Ford has confirmed that it will continue to support Apple CarPlay in its cars.
Ford is “passionate” about retaining CarPlay since many customers use it, Ford CFO Sherry House said at the Barclays Global Auto and Mobility Tech Conference, Ford Authority reports.
“We think that that [CarPlay] is a product that our customers really enjoy, so we’re going to continue to allow them to have access to that,” House said.
According to a 2024 McKinsey study, the absence of Android Auto or CarPlay is a deal-breaker for 35% of new car buyers. However, several of Ford’s rivals have stepped away from third-party infotainment systems like CarPlay and Android Auto. Rivian, for example, wants more control over its in-car technology, while GM thinks CarPlay can be distracting for its drivers. Still, Tesla is reportedly testing the technology in its cars.
Ford also aims to develop its own native apps to maintain a “deeply connected” relationship with its customers. But instead of abandoning CarPlay, it’s opting for a hybrid model that blends its Sync technology with third-party providers.
“We’ve been doing this already in some of the latest apps, and features that we have natively developed within Ford have just gone up at about 20 points in engagement levels from our prior version of Sync 4,” House said.
House didn’t mention CarPlay Ultra, which deeply integrates CarPlay into every screen of a vehicle, including the digital cluster and center console. As 9to5Mac notes, the company was unimpressed with the first version of Ultra; other automakers have reportedly balked at giving Apple so much control of their cars, too.
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What’s certain, though, is support for Google Gemini in 2026. The chatbot will be made available in Ford cars “as soon as that’s available,” House said.
Gemini began rolling out on Android Auto last month. At launch, the integration lets you talk to the chatbot and access select features within Maps, Gmail, and Messages—all without looking at the screen. You can also ask Gemini to provide translations and playlists.
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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