GM confirms $130,000 Cadillac Escalade IQ won’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto

There will be no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in Cadillac’s new ultra-luxury Escalade IQ. Despite the huge new 55-inch pillar-to-pillar infotainment screen in the new EV revealed yesterday, compatibility for the popular phone projection features is completely gone.

GM said earlier this year that it would restrict access to CarPlay and Android Auto in its future electric vehicles. In April, GM’s VP of software, Scott Miller, shared some reasons for the decision, including allowing more EV-centric functionality like battery preconditioning when navigating to a charging station.

Tesla offers a similar feature and also does not have CarPlay or Android Auto options. But customers nowadays expect these features in new vehicles. Even Apple has said that nearly 80 percent of new car buyers insist on having CarPlay. It’s an unusual omission from a modern, let alone high-end, car.

The Verge received email confirmation that CarPlay and Android Auto weren’t going to make it into the Escalade IQ from GM’s East Coast communications representative, Paige Tatulli. Instead of CarPlay or Android Auto, drivers will instead rely on the Escalade IQ’s included Google built-in infotainment software.

Google built-in supports Google Maps navigation and some Google Play apps that you can log in to on the dash. Some confirmed entertainment apps in the IQ include YouTube, YouTube Kids, and Hulu, but Google built-in could enable more apps like Waze and even Zoom.

Earlier this year, GM received a healthy amount of criticism for its decision to no longer support CarPlay and Android Auto in its future vehicles. The Escalade IQ marks another confirmed GM vehicle to not include the features after the Chevy Blazer EV, which is starting to ship now.

Update August 10th, 2023, 10:03AM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that GM is restricting access to phone-mirroring features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its future lineup of EVs.