While there’s been plenty of pushback, GM has stubbornly stuck with its decision to ditch support for phone-based Android Auto and CarPlay in its EVs from brands including Chevy and Cadillac, but a clever little adapter manages to bring it back – at least for now.

“EV Play LT” is a $199 adapter for GM electric vehicles that are based on Android Automotive, but lack built-in support for connecting your phone and using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

How?

The adapter leverages an app that you install on the vehicle’s Android Automotive system to project Android Auto or CarPlay through the adapter (wired or wirelessly). It’s a clever workaround, and one that appears to work well in demos shared by the company.

EV Play LT is confirmed to work in GM vehicles including 2024, 2025, and 2026 model years of the Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado (EVs), the GMC Sierra and Hummer, and the Cadillac IQ/IQL, Optiq, and Vistiq. Theorhetically, it should work on newer vehicles too – perhaps even the 27′ Bolt – but that’s at your own risk.

There’s also a more expensive verison of this concept that adds more than just your phone projection, including HDMI support for game consoles and more. There’s a version for Rivian, too.

The catch, though, is that GM can shut this down. EV Play acknowledges that, yes, GM could shut it down, but “it would not be easy.”

It would not be easy for them to do so, nor would it be immediate or automatic; however, it is an eventual possibility. We would obviously keep up the good fight as long as we could, but ultimately they are in control of their system and customers should accept the fact that GM could eventually disable this. Of course, the question that always goes along with “can they,” is “will they,” which is really only a question GM can answer. We are all in agreement that it would be ridiculous for them to do so, as a happy GM customer is a loyal GM customer. There are far too many EVs both available now and coming on to the market that offer CarPlay/Android Auto. At the end of the day it’s their company and their choice, but you can’t argue with the data that shows customers very much want the option and will choose alternatives when those features aren’t available. 

So, while this is a nice workaround for existing GM EV owners looking to use Android Auto and/or CarPlay, it’s probably not something you should hinge a new car purchase on. That said, some users have had these for as long as six months – we’ve been watching this project for a little while – and GM hasn’t shut it down yet. But it’s not like this is the first attempt to bring Android Auto and CarPlay to GM’s EVs, and the last one that got attention was shuttered.

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