cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

GM doesn’t know or care how to update 2G to 5G

Jchasta
New Contributor

You’ve GOT to be kidding me!!! GM’s answer to updating is to provide an app for your phone???  Are they that backwards or are they waiting for the gov’t to provide them funding to perform this? It’s not like it happened overnight, they’ve had plenty of time to figure this out.  For goodness sake, everybody else has either provided an automated update or sent a replacement chip!!!  If it’s difficult to install, send the freakin parts to the dealer and send out notices.  This installing an app is not acceptable!!

And by the way, some people don’t have an android or iPhone for an app!!!  I have an older relative who has a flip phone (sigh) and will no longer have the Onstar service available to them!!!

Negligent and lazy. Calling it like I see it!!

55 REPLIES 55

We certainly understand your frustrations regarding the sunset of 2G network services which is impacting OnStar Services. We do encourage our Members affected by the sunset of these services to download the OnStar Guardian App. The Guardian App ensures that you maintain access to crucial safety features such as: 

 

• Emergency Services
• Crisis Assist
• Roadside Assistance
• Mobile Crash Response
• Location Status
 

If you would like additional details regarding the sunset of the 2G network, please visit: https://www.onstar.com/us/en/support/2g-network-sunset. 

JasonDog3
New Contributor III

I started a petition to get GM to fix this. It has over 500 supporters now!  This is a matter of GM honoring their loyal customers and, more importantly, PUBLIC SAFETY!  Here it is: https://chng.it/XmcQdNtr

KurtM
New Contributor III

But Advisor_Makayla, the OnStar Guardian App doesn't do a thing about addressing our loss of:

  • Stolen Vehicle Assistance
  • Turn-by-Turn Navigation
  • Remote Key Fob

This is what we are most upset about.  Other corporations all around the world have addressed this by providing hardware and connectivity upgrades for their 2G-dependent customers.  Why is GM giving us a collective shrug about our concerns and not providing an ability to retain the features we desire most and depend on (see my list above)?

It's like if GM were a pizzeria and had dedicated customers flocking to it for over a decade because of their acclaimed cheese & meat-lovers pizza.  Suddenly the pizzeria declares that due to entirely foreseeable circumstances that they decided not to act upon, their most loyal, longtime customers can no longer order the cheese & meat-lovers pizza -- it is no longer available to them. Those longtime customers, confused because they see newer customers walking out the door with piping hot, cheese & meat-lovers pizzas in their hands, ask "but wait, what are you doing for your longtime customers that have been buying your pizza for over a decade?".  Imagine the look on their faces as you say "We're very sorry for the inconvenience and we certainly understand your frustration, but here is a very nice pizza with sauce, no cheese, and black olives that we think you will enjoy just a much!"

That's what you are saying and offering to us.  Frankly, after enjoying your incredible cheese & meat-lovers pizza for so many years, when I open the pizza box you are handing me and see a pizza with no cheese and a sprinkling of black olives -- I'm likely going to throw it straight in the trash bin in the kitchen.

ddavis78
New Contributor III

That's right. To heck with the loyal customers, they are just going for newer vehicle buyers. Our longtime commitment to them means nothing. Totally unacceptable.

Guy
New Contributor III

For KurtM, Re: cheese & meat-lover's pizza: *STANDING OVATION*

BamaAeiou
New Contributor

I agree I would pay for my upgrade; however, I called the Chevy dealer to check and the young fella who took the call in the service dept. Said he had no idea and would call me back.  
LoL, no call back yet! 

BamaAeiou
New Contributor

Call us or get in touch through an ap. So they can send someone out??

I think the service they want to leave us with is about equal to AAA service and it is just $70/year. 

Global408
New Contributor

My issue is that my OnStar button which connected me to someone fast in an emergency is gone...I had to get a new phone to get the Guardian app, because it wasn't available on my other smartphone...I have heart issues, and I've lost my peace of mind...I wrote OnStar about this, and they blamed it on the FCC....it ticks me off to know there is a fix for this, they just don't want to to it for us like they did for Canada.

 

ljschoepke
Contributor

GM/OnStar has no consideration for customer safety or loyalty anymore. 

kykingdom
New Contributor II

Searching for information regarding the 2G/3G network sunset's impact on OnStar's services easily brings up information on the upgrade that was available for Canadian customers and while I'm in no way saying it's acceptable that GM provided those customers upgrades and aren't doing the same for their US customer base, you have to understand why GM's hand was slightly more forced in this situation.  The upgrade for Canadian customers occured when Telus Mobility, which was OnStar's partner for services in Canada, decided to sunset its 2G network in early 2017.  At the time of the announcement in 2014, 2G CDMA service was the communication standard used by OnStar in all North American vehicles.  Why, four years after LTE and 4G services were introduced they were lagging two generations behind using 2G is just testament to the slow mechanics of inking business deals, creating new products, finding suppliers and intergrating systems of the automotive industry.  In fact, GM/OnStar never had a module that used 3G service as far as I know.  By 2015, GM finally started installing new communications modules fitted with 4G/LTE modules with the new partnership with AT&T and continuing one with Telus.  The problem in Canada was that already, when some cars hadn't even been sold off dealership lots and a vast majority were still under warranty, there was already a set date on the horizon where a key selling point was no longer going to be operational.  While obvious that the US would not be far behind in doing the same, it wasn't until well after Telus had already shut down 2G services that Verizon, OnStar's then partner for coverage, announced in 2018 its planned shutdown dates for 2G and 3G service.

So here's where you have to be slightly more understanding of OnStar's position in trying to mitigate the cell networks rapid transistioning.  First, Canada is a much smaller customer base and they were caught with their pants down (so to speak) a lot quicker by Telus's announcement when they had just barely begun to offer 4G capabale vehicles on the market.  It was a bit easier logistically and definitely more imperative that they offer a solution to upgrade these vehicles at the time.  Compared to the US market, which has several million more customers which would innundate dealerships looking to upgrade communications modules while in a post-CoVID world with a recent/ongoing chip shortage and other supply issues to mitigate and the logistics of facilitating such an exchange becomes daunting if not impossible.  So, that's the basics of OnStar's position and why creating a rather unconnected, unintelligent Guardian app seemed like the best solution.  It's understandable, albeit unforgiveable.

I don't know what the numbers are specifically, a quick Google search shows that worldwide in 2017, OnStar had 7 million subscribers.  I would assume that the vast majority of those are in the US, but some of those may simply have the included services that were granted to them when they purchased a vehicle and they don't even use or realize they have them.  So let's take away those people and say you have maybe 1.5 million people that actually subscribe to services that have a pre-2015 MY vehicle, just a rough estimate.  I would think that is a pretty significant loss of revenue, not to mention damage to GM's reputation to let customers with cars that aren't even 10 years old lose access to something that many of us have become dependent on.  I mean, even if you don't subscribe to services, do you realize that your clock won't be able to automatically update the time anymore?  Oh my God!  What kind of world were we living in where you had to set your own clock?!  It's nothing short of medieval anarchy, lol!  Yes, a good portion of us, myself included, are whining about the fact we can't use our phones and Alexa to start our cars for us anymore.  You were the ones that gave us the platform to have these first world problems GM!  I will never forget though, four months after buying my vehicle and maybe the fact I had the convenience subconciously made me a bit unattentive that morning, but I went to Cedar Point with some friends.  At the end of the day, we walked out into the parking lot, I'm pushing the unlock/lock on my key fob, looking for my car lights to flash when I got close... nothing.  I walked around for nearly 10 minutes before finally thinking, "use your app."  I pulled out my phone, pressed the alarm button in the app, I finally saw and heard my car, nearly 200 feet away, totally not where I remembered leaving it, but I was able to find my car in seconds because I had the convenience of OnStar and I've subscribed to it for at least the connected services ever since, for over 7 years now.  I would think that GM could at the very least find a solution to those of us who have grown to love and rely on OnStar's added value and not suffer the subscriber hit and potential loss of a loyal customer base of over a million people.  I just don't think the logistics of making an option beyond a useless app available to us is really that impossible and definitely not worth the hit to the company financially.  I know they may be thinking with vehicles aging into their 8th year that we'll just upgrade, but my Cruze only has 82,000 miles on it... you made your cars to last beyond that (thankfully), so you're not gonna get us out of the vehicles we love just yet by just leaving us out in the cold.  You do, however, risk losing many potential loyal customers when the time comes for us to think about purchasing a new vehicle.