Startup automaker Rivian is fully committed that Apple CarPlay is not the future. The executive team is so resolute on this matter that a native home-brewed solution has been developed to give consumers capabilities they’ve been requesting.
At the automaker’s Autonomy and AI day in Palo Alto, California on Thursday, Rivian unveiled Rivian Assistant, which is the automaker’s solution to bringing text messaging capabilities, and so much more, to its vehicles natively. The feature is set to launch in a phased rollout early in 2026 for both the first- and second-generation R1 and will be on the R2 when it launches in 2026.
Rivian Assistant is a voice-activated system that can control the entire vehicle with full integration of AI, though Rivian hasn’t said which AI system is doing the lifting on the back end. This new feature will enable the text messaging capabilities, but takes things far beyond just texting.
The system will be able to send text messages via voice commands and read incoming text messages as well. But it will also have an on-screen element, which displays the message, whether incoming or outgoing, on the screen for visual confirmation of what’s being said, with is a component Apple CarPlay lacks today.
Rivian Assistant will be able to integrate with third-party systems, like Google Calendar, and bring those components into the vehicle’s native navigation system or even have the system make changes to those applications, like move an appointment on a Google Calendar.
The goal of all this is to “get people off their phones,” a Rivian spokesperson told The Drive.
Users will be able to say “can you navigate to my next appointment,” or “what’s on my calendar” or ask the system to send a text message with the ability to see said message via a dialog on the screen.
“This is not phone mirroring, this is next-gen stuff,” a Rivian spokesperson told The Drive.
Because the assistant is vehicle-based, things that used to take multiple taps and swipes on today’s system via the touchscreen will now be done via a voice command like simply saying, “make all the seats toasty except mine.”
“We are moving past this point where the way we interact with our apps is screen based. We are moving to a context-based future,” a Rivian spokesperson told The Drive when asked why this voice-based system is better than phone mirroring such as Apple CarPlay.
Robby DeGraff, AutoPacific’s manager of product and consumer insights, told The Drive, “Familiarity is key reason why having Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is such a make-it-or-break-it for consumers. We’re glued to our phones and tablets all day, have consequently become comfortable and dependent on their operating systems, and want to retain that familiarity and ease on the go when we’re behind the wheel.”
“If more automakers can mirror that level of pain-free intuitiveness in their software and infotainment’s operating systems, then I think we’ll see more consumers begin to open to the idea of stepping out of their comfort zone and overlook having routine Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity in their vehicle. The approach and alternative has to be executed flawlessly, it can’t be half-baked,” DeGraff said.
Rivian Assistant will make use of the vehicle’s data connection and be part of the automaker’s Connect+ data package, which costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 annually after a free 60-day trial.
Rivian said the third-party agent integration will be added “a little later” after the initial phased rollout of Rivian Assistant in early 2026.
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Rivian Leapfrogs Apple CarPlay With Native Texting Interface and Rivian Assistant
Rivian Sidesteps Apple CarPlay With Native Texting Interface and Rivian Assistant
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