GM Authority has learned that General Motors is officially discontinuing its OnStar phone feature, otherwise known as Hands-Free Calling, or HFC. The feature was first made available in the late ‘90s, making it the first built-in calling features provided by an automaker on the market.
For those who may be unaware, the Hands-Free Calling OnStar phone feature is a separate system from the Bluetooth-based smartphone hands-free calling system. Operated primarily via voice recognition and/or the central infotainment screen, the system enables phone calls without the need of a separate cell phone. Users purchase minutes through OnStar, and each vehicle is assigned a unique phone number, enabling both outbound and inbound calls.
Initially, the OnStar phone feature was a unique offering, and because it hit the market prior to the proliferation of cell phones (way before there was even such a thing as smartphones), it was definitely ahead of its time. But now, with the majority of customers already owning a Bluetooth-equipped smartphone that can connect to just about any modern infotainment system, the OnStar HFC system is more or less obsolete.
“We routinely evaluate our services to provide the best experience for our members,” General Motors’ Advanced Technology Communications, OnStar and Connectivity representative, Stephanie Lang told GM Authority. “In this spirit, we have decided to discontinue HFC for MY20 and newer vehicles. Members can use Bluetooth pairing, or Apple CarPlay and Android Auto projection, to make phone calls while keeping their hands on the wheel.”
That said, a particular subset of people – particularly those who don’t own a cell phone – may not like the departure of the OnStar phone Hands-Free Calling feature. That said, the amount of people who don’t own at least some kind of a cell phone, be it a traditional mobile device or a smartphone, is dwindling every day.
It’ll be interesting to see which legacy OnStar features will be phased out next. Turn-by-turn navigation seems like one possibility, given most smartphones come equipped with similar capabilities… but at this point, that’s mere speculation.
Update: Ms. Lang has informed us that Hands Free Calling will remain active for members with model year 2019 or older vehicles, and that these members will still be able to buy HFC minutes.
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Comments
OnStars loved ones have been called and are gathered around the bed…. The plug will be pulled soon….
Ii will miss this feature as I do use it . Much easier to push a button and say the number or just a word like “home” .Plus my I phone is old and the cost of a new one is Tooo much.!!!
Thats bad news. Especially when I just bought a new 2020 silverado. with a payment plan ending 7/13/21. Would have been better to be upfront about the situation then to lead me and probably thousands of others. Sader then that they were aware of the ending july of 2019
A feature I never used. As long as the emergency and telematics functions remain I’m fine with this
Believe it or not, even though we are in our early 30s and have modern smart phones, my wife and I have actually used this call feature on a couple occasions as “emergency” communication. It worked when a cellphone had no reception. It was rare, but it was a nice backup to have when she needed to call me for something less than a true emergency that on-star help would handle, but important none the less. I assume it was almost never used as a whole though by most customers, so it only makes business sense to drop it.
We seniors use it because it was easier for to use our voices than our hands especially if you have a illness like I do. Cancer.
Never used it and will never miss it. My phone is more useful.
Not for seniors who find that the cell phone is a little complicated when you are in your car. Voice is the easiest way to go.
In our area, signal is spotty and weak. A full power boosted phone was a great selling point. It will be missed in rural areas!
Turn by turn is not necessary either, especially when the implementation on our phones is so much better. I’ve had umpteen GM cards in the last 15-20yrs with On Star, never, ever used it *except* for the remote start via my phone feature. Much to my (and my wife’s) dismay, they have eliminated that as a free feature. Now they want you to pay $12-15/mo for that + navigation. Sorry On Star, not going to do it. If it was say $5/mo just for remote start we might be talking. But there is no way I’m going to pay $15/mo for a feature I might used 2-3x a month (obviously more in the winter to warm up the car)
t to have a backup should i need it, or should I lose cell signal. I honestly cant say I’ve used this feature a lot (about 5 times for a total of maybe 25 minutes) but it’s great to have.
I sure hope T by T nav isnt going away. Like I mentioned, I have a smartphone, but sometimes it’s a lot easier to just push a button and tell someone where you want to go instead of having to put all the information into your phone via the center screen or the phone itself.
I would love to know if this is another one of GMs cost cutting measures….just like not making the seatbelts adjustable in the new Silverado.
What happens to the service on a 2014 Impala????? Will it still be usable in in 2020 and future????
We asked about this, but so far haven’t received an answer.
However, it is my understanding, unconfirmed by GM, that the service will continue working… it’s just not being sold/bundled on new 2020 or newer vehicles.
Update: just got word that Hands Free Calling will remain active for members with model year 2019 or older vehicles, and that these members will still be able to buy HFC minutes.
Article updated accordingly. Thanks for your patience 🙂
So… my OnStar Guidance plan will be cheaper then since I’ll lose 30 Hands-Free Calling minutes per month correct? 😉
Only if you buy a MY2020 vehicle or newer, all My2019 or older vehicles will retain hands free calling.
Chris – long chat with dealer who sold me a 2020 Chevy Traverse and I only found out about the loss of the Hands Free Calling feature as we did the welcome call. His research netted the fact that GM discontinued the HFC feature in some 2019 models. They set a budget for it, and when the numbers were reached, that was it. It would be good if someone else would find out if what I was told is correct.
GM/OnStar HFC – The HFC feature is the BEST reliable source that I gladly pay for! This is why I purchase GM vehicles. Cell phones are not as reliable. When a person is driving, there are always issues on connections / phone calls with smart phones. PLEASE, please rethink your decision to discontinue HFC. With laws prohibiting holding cell phones in one’s hand, the HFC feature is the most safest hands-free call while driving.
Not meaning to jump on the dis On Star wagon, it will seem that way.
Many things affect cell phone service when the phone is inside of a moving vehicle. The main reason the On Star “phone” seems more reliable is the outside antenna. Back in the bad old days of analog stupid cell phones (normally termed mobile phones) an outside mounted antenna was required, unless you wanted to pull over to talk on your phone.
The On Star phone in my 2011 Silverado was pretty decent, even included a directory memory in the on board system and excellent voice recognition. However my 2014 SS was sub-par in the On Star phone area. The Bluetooth connection had a much better interface for making and placing HFCs. In the last 2 years there has been no occasion to use the On Star HFC.
The car mounted unit is 5 watts output vs. 0.5 for a portable cell phone. That plus the outside antenna should give better coverage. But coverage also depends upon the cell carrier.
The power difference was a big factor in the analog days. The latest info from “How stuff works” is that On Star uses 3 watts vs a newer cell phone’s 0.6 watts. However the digital system used now negates the signal strength issue for the most part. The basic rule seems to be it either connects or it does not. The difference in range can come down to mere feet in most cases when using transmitted power as the comparison.
Having an antenna outside, away from all the signal blocking materials, and having a ground plane, is still the primary factor. Granted, ground planes and arcane things like “full wave” and “quarter wave” antennas are not as important when the 800 and 1900 system of frequencies are used they still play a part.
This is correct, a weBoost Drive signal booster or similar product will work just as well as OnStar… if not a bit better.
“…a particular subset of people – particularly those who don’t own a cell phone – may not like the departure of the OnStar phone Hands-Free Calling feature…” wait, that means there are people who don’t own a cell phone that likely have a car new enough for OnStar? Really?
Yes, really.
The age of one’s vehicle doesn’t have a direct correlation to the age of one’s phone, or the presence of a phone, for that matter.
And the hands free calling systems in vehicles go way back to around 2003, right after the signal conversion. So yes, a lot of GM cars equipped with OnStar can make calls via the hands free calling feature.
Amanda, 3 of my vehicles have on star capbility, but I don`t own a smart phone.
My situation as well.
They should at least have an Obama free phone no?
After having 4 On Star cars since 2011 I just pulled the plug on all On Star services. Inexplicably on June 29 the service would no longer connect either by phone or internet. AT&T phones work for calls and ‘net access just fine, but I had to drive 35 to 50 miles for On Star to work. I had kept it for the last 2 years mainly for the unlimited data. I was going to cancel XM in favor of the streaming music apps built in to the NOX.
As my smart phone works just fine for navigation duties getting along without On Star is working out A-OK.
Agree with most everyone above. I’m a huge fan of Onstar and still have it active on my Buick, but I never even used the free minutes on my phone. No loss on this IMO.
I have found on my hunting trips in the west that a wilson electronics cell signal booster works wonders in remote areas. If you rely on OnStar HFC you might want to try this. As a last resort you could could use a Delorme Inreach satellite phone. I believe they have a “for emergency service only” package available. I rented a unit on an above timberline hunt in Colorado in case of emergency or if I needed to call a packer if I was successful. Didn’t need to use it.
I’ve never used their on star, I don’t have a smart phone, nor do I intend on getting one. My old flip phone works just fine,(when there is a signal), for my hands free, I believe it goes through Blue Tooth, so I’m assuming that’s still a go. I don’t use their sirius music either, preferring my own. I`ve been a GM fan for many many years, however, If GM keeps on deciding what I `should`like, then when the time comes for a newer truck, I`ll look elsewhere.
Another bad Corp. action. On Star Get out of your meetings/office and use an old GM engineering action. When an issue occurs get the real facts. “See” —“Smell” —- “Feel” the issue/problem and determine what the real world facts are. This was an guideline we used way back in the 1950’s
Sadly when contacting On Star about the sudden loss of service in my area they ignored the information with which I was providing. Instead the many people I talked to relied on the standard prompts shown on the “customer complaint/issue” screens. Which lead them to state that it was the Equinox was a fault. Something dispelled at the dealership.
Thus after 8 years I am no longer an On Star customer.
OR notify us via the total info you have on us phone, email, snail mail etc. and ask US what WE think since we’re the PAYING customers instead of relying on a bunch of 6 or 7 figure salary big wigs sitting around a table! Makes sense to me, but what do I know?
My radio works well linked to my phone as it will do HFC, Texting and even read a text to me and I never have to toch my phone.
the coverage for Cell is pretty extensive now as few areas are not covered nor are many people with out a phone able to use bluetooth anymore.
Odds are the number of subscribers are just so low it is not worth covering anymore.
I wonder what it actually cost GM to keep that feature in our cars since we had to purchase minutes if we wanted to make use of it?
I owned two Buick regals. I do not think it’s a good idea to discontinue !! One of GMs advantages was On Star & having a second phone. I liked having another number for an emergency and in case my cell phone died. I used the emergency service a few times as well. I also liked the ease of pressing a button and talking with someone from On Star. Lastly , the easy way directions were directed onto your screen from an onstar executive was awesome !! I preferred that to the navigational system. I think GM is making another big mistake !!!
It figures, OnStar has been as reliable AS MY 2017 Acadia Denali. I have owned/Leased GM and had OnStar on all seven of my vehicles. And yes, the phone feature is not used very much, however neither is the Sun/Moon/Sky roof feature which GM charges a fortune for. I have used the phone approximately a dozen times when there was no cell service/signal available. I have not used my spare tire either, however it is sure nice to have in case of an emergency. Hopefully OnjStar will still offer it as an option in a package. As for my use of OnStar, it has been a total disaster. Incorrect information, no information, Customer Service offers no help, and the Supervisors could not care less. I keep OnStar for only one reason and that is to summon medical help or a police emergency. Other than that, save your money.
Nice to know I’m not the Lone Ranger when it comes to the Customer Lack of Service.
I didn’t use it often but it was great to have when I left my phone at home. May discontinue my Onstar subscription.
NO phone no onstar they can go to that hot place down bellow!
Do not have, use, or want a smart phone. I don’t answer the phone at home unless it shows someone I may or may not want to talk to, so I will miss the OnStar phone service if I did need to use it. It was one of my main reasons not to have a smart phone so no one could get hold of me. Don’t call me. If I want to talk to you I will call you.
What is OnStarvreally worth? I got an email today saying my credit card was charged approx $20. I think that’s monthly. I’m inclined to drop it. I’ve driven my C7 7,500 over two years. I live in a gated community and it’s garaged. I think I’m stupid for having this. v
I had Onstar installed in 2012 on my 2011 Kia Sorento. Some of the features didn’t work and I didn’t use the hands free calling because I have Bluetooth. However I loved using Onstar for their turn by turn navigation. I recently called Onstar because my navigation stopped working and they told me “Oh we’re sorry but stopped our services on non GM vehicles.” No letter, no email, nothing. Sad way to treat a customer after 7 years.
Always pay for the minimum number of minutes. Nice to have for a “just in case”.
This is irritating but if you truely need minutes on a phone that will get out anywhere and everywhere being a true s.o.s line purchase a satellite phone. Then get some prepaid minutes for emergency use.
When I travel in November of every year, I go to an area with little or no cell phone coverage. I can’t even get text messages on my hand-held phone let alone make a phone call. Amazingly, my Onstar phone in my truck always seems to get a signal strong enough to use. Glad my truck is a 2016 so I won’t lose this capability. Yes, the minutes are expensive, but it’s peace of mind when travelling to areas where the Onstar phone may be the only “phone” that can make a call.
So GM just helped me decide not to buy GM after reading this and I’m 10O% serious. I’m looking at a new SUV for sometime soon. And I won’t buy a car that doesn’t have OnStar and all it’s features on it after using it for several years.
I use this cal feature frequently – don’t want to lose it.
I found on one or two occasions the Volt onboard phone could make a call when my smartphone couldn’t.
This Is beyond All Stupid things that a Major Company can get Away With? For 14 We have utilized Hands Free Calling Feature in Our GMC Envoy Denali and Love the Service in All States Especially California!! I am going to Dealer
Now and hope that The Repair to Hands Free will not be Met with Oh? This option is No Longer Available thru GM OnStar Service!! Ridiculous Mistake??
We were about to leave with our brand new 2020 Chevy Traverse from the dealer when the Onstar welcome call informed us there is no longer HFC available. We live and do business in an area where there is little to sketchy cell service so Onstar in our 5 vehicles is vital to our communications. It was the whole reason we bought the vehicle and the dealer did not know that HFC was taken away in 2020 models.
Nothing we can do but take a hit and try to trade our vehicle in for a 2019 if we can. Whose stupid decision was this? People who don’t realize how huge our country is and that some parts of the US will never have cell service because the topography will not allow for it…and that’s where we need Chevy and GM trucks and 4WD vehicles with HFC because no cell service works in the hills.
From Canada, I being a car guy knowing about this ridiculous decision from G M for several month’s decided to have my dealer do a search for a 2019 Buick Regal Sport back GS. I wanted the phone also and does it ever work good, can use the touch pad or just push the button on the steering wheel. I was going to order a 2020. I have been a G M customer for over 50 years and I do not understand how and the hell they managed to stay in business with all the bone head decision’s they have made like stop building sedan’s. My self I do not want another pickup or SUV all the foreign co. are doing well with cars. Hope thing’s work out for you .Barry
Agree with you Barry and Clutterbug, believe this is a poor decision and one that we customers are noticing. I myself used the phone feature during a hurricane to reach loved ones when cell phone connectivity did not work. It’s also one of the reasons I keep OnStar active (get 30min monthly). Another option that might work is having an OnStar data plan and enabling WiFi calling on your cell phone. That way when cell phone it out of tower reach it uses your OnStar data plan, assuming vehicle still have connectivity.
@DannyC, , @ Barry, thanks for the kind words!
I had wondered if enabling the Wifi in the car would allow the phone to work in an area out of reach of a cell tower, namely, my very own driveway. I did try it yesterday with success. But how well that will work in the hilly areas we live and work where cell towers basically are non existent or don’t have a very far reach, only time will tell. I am still really bummed and I will write a letter to GM/Chevy. We are loyal GM/Chevy customers for over a decade and currently have 5 of their vehicles. Pffffffft to brand loyalty!
Clutterbug-
For how many decades have we been paying a service charge on our regular landline phones that supposedly was to bring service to areas of our country where they didn’t have any or where it was very sketchy? Now there are still parts of this country they don’t have cell service? Where is all that money going then because we’re still being charged every month on the landline phone as far as I can see.
@Fastdriver. I’m assuming the bigwigs are getting all that money….since where I live in rural Ont my cell phone service is VERY sketchy, and I can’t even get real hi speed internet!!! Ticks me off royally! Those are both services I need,& I’m PAYING for!
I think you’re probably right because I highly doubt that our Onstar package dollar amount was decreased by this elimination . Of course, their prices constantly change so it’s very difficult to tell if prices went down.
I don’t know about Ontario but I do know in the United States there’s a charge on our phone bill every month supposedly for rural areas that don’t have cell service or Internet service. The charges are supposedly to supply the services to those areas! I have seen people post here that even in this country there is still a lack of this service and we have been making those payments on our monthly phone bill for decades and decades and decades! I think it’s time I call the FCC to inquire exactly what this entails.
To add insult to injury, there is a added charge on my phone bill for rural service….and I LIVE in rural! Gouge the consumer, like everything else.
Sad, isn’t it? I bet you’ve been paying for it for decades also? Maybe you should call your local phone company and ask them what’s up and see if they have a logical answer.
@Fastdriver, lol….I’m with Bell….logical answer? What pray tell is logic??! They tell me, ‘oh we are in the process up changing the old lines to Fibre in your area..’…Then I hear they are upgrading in the Maritimes….obviously they need a course on geography! But hey, my land line,internet fees just went up $6 a mos each…….
@REDD ROSE-
First off is Bell the same as ATT? Before ATT abandoned Connecticut they were upgrading the lines to fiber optic and they tried to get the other cable companies around here to help pay for this and they refused even though they would’ve been using those same fiber optic lines so I guess ATT said screw you and they left Connecticut. We ended up with FRONTIER!🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ The only thing ATT left in Connecticut was cell phone service which I still have with them from day one actually, it started with SNET telephone company that was in Connecticut for over 125 years then it became Cingular I believe then ATT came in and bought everything up and then they left and now we have Frontier.😢😢
@Fastdriver, As far as I know all, or at least the majority of the phone lines are owned by Bell. At least in my area anyways. A person has the option of going with another company,however they are still using the old bell lines. (A friend of mine had a huge disagreement with Bell, & has gone with several other companies since, still the same lousy lack of line service). And the old lines are wearing out (for the lack of a better term). When my mother had her phone installed a year ago she had to wait while they sent in a special crew to run a new line from the Bell station in the nearest town,because none of the other lines in the cable were good anymore!! When I asked the technician why they didn’t change all the lines in that cable, he said that would make too much sense….Meanwhile the lines may or may not be compatible with any new equipment I might upgrade to! Smoke signals might be a tad tricky in windy weather, but there are times when I’m seriously thinking about courrier pigeons!!!!
@ Fastdriver…a healthy year+ later I just saw your comment. Yep. no cell service where we are. The topography prevents it.
And landlines are being taken away. Go figure!
Hi Dan I have been a G M customer since my first car (new( when I was 18 I am 73 have had lot of new car’s,since and let me tell you I could write a book on some of my ill experiences. I do not use the WiFi. I am having trouble with my USB music they have replaced the radio and ports now they tell me it my fault it worked great on our 2015 Caddy ATS coupe and it works great on our 2019 Vette G S . It will work just fine for a while then it will say ( no devise found) Well I am a car guy and sadly they are a pain in the rear end! So good luck to you and yours!. And merry Christmas from Canada. Barry.
Barry,
You need to find a young car enthusiast to help you figure that out with your USB music! I find a lot of times when you call in with issues like that, the people who are supposed to help you don’t know a whole lot. And then there’s the issue of every device being different.
Best wishes!
Clutterbug
My mother is 77 years old and has never owned a mobile phone, heck she had a rotary phone up until almost 1990.
At least with hands free calling in her Malibu I know she can call for help with her heart condition.
The OnStar equipment does LTE data so there is absolutely no reason to not include VoLTE service on the same chips.
I had a long chat with the dealer who sold me the car. He said, when he is demo’ing Onstar to prospective buyers, the hands free incoming Onstar calls feature works, but it doesn’t work once you sign up for Onstar.
He agreed with me the technology is still there, and it can be turned back on. In the meantime he is working with his GM field rep and an Onstar field rep…but we are up against a big corporation who has decided this hands free calling minutes and an Onstar number exclusive to your vehicle is not a good revenue stream.
I was at the local Chevrolet dealer on Monday and spoke to a sales person about this, he was unaware the Hands Free Calling feature was being discontinued from OnStar service for MY2020.
So make sure to ask about this and time you talk to a sales person, and perhaps this will get back to GM that it was a bad idea.
Just purchased my 4th Chevrolet SUV, the 2020 Equinox. Wasn’t informed that Onstar had discontinued hands free calling. Tried for 4 hours to get it working. Set up a service call, the mechanic and sales person tried to no avail. Contacted Onstar customer support. At that time I was informed it was discontinued in the 2020 models. I want my 2014 Equinox back. I can answer calls but can’t use voice response to make one. I am 71 so trying to dial while driving is out of the question. PLEASE BRING HANDS FREE CALLING BACK!!!!
This was very sneaky of GM – a lot of dealers didn’t read their bulletins and didn’t know either. I am sorry this happened to you too!
My car is a 2010 Buick. It has no Bluetooth capability, so I can’t do hands free calls from my cell phone. Purchasing minutes on this plan is the only hands free option. I know there’s no plan to discontinue it, but I hope they don’t change that at some point.
We used Hands-Free-Calling quite a bit on our GM vehicles. Quite unhappy when it was dropped and thinking of dropping OnStar as a service. Gets a bit expensive when used on two vehicles. Drop the turn-by-turn navigation and it will definitely be bye bye to OnStar. You guys are killing yourselves. Thinking of looking at other manufactures in 2021.
I’m with you on that. Unfortunately it is doubtful that GM is even looking at this website. Perhaps we should be writing to them directly.
I have a 2019 GMC Sierra and did not find out OnStar was not available until after signing all the paperwork. We have had it in the last 6 GM vehicles we’ve owned. I used it occasionally but I really valued it as a backup and for emergency’s. It’s still labeled as “Hands Free Calling” in the infotainment system – to funny…. I wish GM would bring it back.
No, David, I am in Canada in Sept. I purchased 2019 Buick, All 2019 GM vehicles still have the on stare H F service when I got my car the phone did not work ( I think they disabled the feature un some 19’s) So I have good honest dealer so they contacted what is called York Co. that fix and install all and anything (fix) anything on GM products elecrontic Well, they fixed my phone service and it works great hands-free or touch screen! Your dealer is screwing you around or just dumb, go to another dealer or call the 800 # for GM customer service! PS I also have it on my 2019 Corvette.
Hi Barry,
Are you referring to hands free calling where you literally can speak hands free, or are you speaking about tying a specifically given Onstar phone number to the vehicle?
I can sync my cell phone to the car and talk hands free, but Onstar has taken away from most 19’s and all 20’s the ability to give you a specific Onstar number that ties to your car. So what that means for me in our rural area is that I can no longer reliably get ahold of the driver of the vehicle, because cell service is very spotty due to topography.
Having an Onstar number took that problem away, and made us very loyal to the GMC brand.
Now they took it away.
And when I talked to my dealer – he said, the capability to tie an Onstar number to a specific vehicle is still built into the cars – GMC is just not turning it on anymore and offering that service.
So all that blah blah blah to say, there is a difference between Hands Free Calling – i.e., syncing a cellphone to the car and talking through the speakers
VS
Taking away the ability to give you a phone number for your car.
Hope that makes sense
No did you not understand what I said? Hands-free On Star calling. Unless it’s different in Canada which I doubt because as a rule, GM treats us CDN’s like second class citizens. I told you it did not work when I got the Buick on Sept 13/19 it did not work they got an appointment and had it fixed for me it works great! Your dealer is screwing you over 2019 car still have it! Nothing to do with sinking your cell phone. All 2020 do not have it and if my car did not have I would not subscribe to on star!
Was just told that i needed to have paired phone in the car for voice recognition to even speak at all. I see no need to have speech recognition at all if phone needs to be present. That means no voice assistance at all for navigation, radio control etc. Spoiled another good thing,
I have had car phones since 1988 and I prefer them to bluetooth. It is true that you needed a second phone to carry on you but the car phone was far superior. Once Bluetooth was introduced, I specifically went back to Cadillac since that was the only brand that featured onstar with handsfree calling. In 2013 I decided to switch over to Lincoln and for the first time I had to rely on bluetooth. My issues were as follows. There were certain times my phone would not pair, there were times, the contacts would nto download, there were times thjat the bluetooth connection would be lost during a call, I always had to have my smartphone on me to use the “Car” phone, the smartphone always had to be charged, the smartphone had to be functional, you needed to make sure you always had a charging cord, and the signal was poor due to the antenna being inside the smartphoen instead of externally onthe car. For privacy (when the car is parked and children or other adults are in the car) you woudl ahve to search for your smartphone and push a privacy button or simply deactivate bluetooth. WHen the car is moving it is dangerous because you invariably start looking for your smartphone in your pocket for privacy. I havegone through two more cars now hoping the system, woudl improve. I now have a 2020 Continental and the system has not improved. I planned on trading the vehicle in for a Cadillac for the sole purpose of having Onstar Hansfree calling again . I am veryh dissapointed that it is being discontinued. WIth the Onstar or any built in car phone, the phone is always there, charged and ready to use, It is connected to the external antenna adn as a result there is a much better signal. There are no connection issues adn the contacts do not have to always download. If you have a smartphone with bluetooth connected and the phone is not charged, you plug it in to the port but you have to wait for it to power up. Most people will start to drive anyway before this happens. If you get into an accident, good luck. There are no safety features available because your smart phonedid nto charge yet. What happens if the charging wire no longer works or your child borroed it?
What happens if you forget yoru phone at home? What happens if your phone simply stops functioning? YOU ARE LOST!
My idea would be to use the cloning technology which is available with an apple watch.
All of the car phoen software would be built into the system. I would also include a handset in the armrest for privacy just like the original models, this handset woudl only work when the car is not moving or moving less than 5MPH,
You woudl simply enter the phone number of yoru smartphone into the system and the system would capture it. You would now always have the phoen connected, ready to use and connected to the external antenna. You would not need your smartphone to operate it. THis would revolutionize the industry.
I like your thinking. I’m still irked that the whole Onstar feature was taken away. I’m holding on to my older model Yukon, because I don’t want to give up the convenience of having a dedicated onstar phone.
I would consider buying a new GM vehicle – in fact, 3 of them, for the 3 older models we have…with dedicated Onstar phone numbers. Where we live its so rural, we need to have satellite phones.
I found a way to get to GM for the discontinuation of the phone feature on OnStar. I traded both of my GM cars for a Chrysler and a Jeep. If you don’t listen to your loyal customers, you will lose them. Would love to have the satelite phone, but now any car will give me the same thing I can get with a GM product.
I like that Anthony. We always went with GM because the Onstar feature was vital to the operation of our business. Now they can’t deliver that and when it’s time to change vehicles (in total we own 6 GM vehicles), other car manufacturers are definitely going to be looked at because of their short sighted move.
So no more asking on star what the diagnosis is when the check engine light comes on?
I don’t know any other service that can tell me exactly why my check engine light is on..
which has came up on a couple Buick’s and Chevy impala…
Saved my butt a few times when the Machanic would tell me it was something completely different
The OnStar support services still work as normal, it’s just now you can’t buy minutes to call anyone when you don’t have your cellphone working for whatever reason.
GMC letting go of very good feature.many customers used hands free calling.maybe Ford will pick this up.sorry gmc,you dropping the ball.
I have a 2010 Buick Lucerne. It doesn’t have Bluetooth capabilities, so I’m glad to hear 2019 and older vehicles still can buy minutes. Hopefully that remains the case.
@Jerry Bee
We have older Chevy and GMC dating back to 2007 and we still can buy minutes with no problem!
Really don’t understand why the powers that be took this feature away.
Onstar changed the plan and removed hands free calling i have a 2015 chevy Malibu i thought 2015 are still going to have it but it doesn’t show in my plan so is it gone
Call and ask. I have a 2007 Chevy with FMV mirror that was added after market and I can still buy hands free minutes for that. Same with my 2015 Yukon and our 2016 Sierras…worth a shot to get a rep on the phone and ask.
How do i buy minutes for a 2015 Chevy malibu
Call them and ask
Just purchased a Chevy 2021 Arcadia and found out that we no longer can get hands free calls. Very disappointed, use it all the time. Many places where I live have no cell phone coverage. Much easier and safer to push a button than look down at your cell phone. Sure wish you would bring it back
If you sync the phone to your car via bluetooth it will work through Onstar and your calls can be handsfree- but the phone service itself doesn’t come from Onstar – it comes from your phone. If you needed Onstar because it works everywhere (satellite), like I do, it’s a huge disappointment.
Cell service will never work where I am because the topography prevents transmission. Onstar was our answer.
Well you know what? It opens me up to considering other brands of trucks and cars now. It’s leveled the playing field.
I love having OnStar! I can’t believe they are really going to do away with this service. I hate cellphones and don’t want to have to have one . I feel safe with OnStar.
One of the reasons I bought Gm was because of the on star services. After purchasing my new 2021 silverado, I did not know it didn’t have the hands free dialing. I still had on used minutes on my old chevy and was informed after the fact that I could not get refunded for the minutes I already paid for. I think that was unfair to me since I’m no longer getting a service I paid for. I think GM should be responsible for repaying you back for un used service already paid for that can’t be reinstated in the newer models. I don’t know how you are getting away with that under the consumer protection act.
Onstar phone service is why I buy gmc or chevy. We have 2 gmc and our last 3 have been gmc/chevy. The irony is states are passing laws to get off your phones while driving so having Onstar and hfc is becoming more important. I do travel to areas with no service so having the phone in my vehicle that still work is worth paying for peace of mind…. Especially those of us in the back country.
You know what’s worse? They are now discontinuing the automatic loading of monthly minutes. So you have to go into your account manually and buy “packages” of minutes. It used to be seamless, I would set up all my vehicles on monthly minute packages.
To me this signals a clear message from them that they intend to get out from being a phone service provider. If we just lay down and take it, and don’t protest….and let them know that this now makes their vehicles equal to other brands – they don’t have something that sets them apart as a brand…and they’re going to lose customers as a result, then we can kiss our hands free Onstar goodbye.
After reading all these comments including mine. I think that GMC really needs to think of putting hands free calling back on for every vehicle they sell. Being it was why I bought my new 2021 silverado and found out it didn’t have hands free calling was very disappointing for that is one of the big reason I purched a new Silverado. First of all I think you should be told that when you buy the vehicle so people can make an honest choice if they buy GMC vehicles . It is wrong that they are told that they don’t have hands free calling after they bought the vehicle. It is your responsibility to inform the consumer of your changes that should be included in your advertising . I had looked at by a Dodge Ram an hour before buying my Silverado . Had I known that my Silverado didn’t have the hands free calling I might have bought the Dodge Ram . My son owns one and I really liked it. Thank you for not being honest with me when I purchased your truck. I don’t see why you can’t still gave the feature and leave it up to the customer to activate it or not. This will probably effect my decision in the future weather I buy a GMC or not.
When we bought our Traverse last year (we have 6 GMC/Chevy vehicles), it wasn’t until we were in the car with the dealer doing the Onstar welcome call that we found out it had been discontinued and the dealer didn’t even know at that time. So they didn’t even tell their dealers.
Subsequently I have found out that the technology to have hands free calling is still in the vehicles, they are just not turning it on or supporting it.
If we lay down and “take” this type of false advertising and dishonesty and don’t tell GMC/Chevy what a disgrace and disappointment they are…, how will they know? We have to speak up and speak out.
What I want to know is why doesn’t GM/Chevy doesn’t reply to our complaints. Our complaints mean nothing , unless they reply. I think they have heard enough from unhappy buyers about the handsfree calling. And should make it available to all GM/CHEVY OWNERS. THATS WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS. Or does that not matter to them.
Wasn’t it W.C. Fields who said there is a new sucker born every minute? So they have lots of new suckers to buy lots of new GM Vehicles. When we did our welcome call with Onstar, the advisor said that many many people were unhappy.
Sometimes all it takes is the power of one persistent person. Keep sending in the complaints 🙂
We have been buying GM since 1994 and am not happy that they took the hands free calling away, used it many times in places where I had no cell phone service. Very disappointed that my new acadia does not have it, did not know that until it was too late. I had an emergency today and could have used it. Please give us back the hands free calling, much safer than messing around with a cell phone
I want my hands free calling back, another day that I needed to make a quick important call , out of habit went to reach for it, then remember I would have to dig my cell phone out of my purse and hook it up first. What a pain. My Acadia is only a couple of weeks old , ready to go back and get my traverse that had the hands free calling. Did not know that it was not available on new SUV until it was to late. Not a happy customer
Thank you for sharing indeed great looking !
Bring back hands free calling, have needed it several times, would not have bought new car if I had known it was gone. I feel like I was cheated
My 2009 GM..HFC is almost unusable as of late OS says the carrier Verizon is not to blame(scratch my back I scratch yours)….yeah right?! I liked having an alternate communication system in my vehicle and have many minutes accumulated…my problems started after the 3g retirement. My Verizon cell phone service 4g stinks three bars only as of late also…I do not doubt 5g has something to do with this lousy service….no one admits to anything OS tech in Michigan says I probably have a hardware issue, yeah right…I live in NYC and even have intermittent OS Emergency connections….and also dropouts with OS Advisors….time to disconnect, I guess…How many others involved? Time to straighten this disservice out and some refunding due….ya think….?????
I use the onstar phone to call my wife when she forgets her phone. Also veichele locate is used frequently. I hope these features will still be available. If they are not provided on new cars it may affect my purchase of my car next year. Is this service available on a Tesla.
This is not good, this is going to be a very dangerous situation for millions of people.
GM needs to fix this problem ASAP. Cutting off service to people with older model vehicles is criminal. If this plug in device can detect a crash and sent information to OnStar.
It’s obvious that this device can communicate with OnStar and OnStar advisers somebody’s not doing your job by allowing this same device to communicate turn by turn direction and access the emergency red button if someone were to need it. Something needs to be done GM what you’re doing is wrong you’re doing a disservice to millions and millions of people. We all know the technology is out there but for some reason you’re not willing to put it in to this device. Maybe you should explain why to all of us.
Hi Joseph!
The Onstar portion still works fine – they have cut off the hands free calling minutes and now you have to sync your cell phone to the vehicle in order to talk. So you are on your cell plan, not on Onstars plan.
The disadvantage to us was that we don’t have cell service where we are due to topography – it’s not possible. So we relied heavily on Onstars satellite phone service. Now that they took it away, it levels the playing field and takes away our loyalty to GM brand of vehicles. Sadly, those of us who valued this service are just considered collateral damage and it won’t make a difference to them.
Joseph, you are talking about the phone service right, I have the phone service in my 21019 Buick Regal I have been told by an OnStar adviser they are going to stop the service possibly In 2022!! When they do that I will be canceling my OnStar!!
Now Everone should know that 2919 was the last year for phone service!!
Right! They won’t cancel all the features of Onstar, just the handsfree calling minutes *provided through Onstar*.
Please don’t misunderstand me – I think it’s a bad business decision on their part. All the emergency features of Onstar will continue to work. Are you able to use your phone and sync it to your 2019 Buick Regal now? If so that feature will continue.
My 2010 Buick Lacrosse will not allow pairing of I-phone 12 pro or other newer phones. The dealer informed me that the only fix it to replace the entire radio/control center as the hardware in the vehicle no longer supports the new technology. This is effecting not only the Buick line but many other GM models including Corvettes, the full truck line and all of the on-star features. The cost was so high they didn’t even know how to price it or if it would actually provide a true fix as no one is doing it. I reached out to Buick (GM) and was told I was out of luck. Not a warranty, defective or GM issues. Very poor customer support!!! The fact that I now own an albatross that cannot provide the state mandated safety requirement for hands free cellular phone after only 10 years is ridicules at best. Why would I purchase another GM product ever when they are disposable product?
Did you have the GSM updated done back in 2016 when the CDMA was deprecated? I had that done on my 2010 Malibu and my 2019 Pixel 4 XL phone uses the same Bluetooth 5.0 of the iPhone 12, and I don’t have any issue with making calls using the hands free Bluetooth system.
Maybe it’s time that someone start a class action lawsuit against GM it’s just very suspicious that this company and all the technology in the world can’t figure out or won’t figure out a fix for what they’re doing and why should they even do what they’re doing
First of they she should have prepared you that they did not offer the telephone service they offered in the later models. One of the reasons I bought my new Silverado is because of the truck having its own phone number. As far as I. Ckncerened they mislead me . There should be a class action law suit. For one I list all the minutes I previously paid for on my other vehicle. They did not offer a refund for my minutes I already paid for. When I called they told me they didn’t offer the service anymore and that I could not get refunded for my lost minutes. That’s put theft in my books and the FCC should be investigating it.
but if you notice no one from GM management or the department that could truly fix the problem has ever sent a comment.
i really do think a class action lawsuit needs to be looked into. are there any attorneys in this on line chat?
I am a senior and the hands free calling was wonderful. Just learning how to use a smartphone is deficulty enough. Try calling while driving, impossible and not safe. In my 2014 equinox I could say the name and I was connected. This is my 4th Chevy in 15 years , will not be purchasing another one. This was a horrible move on Onstars part. No notice.
Please bring back the hands free calling next car will not be a chevy if you do not bring it back or a GM. Have needed the hands free many times lately.
I will not keep my OnStar! I can’t believe GM is making this move! It’s much safer to push a button to talk then hold a phone during driving! Not to mention be looking for a number or find a route. A way to stay in touch with my kids if they were using my car if they had any problems. What if my cell phone was left at home😭 what if my cell phone runs out of battery 😡 what if I lost my phone? All the what ifs would be covered with my HFC 😭😡 thanks GM😡 thought you “got me” (GM) guess not. Sincerely your OLD friend.
Thank you for your comments. I am a senior with cancer and it was easier to use my voice than my hands. If I went to the doctor and arrived home late I could contact my husband by voice to let him know that I was entering our driveway and he would open the gate without me leaving the car which was safer.
Hi Ericka – So I have a car that is set up in the “new” way, and several GMC vehicles that are set up in the old way. I was also one of the earlier posters (whiners) on this forum, so have been using the “new” way for over a year.
What Onstar took away was being able to purchase handsfree calling minutes and have a separate phone # for your vehicle. All the other wonderful Onstar features are still available.
Your cell phone will sync to your car – the newer models have in car built in wireless charging, and you use your cell phone to receive and make calls by pushing buttons on the steering wheel or display screen. They also want to sell you wi-fi connection so you can use wifi calling on your phone to get extended coverage. Tain’t the same as satellite phone coverage.
That all said, don’t misunderstand, I AM NOT a fan of this new way. I don’t want to drive in a rolling EMF cage with wifi turned on, and I live in a very rural area and the satellite connection is necessary because our local topography doesn’t lend itself to decent cell coverage – too many valleys where the signal doesn’t reach.
The satellite connection, as in my older cars, works great, and I’m not letting those vehicles go until this is phased out completely in 2022.
And also an important point – the ability to turn on the satellite coverage in the new cars is still in place – otherwise how would you be able to speak to an Onstar agent while on the road? What they are doing is getting themselves out of the “minutes” business – and will lose customers like you and me who were loyal to GMC because of this valuable feature. They’ve now leveled the playing field and made every other brand of vehicle with calling features a contender for our business.
You are so right. I purchased GM because of Onstar’s hands free calling. Will look at other vehicles with this feature. I am a senior with cancer and it was easier to use my voice than my hands.
Thanks for the warning … I have 6 minutes left … so pissed
I have over a thousand min going away on Jan 3, they can F O I am cancelling my OnStar!!!!!!!!!!
If you call OnStar they will extend your expiration date for you.
As of tonight I will lose over 1400 minutes. Do I get a refund for that?
As of tonight I will lose over 1400 minutes. Do I get a refund for that? You told me that I’ve already said that! Afraid to comment to the public about that?
Doubtful you’ll get a refund, but call into OnStar and they should extend the expiration date until AT&T shuts down the 3G Network.
No, they will not extend on-star phones! I called their US head quarter’s at the GM Tek center in Warren Mi. My next call will be to cancel my on-star!!
I just tried to get hands free calling minutes for my 2019 GMC Acadia and I was told that I can not buy them. I am very disappointed. I have used the hands-free call often.
We all need to start loudly letting GMC know this was a stupid decision and they are going to loose the part of the marketshare that chose GMC because of Onstar and the hands free (safe) calling feature. It’s leveled the playing field. Now I will look at other car manufacturers
What a mistake! That is awful and GM is going to feel this one. When GM retired non-digital analog OnStar as of 2007, they at least offered a digital conversion package for certain year models. Our 2004 Yukon XL Denali was converted and we paid a few hundred dollars to have it converted. They made it sound like that they picked up part of the cost, but it was nice of them to at least offer the conversion. And NOW OUR 2019 YUKON XL DENALI AND 2011 CHEV SUBURBAN LTZ HAS BEEN STRIPPED OF THIS FEATURE AFTER THE FACT! THAT’S JUST WRONG. It’s like buying a nice vehicle and the dealer one year later stripping the fancy nice 22 inch wheels and putting the basic steel wheels on without compensating you. Or better yet, taking the tires and wheels off altogether. I understand that it’s probably the big 5G/3G kick but 3G is nothing but a bunch of hype, a possible health hazard and it 5G does not transmit very far. GM should be offering a conversion package if 3G is the issue. For 40 years, we’ve been loyal GM owners and now this. We’re not happy and I feel like that the FTC should pick up the ball or someone move toward a class action movement.
If all we do is complain here, nothing is going to get changed. Remember the capacity to have hands free calling is still there, just turned off. And IDK if the older models (mine is 2015) will allow you to bluetooth your phone to the car, like the newer models do. So I’m waiting for my hands free calling ability and paid minutes to be taken away.
We can only make GM feel this in their pocketbook. Next time I’m car shopping – have to consider different brands, because by this move, they levelled the playing field. They no longer have a niche in the market.
and on another note – I have a 2016 GMC truck – they took SEVEN (7), yes SEVEN MONTHS to do some programming on their end before I could renew the Onstar plan on that truck. I think maybe time to look at other car manufacturers,
Here in Canada, I complained about losing the phone service so they gave me 3 months of free OnStar service! Big freaking deal when that run’s out I am canceling the OnStar and maybe putting the saving towards another cell phone!
Onstar was great for people who traveled. The range of the module was a lot better than any cell phone. Handheld cell phones are limited, by FCC regulations, to 0.6 watts output; Onstar was limited to 3 watts. That fact, and the fact the antenna was sticking up into the air on top of the vehicle made the range a heck of a lot further.
I could get onstar service in areas that a cell phone did not work.
I loved having this feature as an emergency back-up. There are still places that have little to no cell phone coverage. I kept on-star primarily for the HFC phone. When on-star cancelled the phone, I stopped using on-star. I would re-activate if they brought the feature back.
Onstar is not recommended for deaf and hard of hearing people. They can’t talk or hear voice on onstar gps. We need to type in address to guide us to pinpoint. Need to upgrade to serve deaf people. Thanks