Editor’s Note: This is an interesting reversal from GM’s earlier push to phase out CarPlay. Back in 2023, GM CEO Mary Barra said customers found switching between the car’s native interface and CarPlay clunky and distracting.
She said the phase out would continue across the portfolio as new vehicles launched. Now, with CarPlay returning in a split screen format on the 2027 Silverado and Sierra, it looks like a complete 180 for the company’s direction. You can read Barra’s original comments on InsideEVs, where she discussed the decision on The Verge’s Decoder podcast.
General Motors is launching a new infotainment interface for its 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks. The update brings Apple CarPlay and Android Auto back into the mix, running alongside GM’s native system instead of taking over the whole screen.
The new screen uses a split view layout by default. Drivers can see phone mirroring apps and native truck functions such as trailering and off road data at the same time. GM switched the background from blue to black and boosted the contrast on icons so drivers can read the screen faster.
GM cut CarPlay and Android Auto from its electric vehicles starting in 2023. The company argued that switching between phone mirroring and native controls created a distraction. A GM executive named McCormick said the old setup forced drivers to switch back and forth dangerously when they needed native truck controls, and the new split screen design lets owners use phone projection while still seeing key information like trailering data.
The redesign also adds new 3D graphics for Super Cruise, showing traffic and lane markers in more detail, plus Android style notifications and quick action controls. GM changed how incoming calls work too. Accepting a call no longer bumps drivers out of whatever app they had open.
The new interface arrives only on new trucks built after launch. Current Silverado and Sierra owners will keep the older software. GM has not confirmed whether the split screen CarPlay setup will reach its electric vehicles, though the move follows heavy criticism from owners since the 2023 decision to drop phone mirroring.
Source: arstechnica.com
