Why CarPlay on GM’s Ultium EVs Became Impossible to Support

White Automotive and Media Services (WAMS) has formally ended its Apple CarPlay and Android Auto retrofit for GM’s Ultium-based EVs, shutting down one of the aftermarket’s most sought-after upgrades. The company says the move had nothing to do with GM pressure or legal action. Instead, mounting technical demands, unstable software dependencies, and unsustainable support workloads made the product impossible to maintain responsibly.

GM software updates made long-term support impossible

WAMS emphasized that General Motors had no involvement whatsoever in the product’s cancellation, countering online speculation that the automaker intervened. “GM did NOT sue us, did not threaten us, did not issue a cease-and-desist, and did not instruct or pressure WAMS to discontinue this upgrade in any way,” WAMS said.

The upgrade had been widely praised for achieving full native CarPlay and Android Auto integration, factory audio routing, steering-wheel control support, and cluster behavior, without lag or external hardware. But the Ultium platform’s rapid software-update cadence ultimately broke the solution faster than WAMS could rebuild it.

According to the company, GM’s over-the-air and dealer-installed updates frequently altered system components the retrofit relied on, forcing a full re-engineering cycle each time. As more models were added to the Ultium lineup, the workload ballooned. WAMS said it could no longer responsibly guarantee compatibility between the latest GM software and a functioning CarPlay experience, and refused to sell a product it could not keep reliable long-term, according to GM Authority.

The cumulative burden stretched far beyond normal support: hundreds of hours of diagnostic work, repeated development cycles, and open-ended engineering efforts that pulled resources from the firm’s core business.

Misinformation prompts clarification, while future return remains unlikely

The company also used its statement to correct what it described as inaccurate reporting, noting that one outlet based its story entirely on an AI-chatbot interaction rather than formally reaching out for comment. WAMS said the reporter ignored the chatbot’s instructions directing him to proper contact channels, emphasizing the need for responsible journalism.

As for the possibility of the upgrade returning, WAMS said it is effectively off the table until the Ultium platform becomes significantly more stable. The firm said it cannot offer the product “in its previous form” because doing so would require a reliability guarantee it cannot ethically provide.

WAMS closed by reiterating that ending the project was a matter of engineering principle: sometimes a product that works brilliantly still must be discontinued if it cannot be supported sustainably over time.

EV.com tracks the evolving EV collector space and performance electric vehicles hitting the market. Explore our listings to find the best EVs in your area available today.