in the EU with CarPlay, would be locked in to buying an iPhone for as long as they own the car. And with some of these German cars, that could be well over 20 years, with several owners along the way. With each forced to use an iPhone.

    I guess the EU could also choose to force EU auto makers to sell autos where the infotainment system can be easily and affordably be changed, even after the purchase. This way the original buyer and any future owners of the car when bought used, are not locked into buying a phone that is compatible with the infotainment system that originally came with the car. (As some would like to say here ..... it's my car and I should be able to install any software I want.) This also helps against any planned obsolescence from outdated infotainment systems that are no longer supported by newer devices. But then again, none of the EU auto makers are "gatekeepers" and fining them 10% of their World revenue for non compliance, would be a drop in the bucket, compared to fining Apple for the same.
    Volkswagen alone has 75% of the revenue of Apple.  That's not a drop in the bucket, that's a bucket that's three quarters full!
    sflagel
  • Reply 17 of 25
    sflagelsflagel Posts: 803member
    sflagel said:
    It would be preferable to have an infotainment service that does not rely on a mobile phone - I leave my phone at home a lot, but it must be fully integrated with Android and/or Apple Apps and the respective data on iCloud; and switch automatically based on the driver's key that is being used. Even if GM manages to do this with Google, do they really want to narrow their target market to Google/Android clients; I doubt Apple will allow a Google system full access to data stored in iCloud.
    I like that point, but it would be even better if the car could recognize all the passengers in the car, not just the driver. Either by recognizing voices or faces. If Joey in the back seat says, "I hate this type of music," the car will hear that and make adjustments to its music-choosing algorithm to satisfy everyone.

    Your final point is thought provoking too. I'm not sure if Apple can "disallow" anything, because CarPlay (i.e., the receiving side that's built into the car) can perhaps be modified to interface with Android on the car's side, rather than letting Carplay control the car's screens, speakers and speakers directly. It would comparable to the way "hypervisors" and "virtual machines" work. Carplay (the side of CarPlay that runs in the car) could be forced into running as a virtual machine, allowing the "Androidvisor" to access anything on the iPhone, as long as the user has unlocked his iPhone and started up his CarPlay on his iPhone. In such a case, would you say it's Apple allowing Google full access, or would you say it's the end user allowing full access (since he unlocked his phone and connected it to an Android car)? I'm not sure myself.
    If a driver carries his phone with her, what you write makes sense. What GM and others try to achieve is to untether the car infotainment from any phone. I think this is a good thing. There should be no need to connect the car to a phone when all the data (music, contact, calendar, audiobook files etc) are in the cloud anyway.

    But currently, this data sits in proprietary clouds and for a stand-alone car infotainment system to work, it would need to be given access to all these cloud files. If the stand-alone infotainment system is built by Google, Apple won't give it access to the files in the cloud, unless, maybe, Apple can rund its own sandboxed apps on the GM OS. A good comparison are TV sets: Samsung has its own TV OS, and Apple has a TV+ App on it, but Apple won't allow access to your rented or bought films on a Samsung App.

    This would only be for Apple native Apps. I don't know if, say, Audible files that you purchased on an iPhone Audible App (with an Apple ID), can easily be accessed by an Audible App running on the GM OS built by Google.

    Lots of questions that better paid people then me need to work out, but generally, being able to untether the car from a phone seems the right direction, as long as we do not lose access to all our files/data that we wish to have in the car. (I make no assumptions about the UI).
  • Reply 18 of 25
    sflagelsflagel Posts: 803member

    It is great that Tesla's navigation can help you plan long trips by routing you to your destination via Super Chargers. But it doesn't recognize Destination chargers or other chargers. And it doesn't give you alternate route options in this instance. (Alternate route options for shorter trips was a recent upgrade.)

    As much as I love and want CarPlay, though, no other EV offers the performance and features of a Tesla. The biggest draw is the Super Charging network.

    No other EV allows my disabled daughter easy access to the vehicle and has room for her wheel chair and lets all five of us sit inside.
    I find that in Europe, the alternative charging networks are superb and more frequent that Tesla. Gridserve, Ionity, Fastnet, EnelX, Shell Recharge, etc. are really common on motorways, and slow chargers are frequent elsewhere (as destination chargers). This means that the Tesla navigation would actually be a negative feature for Europe, as it currently only considers Tesla chargers, not the many alternatives on the way. They plan to add "qualified non-Tesla chargers" but, you know.

    What we non-Tesla EV drivers need is integration of actual battery SOC with Apple Maps or the app A Better Route Planner. So far, only BMW and Porsche offer it.

    All Automakers should be more conscious of people with alternate needs.
    edited May 2023
  • Reply 19 of 25
    sflagelsflagel Posts: 803member
    jimh2 said:
    charlesn said:
    It will be interesting to see if CarPlay and Android Auto continue to dominate. Tesla has shown that you can sell premium cars without supporting either one, but it's still a relatively small player in car sales. The bigger test will be GM and whether its abandonment of both in favor of its own system will hurt sales. Personally, a lack of CarPlay support is a non-starter. I was a loyal Lexus customer for more than a decade, but when it came time for a new car in 2019 and Lexus STILL wasn't supporting CarPlay, I switched to Acura. Of course, now Lexus supports it, but they've lost me as a customer. I absolutely would have shopped GM because of their superior self-driving tech in some models, but now I wouldn't even consider a GM car without CarPlay. 
    Tesla is loaded up with world class software engineers so they can produce products that excel or are good enough. The rest of the car manufacturers need CarPlay or Android Auto because they are not capable of creating or continuously updating their infotainment system. It is obsolete by the time you take delivery.

    Also the article implies there are cars that only have Android Auto or CarPlay and not both. Are there examples anyone knows of? 
    Then why do these world-class engineers not produce good software? I don't get the hype.

    The infotainment system is not good at all. The sound is fantastic, as good or better than a Range Rover. But the navigation looks like Apple Maps 5 years ago, Apple Music is sluggish, Spotify cuts out in a tunnel and resets to the beginning of the playlist afterwards (what?), there is no way to change or turn off regen (much less have the brakes generate regen like they do on other EVs), it does not have automatic matrix LED headlights that maximise light driving at night while protecting on-coming cars from glare, basic autopilot does not adjust to speed limit changes and it leaves way too much space to the car driving in front. I rented a Tesla for a few days and was really disappointed, almost sad.

    Full Self Driving may be better than other manufacturer's best driver support systems, but basic AP and Enhanced AP are equivalent to what others offer.

    edited May 2023
  • Reply 20 of 25
    davidwdavidw Posts: 2,036member
    chutzpah said:
    davidw said:
    I wonder how the EU are going to handle this in the future. If one were to think like the EU, CarPlay is a lock in for the Apple iPhones. Even though Android Auto also locks one into an Android phone, there are over a dozen Android phone brands to choose from. There's only one choice with CarPlay. I can see the EU forcing  Apple to supply EU auto makers and for any autos sold in the EU, a version of CarPlay that can also work with an Android phone. Otherwise the buyers of a new auto sold in the EU with CarPlay, would be locked in to buying an iPhone for as long as they own the car. And with some of these German cars, that could be well over 20 years, with several owners along the way. With each forced to use an iPhone.

    I guess the EU could also choose to force EU auto makers to sell autos where the infotainment system can be easily and affordably be changed, even after the purchase. This way the original buyer and any future owners of the car when bought used, are not locked into buying a phone that is compatible with the infotainment system that originally came with the car. (As some would like to say here ..... it's my car and I should be able to install any software I want.) This also helps against any planned obsolescence from outdated infotainment systems that are no longer supported by newer devices. But then again, none of the EU auto makers are "gatekeepers" and fining them 10% of their World revenue for non compliance, would be a drop in the bucket, compared to fining Apple for the same.
    Volkswagen alone has 75% of the revenue of Apple.  That's not a drop in the bucket, that's a bucket that's three quarters full!

    But each of the auto company brands (about 12 of them) that is owned by Volkswagen Group operates independently and generate revenue under their own brand. Porsche annual revenue is about $35B while Audi is closer to $60B. But their own Volkswagen brand autos (the auto company brand that cheated on the US smog emission test) is by far their biggest revenue generator at over $140B. So If Porsche autos were to violate an EU regulation and the fine is a percentage of annual revenue, would it be based on Porsche annual revenue or Volkswagen Group combined revenue of all the auto brands they own? I would think only Porsche annual revenue would be considered. But then again its the EU Commission making the rules.
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