- White Automotive & Media Services (WAMS) is advertising a way to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto at LaFontaine Chevrolet in Plymouth, MI.
- The kit promises to bring full Apple CarPlay or Android Auto functionality for with no issues.
- It is unclear how much the upgrade costs.
General Motors has pigheadedly stuck to its guns for its new EVs by omitting Apple CarPlay in its new software setup. Some of my colleagues have been mostly fine with the omission, but by and large, the public’s reaction to GM’s lack of Apple CarPlay hasn’t been great.
In fact, I can’t help but wonder if part of the reason the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX are mildly successful is because they’re essentially GM EVs with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, but I digress.
But now people who want to stick with Chevy or Cadillac or GMC have options, thanks to the aftermarket company White Automotive & Media Services (WAMS). This aftermarket kit adds Apple CarPlay back to the EVs, and it looks pretty good.
No, really—it looks pretty stock. The WAMS CarPlay kit allows GM Ultium cars to use CarPlay in whatever native resolution they need to be. In models like the Silverado EV, Equinox EV or Blazer EV, the CarPlay interface naturally uses most of the nearly 18-inch screens found in those cars. For the GMC Sierra EV’s square-shaped screen, the CarPlay and Android Auto resolutions follow suit and fit neatly into the correct aspect ratio and layout.
It’s not just for aesthetics, either. WAMS says the CarPlay kit gives OEM-level full functionality, akin to CarPlay use in any other GM vehicle. It is wireless (or wired, depending on the model). It can pass the “now playing” song list to the vehicle’s main gauge cluster. The company says it can do turn-by-turn directions via Apple Maps—all displayed on the car’s HUD, if so equipped.
I’m curious as to how this works exactly. When I was on the Prologue launch earlier this year, Honda’s engineers were adamant that the Android-based software in use on the Prologue (and ZDX) isn’t all that dissimilar to what GM is using on its variants of the Ultium-based crossovers. To me, this tells me that GM’s lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto likely only needs a flip of a switch somewhere in the backend to turn it back on. I mean, look at how intentional the CarPlay sync menus look, almost as if they were developed to completion before GM decided to nix CarPlay and Android Auto later in their development.
WAMS hasn’t exactly said how the CarPlay kit works, nor have they released a price yet. Similarly, it's not clear if this CarPlay addition will alter the warranty when installed, or block the car from OTA updates. Also, WAMS says it’s only available for installation at LaFontaine Chevrolet in Plymouth, MI.
We’ve reached out to WAMS and GM for comment. In the meantime, WAMS is already open for bookings, and information about the CarPlay kit is on its website.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
