A recent study revealed that over half of drivers surveyed viewed the loss of Apple CarPlay as a deal-breaker, making General Motors’ decision to eventually abandon the system look like a big mistake. But cross-town rival Ford won’t be going the same way. Speaking at the 2025 Barclays Global Auto and Mobility Tech Conference, Ford Chief Financial Officer Sherry House said that it wants customers to have options, not limit them to a single type of interface.
“We think it’s very important to give customers choice and give them access to technology. So that’s going to be a key part of what we are doing on a go-forward basis,” said House. “I would say that if I want to just continue on in this theme a little bit, because it is something […] I’m passionate about, we’re going to also continue to give the customers choice as it relates to Apple CarPlay.”
Why Ford is Doing Things Differently from GM
Late last year, GM’s given reason for removing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was that it believes its own infotainment software is more than sufficient, but the crux of the matter is that GM eventually wants its cars to be built on “software-defined platforms,” and making these integrated systems work as efficiently as possible is not easy when there’s a third-party smartphone integration system in the way. To try to smooth the transition, GM recently announced the introduction of Apple Music, though that’s scant consolation to those who are enamored by Apple and Android interfaces. Meanwhile, Ford is keeping CarPlay (and presumably Android Auto, too) because it would rather work around what its customers like. “We think that [Apple CarPlay] is a product that our customers really enjoy, so we’re going to continue to allow them to have access to that,” said Sherry.
Ford Lost the Battle a Long Time Ago
Ford
The decision to keep Apple CarPlay around at Ford was made some time back. As noted by Ford Authority, CEO Jim Farley said in 2023 that Apple and Android smartphone integration “will always be super important because it’s a safety-critical device, and then there’s going to be a lot more going on inside the car than your phone. So the interior has to be really well done. But in terms of content, we kind of lost that battle 10 years ago.” Ford isn’t the only one. The fact that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are offered in a plethora of contemporary cars makes it nearly impossible for automakers to sway buyers into embracing new interfaces. People love the fact that they can get out of a Corolla and into a Mustang without learning how the screens work all over again — it’s that simple. Whether Apple takes over entire interior ecosystems, as it has done with Aston Martin, is another matter entirely.
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