Porsche's full commitment to CarPlay sets it apart from GM and competitors

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【Summary】Porsche is going all-in on CarPlay, expanding its focus and integrating climate controls and other features. The company believes CarPlay offers a familiar user experience and interface that customers already love. Meanwhile, GM is abandoning CarPlay in its EVs, which has received backlash from iPhone users. Porsche's approach stands in contrast to companies like Tesla, GM, and Rivian, who want complete control over the in-car experience. Ford, on the other hand, supports CarPlay.

FutureCar Staff Oct 04, 2023 4:16 PM PT

Porsche's full commitment to CarPlay sets it apart from GM and competitors

Porsche is taking a different approach compared to GM, Tesla, and Rivian when it comes to CarPlay. While those companies are abandoning CarPlay, Porsche is expanding its focus on the platform. In a recent interview with ArsTechnica, Cyril Dorsaz, Porsche Digital's principal product manager, explained why the company believes CarPlay is the future.

Dorsaz discussed the integration of climate controls, lighting, and more into the CarPlay experience through the My Porsche app. The goal is to provide a feature-rich experience that allows users to easily control various functions without having to switch back and forth between different interfaces. Customer research showed that this was a pain point for Porsche owners.

Even the choice of font was carefully considered during the development process of the My Porsche app. The company decided to use the San Francisco font to maintain consistency with other apps in the ecosystem and ensure a familiar user interface.

Porsche's ultimate goal is to make the user interface and experience in their cars as familiar as possible. They want users to feel comfortable and at ease, leveraging their familiarity with Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

However, the My Porsche app for CarPlay is currently limited to the 2024 Porsche Cayenne. There is no decision yet on whether support will be extended to older models. Additionally, Porsche does not plan to offer a similar experience for Android Auto users due to the lack of an equivalent automaker toolkit and the lower incidence of Android use among Porsche customers.

It is clear that Porsche's approach to CarPlay differs from other automakers. While Porsche aims to provide a familiar and seamless experience, GM, Tesla, and Rivian prioritize having complete control over the in-car experience. The majority of iPhone users have expressed their dissatisfaction with GM's decision, and it remains to be seen if the company will reconsider. Ford, on the other hand, has been vocal about its support for CarPlay in light of GM's decision.

One thing that CarPlay users are eagerly waiting for is the next-generation CarPlay platform announced by Apple at WWDC 2022. Apple has promised that the first cars with the new platform will be announced before the end of this year, but time is running out.