GM opens its OnStar Guardian service up to anyone with a smartphone

Cadillac’s OnStar was one of the first in-car services to offer safety monitoring, turn-by-turn navigation and other safety features when introduced to Cadillacs way back in 1996. Now, 25 years later, it’s still trucking along, better than ever, and, according to an announcement by GM on Wednesday, it’s available to anyone with a cell phone — not just GM owners.

Now, when I say “anyone with a cell phone,” I mean anyone with a cell phone in the US and Canada, but still, even I with my unreliable 51-year-old German barge could benefit from OnStar. These are heady times we live in, folks.

The new app-based OnStar Guardian was initially unveiled last year, but at that time, it was still a part of the GM ecosystem. Now, the app is available to anyone and provides valuable services like crash response, location status, roadside assistance and other emergency services.

The OnStar Guardian app is available for both Android and iPhone, and prices range from $14.99 per month for the most basic plan up to $49.99 per month for the Premium plan. You can also pay a yearly fee for the Premium plan ($549.99) at a small discount.

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