OnStar members can now access select service safety features through their smartphone using the new OnStar Guardian app.
The app is available to OnStar members with active service plans in the U.S. and Canada, and expands the OnStar suite of safety services beyond GM vehicles, “whether they’re at home, out walking, or traveling in any vehicle, regardless of brand, age or ownership,” as stated in a recent press release. The app is also available for use by up to seven family members and friends.
Features of the OnStar Guardian app include Roadside Assistance, which is useful in the event of a flat tire, need of a jumpstart, or getting locked out, regardless of the vehicle. There’s also Emergency Services, which connects to trained advisors that can assess a situation, call 911, and provide medical instruction. Location status is also offered, allowing users to share their current location with family members. Finally, there’s Mobile Crash Response, which uses smartphone sensors to detect a crash and automatically alerts an Emergency-Certified OnStar advisor, who can then connect with first responders (only available on Android).
“While it’s time for people to get back out in the world, we want to help them feel safe,” said the head of OnStar Guardian, GM Global Innovation, Jeff Haase. “OnStar Guardian reimagines what it means to have OnStar protection – it’s no longer a technology that is solely tied to the vehicle. This app helps OnStar members and their loved ones be safe out there using the power of OnStar, no matter what vehicle they are in.”
OnStar Guardian is complimentary for members for up to six months. To activate it, members must redeem the offer by Friday, July 31st, 2020. Check the OnStar website for eligibility and to redeem the offer.
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This signals the end of built-in OnStar for GM vehicles. IMHO, OnStar will be not be installed in GM vehicles after 2023, replaced by this smartphone app. I also forecast OnStar LLC will be spun off by 2024, as OnStar’s sell-by date has long since come and gone. Just ask the Europeans what it is like to have Mother Motors abandon you.