Friday, March 21, 2025

GM blocks Apple CarPlay retrofit kit for Its newer EVs

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GM blocks Apple CarPlay retrofit kit for Its newer EVs

MacDailyNews

Mar 21

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For some exasperated owners of GM’s latest electric vehicles, White Automotive appeared to be a beacon of hope. When GM opted to eliminate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility from its Ultium-platform EVs — and eventually its entire range — White introduced an aftermarket solution that dealers could install to bring back both phone-mirroring features for new buyers. However, this initiative has quickly reached its inevitable conclusion, as GM recently pressured the sole Chevy dealer in the U.S. offering the installations to cease, effectively compelling White Automotive to abandon the kit altogether.

Nico DeMattia for The Drive:
‎

A source within GM confirmed to The Drive that the automaker had investigated how the integration was being done and found that it could have adverse impacts on “critical” vehicle functions and stop working altogether with future software updates. Meanwhile, the dealer in question—LaFontaine Chevrolet in Plymouth, Michigan—told us that GM instructed them to stop offering and installing White’s kit. And without that distribution channel, or any chance of getting another dealer on board, White Automotive—who declined to comment directly for this story—had to shut down the project.
It’s hard to imagine how White Automotive or LaFontaine Chevrolet thought these CarPlay retrofit installs were going to continue without a hitch. The kit modified proprietary GM software without the manufacturer’s permission, breaching a line in the sand that it’d publicly drawn. While dealerships aren’t necessarily required to only use OEM parts—they can throw aftermarket wheels or tires on a car, for example—changing the fundamental functionality of a vehicle using unauthorized third-party hardware is never going to fly with the manufacturer, especially when tapping into sensitive elements like the instrument cluster. At that point, mods like these arguably do carry a safety concern, to GM’s point.

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MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote back in May 2023 of GM’s decision to kill CarPlay from its vehicles:

For us, and many, many others, General Motors simply moves even further out of consideration for future purchases (GM never really was in consideration anyway).

Interns: It’s time. Prost, everyone!

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iPhone porch pirates arrested; allegedly used bribes to steal thousands of iPhones

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iPhone porch pirates arrested; allegedly used bribes to steal thousands of iPhones

MacDailyNews

Mar 21

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iPhone porch pirates arrested; allegedly used bribes to steal thousands of iPhones

In a sophisticated scheme that blended old-school corruption with modern technology, a crime ring of iPhone porch pirates managed to steal thousands of the Apple devices from unsuspecting homeowners’ porches. Prosecutors recently dismantled the operation, revealing how the group of porch pirates exploited FedEx websites to track packages and bribed AT&T employees to obtain precise delivery data. This brazen combination of insider access and digital savvy allowed the criminals to snatch high-value electronics with alarming efficiency, leaving victims and authorities scrambling to catch up.

Ester Fung for The Wall Street Journal:
‎

Last month, federal authorities arrested 13 people in connection with what they say was an international crime ring that targeted FedEx deliveries nationwide.
Porch thefts aren’t new, but they have become increasingly sophisticated. There was a spree last year—captured on doorbell cameras—where thieves stole iPhones just moments after they were dropped on front steps. They knew when the packages were coming and what was inside.
The group created software to scrape FedEx tracking numbers and bribed AT&T store employees to get order details and delivery addresses, according to a criminal complaint filed in New Jersey. The group then sent thieves to pick off the packages…
The software was created by Demetrio Reyes Martinez, who is known online as “CookieNerd,” according to the complaint. The 37-year-old wrote code to get around FedEx limits on delivery-data requests and sold it via Telegram with instructions on how to run the program, prosecutors said.
An AT&T store employee in Paterson, N.J., Alejandro Then Castillo, used his employment credentials to track hundreds of shipments that were subsequently reported stolen in transit, prosecutors said. He took photos of customers’ names, addresses and tracking numbers and shared them with the criminal group, according to the complaint.
He also worked with another store employee in Fort Lee, N.J., and recruited other employees at the cellular carrier, prosecutors said. Law-enforcement officials believe Then Castillo was receiving $2,000 to $2,500 if he recruited other employees.

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MacDailyNews Take: Prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law!

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