GM Overhauls Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra Software to Let CarPlay and Android Auto Share the Screen

The update is part of GM's effort to reduce the tapping and swiping needed for frequently used controls, while making its native infotainment system work alongside popular phone mirroring systems. CNBC reported that GM is touting the new user interface, controls and software as offering convenience and customization similar to a smartphone. The Verge reported that the new layout will appear on 60-plus inches of combined screen space in some trucks, including the instrument cluster, center display and passenger screen.

GM product manager Colin McCormick said larger displays do not have to mean more distractions. He said larger buttons and larger tap zones can make the system easier to operate, particularly on rough roads. "Living in Michigan, the roads are terrible, so I’m trying to tap on a very small tap zone while hitting a bunch of potholes," McCormick said. "These larger displays give you better functionality in that standpoint."

Physical controls remain for key functions such as HVAC, and GM has not moved every tool to the screen. The Verge reported that the oil dipstick, for example, becomes a virtual measurement on the truck's status screen. The new interface also adds a swipe-down notification area for switching connected devices, entering settings and controlling privacy, including disabling the vehicle microphone.

GM designed the system to distinguish settings that owners rarely change from controls they may adjust often. It also uses animated transitions and contextual panels so functions such as media playback can stay visible while an additional queue panel slides in from the side. McCormick said GM wanted to address complaints that the existing interface can feel disjointed when functions abruptly take over the whole display.

Trailering receives dedicated attention. Trailering information appears in the driver information display and in a smaller homescreen card, and the trucks include trailer-aware navigation. Once a trailer is connected, the vehicle identifies it, and Google Maps can provide a route that accommodates the trailer, GM said. Customers enter the trailer's dimensions, and those measurements can carry from one vehicle to another through the customer's GM account.

For CarPlay and Android Auto, the change is intended to let phone and native systems coexist. When a phone is connected through CarPlay, the phone icon changes into a CarPlay icon; selecting it brings CarPlay up in a large contextual card. Pressing the native home button returns the driver to the split-screen home view, allowing access to Apple apps while retaining GM functions such as trailering information. McCormick said during a demo in a new GMC Sierra that the systems "should coexist and you should get the best of both worlds," according to CNBC.

The software also brings a major visual update to GM's Super Cruise advanced driver-assistance system. CNBC reported that the system will show objects such as other vehicles or pedestrians on the driver cluster screen, a feature GM's "hands-free" system did not previously provide as many non-GM vehicles do. "It's making sure, especially as you are in a hands-off situation, that you understand that the vehicle sees what is happening around it," said Sebastian Bauer, GM executive director of human interface design, according to CNBC.

GM has restructured its digital experience operations under design rather than software, led by Bauer, a former Apple and Google executive. Bauer told CNBC that the reorganization was intended to reduce cognitive load and give drivers the information they need when they need it. The new system is also arriving as infotainment and connectivity remain the least reliable parts of vehicles across the U.S. automotive industry, according to J.D. Power's 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study cited by CNBC.

GM said the system is expected to expand across the broader portfolio of its vehicles over an undisclosed amount of time. The Verge reported that the change comes after GM previously expressed hostility to phone mirroring in its electric vehicles. GM's new interface will debut on the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 later this year.