GM Finally Lets CarPlay and Android Auto Share the Screen With Its Trucks

General Motors is finally letting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto share the screen with its own software, and the move comes with a bit of irony. For years, GM fought phone mirroring in its electric vehicles, arguing that it could build a better experience without it. Now, in its trucks, the company is embracing a picture-in-picture setup that lets drivers keep GM’s native controls visible while they use CarPlay or Android Auto.

The change applies to the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2027 GMC Sierra 1500, which will debut the next-generation interface later this year. The update includes new graphics for the advanced driver-assist system, animated transitions between screens, and simpler layouts for trailering and off-roading. Combined, the instrument cluster, central display, and passenger screen add up to over 60 inches of screen real estate.

The Picture-In-Picture Compromise

The core shift is simple: CarPlay and Android Auto no longer take over the whole screen. Instead, they sit in a large contextual card, leaving room for GM’s own menus and controls to show through. The phone icon changes to a CarPlay icon when a device is connected, and pressing the native home button returns the driver to a split-screen view.

This matters because the old setup forced drivers to constantly switch back and forth. With the new arrangement, you can use Apple’s apps while still reaching the truck’s native controls, like trailering information.

Colin McCormick, group product manager for Google built-in, projection, and profiles at GM, explained the thinking. “Larger displays give you better functionality in that standpoint,” he said, noting that living in Michigan means navigating roads with potholes while trying to hit small touch targets. Larger buttons and bigger tap zones make the system easier to operate, especially under difficult driving conditions.

What Drivers Actually Get

The interface redesign addresses a common complaint: GM’s existing setup felt disjointed because various functions would abruptly take over the entire display. The new approach keeps the media player visible while sliding in additional panels from the side. Animated transitions help smooth the transition between functions.

Truck owners will also find a swipe-down notification interface borrowed from smartphone design. It lets you quickly switch connected devices, enter settings, or adjust privacy controls. You can disable the vehicle’s microphone directly from this menu.

Not everything goes digital. Customers have repeatedly said they love physical controls, so GM kept the majority of them physical. The oil dipstick, for example, is now a virtual measurement on the truck’s status screen. But HVAC controls and other key functions remain tangible.

The Trailering Focus

Trailering gets special attention in the new software. Information now appears in both the driver information display and a smaller homescreen card. The trucks include built-in trailer-aware navigation, so once a trailer is connected, the vehicle identifies it and Google Maps provides a route that accommodates the trailer.

Customers enter the trailer’s dimensions, and those measurements can be carried from one vehicle to another through the customer’s GM account. That means you don’t have to re-enter data every time you trade trucks.

GM’s Long History With Mirroring

This move arrives after a significant chapter in GM’s relationship with phone mirroring. In 2023, the company dropped Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from its EVs, arguing that it could deliver a better software experience without them. Customers pushed back, but GM held firm.

GM CEO Mary Barra even suggested that the ban might eventually extend to gas-powered trucks and SUVs — only to walk that statement back days later. The result was a period where GM had to tweak CarPlay and Android Auto’s appearance in its trucks to let the native GM-branded software peek through.

Phone projection previously occupied the entire screen, which McCormick argued was forcing drivers to dangerously switch back and forth when they needed to access their truck’s native controls. The picture-in-picture setup solves that problem by giving drivers a choice without forcing them to pick between CarPlay and the truck’s own software.

The Irony of the Move

The timing is the joke. GM spent years insisting it could build a better infotainment experience without phone mirroring, then quietly added picture-in-picture support to its trucks. The company’s own engineers wanted to use the added screen real estate “intelligently,” McCormick said, without forcing customers to choose between CarPlay and the native GM interface.

The irony is that GM’s best argument for dropping phone mirroring in EVs — that it could deliver a superior experience — now shows up as a feature in its trucks. The trucks get the picture-in-picture compromise that GM rejected for its EVs, and the result is a screen that does more without overwhelming the driver.

What We Know About the Update

The 2027 Silverado and Sierra will ship with the new interface later this year. Here’s what drivers can expect:

1. A new user interface with larger displays and bigger buttons.
2. Picture-in-picture support for CarPlay and Android Auto, so the native GM software stays visible.
3. A swipe-down notification interface for quick access to settings and privacy controls.
4. A split-screen home view that lets you return from CarPlay.
5. Enhanced trailering information shown across multiple screens.

The update is a quiet acknowledgment that the phone mirroring debate isn’t over. GM’s EVs remain without CarPlay and Android Auto, but its trucks now offer a hybrid approach that respects both worlds.

Our View on the Move

This is a smart compromise. Larger screens are useful, but they can also be distracting. GM’s approach — making interactive elements larger and keeping native controls visible — is a practical response to that tension.

The picture-in-picture setup is the right call. It gives drivers the apps they want and the controls they need, without forcing a binary choice.

The irony is that GM spent years telling everyone it could do better without phone mirroring, and now it has done better with it. The trucks are getting a feature that the EVs never got, and the company is better off for it.

The 2027 Silverado and Sierra arrive later this year with the new interface. For truck buyers who want both GM’s native software and the convenience of CarPlay, the wait is almost over.

Android Auto · CarPlay · GM · infotainment · picture-in-picture · trucks