The Case for CarPlay: Why Rivian is Missing the Mark

By Casey Liss Published: Thursday, 2 July 2026

Back in March, Nilay Patel hosted Wassym Bensaid, the Chief Software Officer at Rivian, for an episode of Decoder. While the conversation was wide-ranging, I spent the entire duration waiting for a specific topic to surface: Apple CarPlay.

The Essential Nature of Phone Projection

For me, CarPlay isn't just a "nice-to-have" feature; it is a fundamental requirement. My last three vehicles—the oldest dating back to 2017—all featured this integration. The value proposition is simple: the apps I actually use while driving already have polished, bespoke interfaces designed specifically for CarPlay.

Consequently, my purchasing criteria are rigid:

• High-quality build
• Great performance
• No CarPlay support $\rightarrow$ Dealbreaker $\rightarrow$ Will not buy

The Clash of Philosophies

During the interview, Nilay posed a pointed question to Bensaid. He noted that customers frequently demand CarPlay because no car manufacturer (OEM) can possibly build native support for the thousands of apps available on a smartphone. He asked if Rivian was still committed to avoiding phone projection.

Bensaid's response was telling:

"The challenge with screen mirroring solutions is that they take over every single pixel in the car, and that’s not the way we see ourselves interacting with our users."

Deconstructing the "Pixel" Argument

I believe Bensaid is mistaken here. First, there is a version called CarPlay Ultra designed to span multiple screens. Even then, the manufacturer's own UI can still coexist.

Consider this evidence from my wife's Volvo XC90:

As seen above, CarPlay occupies the majority of the screen, but it is completely unaware of the strips above and below it. Those areas remain dedicated to the Volvo interface.

The Logic of User Choice

If Rivian believes their native software is superior, they shouldn't fear CarPlay. The logic follows a simple path:

If the native experience is truly world-class, users will naturally gravitate toward it. However, when a user needs a specific app that Rivian hasn't built, CarPlay provides the solution.

Addressing the ADAS Concern

One might argue that for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to function optimally, the vehicle must possess the route data—something that happens natively but not always through mirrored apps.

Final Thoughts: The Math of Appeal

Ultimately, the decision to exclude CarPlay is a strategic error. Supporting it doesn't replace the native UI; it supplements it. In mathematical terms, the appeal of the vehicle is additive:

$\text{Total Market Appeal} = \text{Native Software Quality} + \text{CarPlay Integration}$

I genuinely admire Rivian. Having driven the R1T and R1S, I was seriously considering the waiting list for the R2. But I cannot ignore my own requirements. By refusing to support CarPlay, Rivian is effectively closing the door on a significant segment of potential buyers.