Navigation, Do I Need On Star or Plan?

[Appleman88]

I have a 2022 GMC Yukon, and the 3 years of free On Star had expired a couple of months ago. I use the Google Navigation a lot. My question is, do we have to pay for the navigation service to work well. I noticed that after my free trial was over that the navigation would take a long time to get a signal. Worked flawlessly for 3 years. I spoke with onStar and I think he was saying that I need a on star plan for the navigation to work well so I renewed it but the navigation still wasn't working well and would take a long time to get a signal. I brought it to the dealer and they reboot and now it works well. The counter person said I don't need the plans for the navigation. Customer support is always an Indian with a strong accent and they say i need it. Can anyone answer of this is true it not.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

You must have a data plan for the infotainment system to use the built in apps. Imagine it just like your cell phone, no internet connection no maps, no apps for streaming, etc. The up side is, I think if you don't care about safety and security elements of OnStar, you can subscribe to the lowest cost "OnStar Connect" plan for $14.99 + Tax. For that you get all the apps active in your infotainment system, and can use the MyGMC app for remote commands. You do not get unlimited wifi hot spot or any safety features w/ this plan. But, if you think about it, the old nav systems was $160 for a map update disk, and you didn't get traffic, so this is similar pricing, with the added bonus of the remote commands on your app. It may be a bit cheaper (2 months free or so), if you subscribe annually.

Also, if you happen to be an ATT customer, you can get the service direct from them on your wireless plan, and I think it may be a bit cheaper ($10/month or something?). Not sure, I am Verizon. See here --> https://www.att.com/plans/connected-car/

Or, just use CarPlay/Android Auto and forget about the integrated Infotainment.

 

[Appleman88]

Thank you for the input. This helps a lot!

You must have a data plan for the infotainment system to use the built in apps. Imagine it just like your cell phone, no internet connection no maps, no apps for streaming, etc. The up side is, I think if you don't care about safety and security elements of OnStar, you can subscribe to the lowest cost "OnStar Connect" plan for $14.99 + Tax. For that you get all the apps active in your infotainment system, and can use the MyGMC app for remote commands. You do not get unlimited wifi hot spot or any safety features w/ this plan. But, if you think about it, the old nav systems was $160 for a map update disk, and you didn't get traffic, so this is similar pricing, with the added bonus of the remote commands on your app. It may be a bit cheaper (2 months free or so), if you subscribe annually.

Also, if you happen to be an ATT customer, you can get the service direct from them on your wireless plan, and I think it may be a bit cheaper ($10/month or something?). Not sure, I am Verizon. See here --> https://www.att.com/plans/connected-car/

Or, just use CarPlay/Android Auto and forget about the integrated Infotainment.

 

[nomech]

I am not sure that it is worth a new thread for a 25 HC, but I have a similar question.

My 1 year is coming up and I just assumed that the live traffic would stop functioning and that the navigation time (how long it will take (real time), traffic, etc... would just not be visible anymore. I could also start using car play and send my phone's navigation feed to the infotainment, but I have yet to try that and not sure how that would look compared to the stock map (I imagine the stock map is better).

Buying the lowest tier onstar app seems legit based on the points @WalleyeMikeIII brings up about paying for map updates and using the remote app for locking, monitoring, etc. Although, I do wish you could see current unlock/lock status through the app. I'd like to know if the doors are locked/unlocked. You could argue that it is just as easy to press lock if you aren't sure, but I have also seen it where you send a command and it fails to send and the app tells you to start the vehicle then try again.

The other question I had with the current navigation system, which is still updating because I do see the screen switch to red when there is heavy traffic, I've noticed some side streets are red/yellow but as I drive by those streets there is no traffic. I know the data is not real time, but some of these roads are only yellow/red during certain times of the day and on the map it seems like they are always yellow/red. I thought that was odd.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

@nomech The "Stock Map" is Google Maps, so you would get a very similar look if you use Google Maps on CarPlay.

You should see identical traffic info on Google Maps app on any other device as you do on it running on your infotainment system.

There is no locked/unlocked status in the app...odd, since they tell you oil life, mileage, etc. i suppose they figure it may be too many updates hitting the backend system if they uploaded every single lock/unlock of the vehicle. Think about number of locks/unlocks per day, times number of vehicles on the plan. That is a lot of data hitting a backend system somewhere that would need to get pushed out to users.

 

[Scarey]

I’ve found the onstar reps know very little. I do the bottom tier onstar service and everything I want is available, speed limit, traffic, google assistant, timely mapping. 2025 hc.

 

[tagexpcom]

My 2021 Yukon Denali does not need OnStar for the navigation to work. Neither does our 2011 Cadillac CTS. We bought our used in Aug 2023 and navigation worked normally. Later we added OnStar but haven't noticed any improvements. There may be some advantages? but we haven't discovered any difference.

Overall - we use iPhone / google maps -> Apple Car play for most of our navigation because we explore remote campsites often and GMC navigation does not recognize most of them - even with OnStar.

 

[tagexpcom]

I’ve found the onstar reps know very little. I do the bottom tier onstar service and everything I want is available, speed limit, traffic, google assistant, timely mapping. 2025 hc.

We did OnStar mainly for the 'car WiFi' with data plan - thinking we could do high-speed youtubes etc while driving and have remote access when camping but... it's problematic/doesn't work a lot of the time and not at all in most remote areas - e.g. overall it's disappointing. We'll be discontinuing OnStar at some point like we have on all our GM/GMC vehicles over the years.

 

[nomech]

@nomech The "Stock Map" is Google Maps, so you would get a very similar look if you use Google Maps on CarPlay.

You should see identical traffic info on Google Maps app on any other device as you do on it running on your infotainment system.

There is no locked/unlocked status in the app...odd, since they tell you oil life, mileage, etc. i suppose they figure it may be too many updates hitting the backend system if they uploaded every single lock/unlock of the vehicle. Think about number of locks/unlocks per day, times number of vehicles on the plan. That is a lot of data hitting a backend system somewhere that would need to get pushed out to users.

Maybe I need to test apple car play, I was referring to the look and feel. The stock map takes the entire infotainment screen, does apple car play do the same? I just assumed it would be a smaller windows inside the infotainment screen.

For the lock/unlock, it might not be required to send all unlocks/locks, but maybe a button to see current status then it could check for the current status. Or I could just press lock.

 

[nomech]

My 2021 Yukon Denali does not need OnStar for the navigation to work. Neither does our 2011 Cadillac CTS. We bought our used in Aug 2023 and navigation worked normally. Later we added OnStar but haven't noticed any improvements. There may be some advantages? but we haven't discovered any difference.

Overall - we use iPhone / google maps -> Apple Car play for most of our navigation because we explore remote campsites often and GMC navigation does not recognize most of them - even with OnStar.

The navigation should still work, but I believe the traffic updates should stop. My 2020 had traffic data until the first year expired then navigation still worked (I never thought it would stop working) but live traffic data was gone. This is really not an issue, today, since phone navigation still works and it gives you real time arrival time and traffic info. Of course if you can send that screen to infotainment then that's even better (generally speaking).

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

The navigation should still work, but I believe the traffic updates should stop. My 2020 had traffic data until the first year expired then navigation still worked (I never thought it would stop working) but live traffic data was gone. This is really not an issue, today, since phone navigation still works and it gives you real time arrival time and traffic info. Of course if you can send that screen to infotainment then that's even better (generally speaking).

2020 is a different system, the maps were onboard, only the traffic was a service (provided via SirrisXM, I believe).
2022 and later have an Android Based Infotainment System that Runs Google stuff, including Google Maps as the base navigation and mapping system.

Maybe I need to test apple car play, I was referring to the look and feel. The stock map takes the entire infotainment screen, does apple car play do the same? I just assumed it would be a smaller windows inside the infotainment screen.

For the lock/unlock, it might not be required to send all unlocks/locks, but maybe a button to see current status then it could check for the current status. Or I could just press lock.

You definitely should try, I am not sure how much of the screen is allocated to CarPlay in a 2025 w/ the larger screen, vs the native map. It may be smaller, but will it be sufficient? Only you know for sure.

 

[tagexpcom]

Maybe I need to test apple car play, I was referring to the look and feel. The stock map takes the entire infotainment screen, does apple car play do the same? I just assumed it would be a smaller windows inside the infotainment screen.

Yes, apple car play shows you're iPhone on the entire screen. You can select Google Maps, Saved Places, etc for navigation - and get 'live' traffic updates and re-routing suggestions thru this method. It also does voice etc. We tend to use this instead of GMC navigation as it has a greater range of remote destinations.

If a call comes in on the iPhone (or you initiate one) it will let you answer/speak while driving to talk to the person on the other end - which can be nice. Can replace "OnStar" in that regard as you can initiate/receive a call and talk/hear in the cabin, play a phone message, hands free while driving.

It also lets you select music and a couple of other apps on you're phone - but only a few. It's not 'complete' access to the phone apps.

Apple Car play initially let's you choose which iPhone as it can only do 1 phone at a time. But then at random intervals, seemingly every few hours, it will offer to connect to the 2nd iphone and you have to touch the screen to stop it. Not that bad but for the price of the car one can hope for better software / not sure why it does this.

 

[RST Dana]

Although I have a 21 HC, I added an ottocast box which allows me to download apps or use the included installed apps on my screen. TV, music, videos, all on the box. You can use hotspot from your phone or vehicle WiFi (monthly connection fee from your carrier) for the box. Good news, I can have the same information displayed on rear media screens and front screen IN MOTION.

 

[nomech]

Yes, apple car play shows you're iPhone on the entire screen. You can select Google Maps, Saved Places, etc for navigation - and get 'live' traffic updates and re-routing suggestions thru this method. It also does voice etc. We tend to use this instead of GMC navigation as it has a greater range of remote destinations.

If a call comes in on the iPhone (or you initiate one) it will let you answer/speak while driving to talk to the person on the other end - which can be nice. Can replace "OnStar" in that regard as you can initiate/receive a call and talk/hear in the cabin, play a phone message, hands free while driving.

It also lets you select music and a couple of other apps on you're phone - but only a few. It's not 'complete' access to the phone apps.

Apple Car play initially let's you choose which iPhone as it can only do 1 phone at a time. But then at random intervals, seemingly every few hours, it will offer to connect to the 2nd iphone and you have to touch the screen to stop it. Not that bad but for the price of the car one can hope for better software / not sure why it does this.

GM plans to drop CarPlay, Android Auto for all cars in favor of voice-activated system

Sterling Anderson, GM's VP of global product and chief product officer, said GM’s software is quickly surpassing that of handheld devices.

www.usatoday.com

I don't understand this move. Unless GM does something great with their in house infotainment, but my gut tells me it will be subscription based. "If you want all features of infotainment, you need to subscribe to x package."

For example, as we are discussing, if you don't renew onstar and lose some traffic/real time arrival time for navigation, just switch to using apple car play. Or maybe you (generally speaking) were already using car play and never relied on the GM navigation.

 

[tagexpcom]

We've tried the OnStar + Wifi/data route - including navigation - with our 2021 Yukon. And perhaps in a solid metropolitan setting or latest GMC models it's better, but for us, we go places such as the hi dessert (Southern Oregon, Northern Nevada) and the only way we've found to navigate via the rig is by downloading Google Maps / using Apple Car play with iPhone + Starlink Wifi at campsite. OnStar/wifi doesn't work reliably even on interstates much less remotely where it doesn't work at all.

The latest iPhones now have a 'direct Satellite' mode for basic texts (think emergency call for assistance) and we carry Starlink - so again, not sure OnStar is the way to go. So I'm sorry to say that OnStar just isn't working for us in these remote areas the way we'd hoped.

 

[BigdawgR6]

We've tried the OnStar + Wifi/data route - including navigation - with our 2021 Yukon. And perhaps in a solid metropolitan setting or latest GMC models it's better, but for us, we go places such as the hi dessert (Southern Oregon, Northern Nevada) and the only way we've found to navigate via the rig is by downloading Google Maps / using Apple Car play with iPhone + Starlink Wifi at campsite. OnStar/wifi doesn't work reliably even on interstates much less remotely where it doesn't work at all.

The latest iPhones now have a 'direct Satellite' mode for basic texts (think emergency call for assistance) and we carry Starlink - so again, not sure OnStar is the way to go. So I'm sorry to say that OnStar just isn't working for us in these remote areas the way we'd hoped.

This is a special case scenario as you'd have to be close to an ATT tower to get the full benefits. It looks like you use your rig mostly for traveling in the dessert where Onstar services might not be beneficial. However my question is, should you need to contact Onstar for emergency services, does the communication go out via satellite connection? I know when I've talked to Onstar, a few times the sound quality was so bad even though I had good cellular connection.

Of course you could do the same with the latest iphones.

 

[tagexpcom]

This is a special case scenario as you'd have to be close to an ATT tower to get the full benefits. It looks like you use your rig mostly for traveling in the dessert where Onstar services might not be beneficial.

Agreed and that's (initially) why we went full OnStar - just to have more options as from the old days (2004), I was thinking they were still satellite and would work in remote (non cellular) areas.

However my question is, should you need to contact Onstar for emergency services, does the communication go out via satellite connection?

My question as well - but never got an answer.

I know when I've talked to Onstar, a few times the sound quality was so bad even though I had good cellular connection.

Agree with this - from the way it behaves, it seems like they are on cellular networks instead of satellite? Have not tried to initiate an emergency connection via OnStar when there's no cellular.

Of course you could do the same with the latest iphones.

Yes, this latest 'iphone satellite' capability works in that I was successful sending / receiving a few texts with a family member in town but you have to orient phone to the satellite / hold it and a text back and forth took a minute or 2 rather than the normal 'instant' texting one does.

I'd be interested if someone can shed more light - following this thread with interest