GM updates its trucks’ native software to coexist with CarPlay

General Motors is preparing a new in-vehicle interface for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, changing how the trucks’ built-in screens work alongside a driver’s phone. The update introduces picture-in-picture phone projection to the two pickup lines, a feature the company had not previously included in their native software. The shift is aimed at letting the truck’s own system remain visible while projected smartphone functions occupy part of the display.

The announcement matters because the screen inside a modern vehicle is no longer limited to radio controls or a map. It has become the place where drivers encounter navigation, calls, media, vehicle settings and other digital services. GM’s revised presentation for Silverado and Sierra is therefore about more than a visual refresh: it addresses how two separate software environments can share the same dashboard screen without one fully displacing the other.

Picture-in-picture projection means a projected phone view can appear in a smaller area while information from the truck’s native interface stays available elsewhere. In practical terms, the feature creates room for a phone-connected experience and the vehicle’s own controls to be presented at the same time. GM is bringing that arrangement to its Chevrolet and GMC full-size truck families through the updated interface.

The change is particularly notable in the context of Apple CarPlay. CarPlay is designed to put a familiar iPhone-oriented experience on a vehicle display, while manufacturers also want their own software to handle the functions that belong to the vehicle. GM’s approach suggests that the two do not have to be treated as an all-or-nothing choice on these trucks. Instead, the updated layout is intended to make coexistence on screen possible.

That distinction can shape the everyday experience of using a pickup. A driver may want phone-based navigation or audio access without losing sight of vehicle-side information and controls. A single-screen system has finite space, so the way it divides that space can influence how easily people move between connected-phone tools and the truck’s built-in menus. The new interface places that division at the center of its design.

For GM, the update also arrives amid a broader industry debate over who should control the digital layer of a car or truck. Automakers increasingly develop their own operating environments, while many buyers expect familiar smartphone projection to be supported. Native systems can keep a manufacturer’s design and vehicle functions in view; projection can offer continuity for people who already rely on phone apps. Picture-in-picture is one way to accommodate both expectations rather than forcing a complete handoff from one system to the other.

The arrangement also reflects the challenge of designing a dashboard for several kinds of use at once. Drivers may view the display as a vehicle-control surface, a navigation tool, or an extension of a phone they already know. A layout that displays both software layers can reduce the need to choose one identity for the screen, although it also makes the organization of information more important.

There is also a limitation to keep in mind: the reported change is specific to the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, and the available information centers on the new interface and its addition of picture-in-picture projection. It does not, by itself, establish that the same arrangement will appear across GM’s wider lineup, nor does it settle how every driver will prefer to use the available screen space. The usefulness of the approach will depend on the clarity of the layout in routine driving.

What comes next will be the real test of the update. GM will need to show how the revised native software behaves when a phone is connected, how clearly competing information is separated, and whether the combined view feels straightforward rather than crowded. For buyers comparing technology in large pickups, the development adds a new point of comparison: not simply whether phone projection is present, but whether it can work alongside the vehicle’s own software.

Source: The Verge