This aftermarket tech lets you re-add CarPlay to some GM models

A company called White Automotive & Media Services has created a CarPlay and Android Auto upgrade kit to add the screen projection system to newer GM models that don’t have it.

This upgrade kit only works with select GM EV models, but ideally, it will come to others in the future if it proves to be popular. Right now you can get it for the Bazer EV, Equinox EV, Sierra EV and Silverado EV.

That being said, this upgrade kit is limited and only offered by one Chevrolet dealership. However, it looks incredibly clean and seems to offer all the advantages of first-party CarPlay support like maps in the instrument cluster and turn-by-turn navigation in the heads-up display. It also runs on the car’s existing displays so it will look like a native app instead of a chunky aftermarket screen.

It’s pretty exciting to see that this is possible, and it gives me some hope that more dealerships will be able to upgrade to more GM cars in the future. The fact that it runs so well on the active hardware also makes me wonder if GM is just locking out the phone projection systems. Perhaps it can add them back with a software update if things with its own software go south at some point.

GM has dropped these phone projection systems, starting with the 2024 versions of its EV, to move over to its Google-backed infotainment system. The new system is quite good, but there’s something so seamless about plugging in your phone and having all the data you need passed over to your car without inputting it twice. Especially for Apple users, it can be a bit annoying to use Apple Maps on their phones and then be forced to use Google Maps in their cars.

GM says that this new system allows it to integrate smart features deeper into its cars and gives them more control over the user experience to help GM add more advanced features in the future, according to an interview with The Verge.

Source: White Automotive & Media Services

Image Source: White Automotive & Media Services