(And why It will likely always be the best)
As many people have noticed, our GM EV / Ultium-platform CarPlay and Android Auto upgrade has been discontinued. This has led to understandable questions, and we want to provide factual clarification—not rumors, not speculation, and certainly not the misinformation that has appeared in the majority of the media “coverage”.
Before we address anything else:
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.
There were no attorneys involved—period.
WAMS continued offering the Ultium CarPlay/Android Auto upgrade directly to consumers after GM’s communication with the dealership, confirming that GM’s dealer directive had no connection to WAMS’ independent decision to discontinue the upgrade.
We are stating this clearly to correct third-party speculation and prevent misinformation from continuing to circulate.
It Was—and Still Is—the Best Integration Ever Achieved on Ultium EV’s
Our upgrade was not an aftermarket interface box, HDMI overlay, or video-in trick.
It was a true system-level integration providing:
- Full native Apple CarPlay & Android Auto behavior
- Factory-correct audio routing, including DSP, chimes, and alerts
- Full steering wheel control integration
- Full Instrument Cluster and Sources integration
- Zero lag, zero overlays, zero external dongles
- Preservation of all factory safety + diagnostic functions
- Full compatibility with the rapidly evolving Ultium infotainment stack
To date, nothing else matches that capability or quality..
The Real Reason We Discontinued It
Reason #1 — The Platform Updates Too Frequently to Guarantee Long Term Functionality
Ultium vehicles receive frequent, deep updates both at the Dealer level and OTA.
These updates can—and often do:
- Change components our integration relied on
- Modify module behavior
- Overwrite areas necessary for maintaining compatibility
- Break functionality that previously worked flawlessly
To maintain compatibility, we would have had to:
- Analyze every OTA and Dealer level release across a growing list of models and software branches
- Re-engineer all of those integrations repeatedly
- Provide rapid support for the “I ignored the no OTA instructions and lost CarPlay” Crowd.
- Re-test functionality across different architectures and trims to assure functionality.
This became unsustainable.
Reason #2 — Supporting Both OEM Updates and CarPlay/Android Auto Became Impossible
To be responsible, we must ensure customers can have both:
- The latest GM software, for security and functionality
- An always-working CarPlay/Android Auto integration
Ultium’s OTA cadence made that nearly impossible.
We refuse to sell anything that we believe cannot be kept reliable over time.
Reason #3 — Resource Burden Became Extreme
We had already:
- Cut the price 50% to make the upgrade accessible
- Absorbed hundreds of hours of engineering and diagnostic labor
- Built fallback, compatibility, and validation processes
- Supported OTA-related issues at our own cost
Even with those measures, responsible long-term support would have required massive, ongoing, open-ended engineering effort that would divert resources from our core work.
There was simply no sustainable path forward.
Addressing the Media Misinformation Directly
One media outlet claimed they had “reached out for comment.”
To clarify:
- They did not email us
- They did not use our contact form
Instead, the “attempted contact” consisted of a journalist typing into our AI chatbot, which:
- Clearly told him we cannot provide official statements through the bot
- Provided the correct Contact Us method
- Advised him to reach out directly
- He never did
Despite being told by the bot that it could not act as an official communication channel, the outlet still published their article using the chatbot interaction as their “reach-out.”
That is not how responsible journalism works, and it unfortunately contributed to misinformation spreading online.
This article exists, in part, to correct that record.
Important Facts to Reiterate Clearly
- GM did not order, threaten, imply, or suggest that we discontinue anything.
- The upgrade was discontinued solely due to sustainability and support concerns.
- The integration worked beautifully—the best possible CarPlay & Android Auto experience on Ultium.
- The discontinuation reflects our standards, not any legal or technical failure.
Will It Ever Return?
Not in its previous form.
Unless the underlying platform stabilizes there is no way to guarantee support longevity at a level we consider acceptable. On the flip side Ultium EV owners should be thrilled that GM is taking the initiative to bring the newest software to the older cars.
Should that ever change, we will evaluate the feasibility at that time.
Why We’re Sharing This
We believe our customers deserve accuracy.
We believe in technical transparency.
And we believe that responsible engineering sometimes means saying no to something that cannot be supported long term—even when the product itself is outstanding.
The Ultium CarPlay/Android Auto upgrade was a milestone.
But excellence is not only about what you build—
it’s also about how responsibly you support it.
Thanks for coming to our TED Talk 😉
Myth vs Fact: Clearing Up the Ultium CarPlay and Android Auto Narrative
Myth: “GM ordered WAMS to stop offering the Ultium CarPlay/Android Auto upgrade.”
Fact: GM never contacted, pressured, warned, sued, or issued any cease-and-desist to WAMS. GM’s communication was directed only at a franchised dealership operating under GM’s internal franchise rules. WAMS continued offering the upgrade directly to consumers even after GM instructed the dealer to stop. This confirms that GM’s dealer communication had no role in and no influence on WAMS’ independent discontinuation decision.
Myth: “GM’s dealer warning meant the upgrade wasn’t allowed and forced WAMS to discontinue it.”
Fact: GM’s directive applied solely to the dealership under GM policy — not to WAMS. WAMS is completely independent and does not operate under OEM franchise guidelines. The upgrade remained available directly from WAMS after the dealer communication occurred. WAMS discontinued the product later for its own reasons, unrelated to GM.
Myth: “The upgrade was discontinued because of safety issues.”
Fact: Safety was never a concern. The Ultium CarPlay/Android Auto upgrade delivered the most accurate and integrated experience WAMS could engineer using OEM-quality components. The discontinuation was based entirely on long-term support challenges caused by frequent OTA software updates and the need to maintain predictable customer experience.
Myth: “Media outlets received an official statement from WAMS indicating GM forced a shutdown.”
Fact: No journalist contacted WAMS through any official channel. One outlet interacted only with the AI chatbot on the WAMS website and misinterpreted automated guidance as a statement. The chatbot even instructed them to contact WAMS directly, which never happened prior to publication.
Myth: “WAMS could have continued supporting the upgrade without issue.”
Fact: WAMS had already reduced the price of the upgrade by half. Ongoing support would have required disproportionate engineering resources to continually adapt to upstream GM OTA changes. To avoid inconsistent customer experiences and unsustainable support expectations, WAMS made the responsible decision to discontinue the product.