Review - OnStar Guardian Crash Detection & Roadside Assistance app

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The name OnStar is probably familiar to a lot of us as a connected help button once only available inside General Motors cars. Launched in 1996, OnStar, was an innovative product that allowed GM vehicle users to instantly call for assistance while on the road and also allowed OnStar’s advisors to call First Responders in the event of a collision. Now OnStar has moved into the smartphone world with the release of their new app, Guardian.
Guardian has most of the features of the original OnStar system, with some added extras thanks to smartphone technology. 
In this review, I’ll look at what Guardian can do for you, what it can’t, the cost and whether I think it’s a good buy for you.

Here’s How It Works

Using the accelerometer and sensors in your smartphone, Guardian can detect if you’re in a moving vehicle (since you’ll be moving too quickly for you to be walking or running). 

Once it knows you’re on the go, it will monitor the motion of your phone for sudden stops, or high impact crashes.

When it comes to settig it up, You’ll sign up for an account using an email address and you’ll also be required to verify your phone number. It’s important to use a real legit number, since this is how emergency services will reach you in the event of a crash or other emergency. If you’re like me and always use a fake number… don’t.

You will also need to grant the app quite a bit of access two data including motion data, Fitness data, the microphone, location info and give permissions for notifications.

Enabling location permissions allows OnStar to find your phone’s location and contact First Responders, even if you can’t.

If you allow microphone permission, the OnStar advisor can speak directly to you, and OnStar says it doesn’t monitor your microphones at all times for your privacy - only when a problem is detected.
Mobile Crash Response

One of the cool and helpful features of having an app-based crash detection system is that’s not tied to your car is that it won’t matter if you’re driving or not. 

Once Guardian detects a collision, it will alert OnStar HQ, someone there will attempt to speak with you and if there’s no response, OnStar can contact and send First Responders. If you can talk to them, they can begin to assess the situation and they’ll help provide an appropriate response. You also have the option of reporting an accident you’re not directly involved in. I did not crash while testing this so I’ve got no video to play for you, but I thik you’ll get the idea of how this*should Work.

Since Not all vehicle incidents are crash-related, OnStar Guardian can help out with other car issues, The services include:
Lockout (Sending a locksmith)
Tire Change
Jump Start
Fuel Delivery
Towing

How many times per year you’re eligible for each of these services will depend on the plan you’ve chosen. You can also call a tow truck directly through the app, but it’s important to share that this will be at your own expense.

Family Coverage & Location Status
You can grant family members access to your OnStar subscription, meaning you don’t need to be the only one who has safety coverage.

You can invite your partner and children and using the Location Status feature also has the added benefit of allowing family members to share their location and see it on a live map, to let you know when they’ve arrived safely.

You can also see the battery life status of their phones. This feature might be less popular with your teenager but could be handy when you’re out for the day and separated, letting the other person know where you are.

You might be wondering What happens if I have no cell service?

Not surprisingly, a cellular signal, GPS signal, and sufficient battery life on your phone are required for the app to operate properly. The app will actually send you push notifications letting you know when you’re on or off the grid.

A couple other caveats: The app will not detect all crashes—for example, if your vehicle is parked for an extended period of time; the vehicle must be me moving at a sufficient speed (approximately 25 miles per hour/40km/h) for a certain amount of time (approximately 10 seconds) before it can begin to detect a crash event. 

If a crash is detected, the app can connect a call from an OnStar advisor automatically on Android smartphones only; all other devices require you to answer the call.

Let’s get to the price .

OnStar Guardian app runs $15CAD/month.

Overall, this is probably one of the first things I’ve reviewed where I never really got to use it—and that’s a good thing. While I did get popups telling me Guardian was along for the ride and keeping an eye, we didn’t have any collisions or road trouble so I’ve not needed to use it yet. I’ve got an extended subscription though so I will keep using it and report back if I do get any hands-on experience.