This article looks at the development of the new OnStar App! OnStar has recently announced that they are seeking developers for their new app which will allow customers to access their OnStar services through their Smartphones or tablet computer.
OnStar is prepared to integrate with the digital age! The company is looking to enhance its services by integrating them with the popularity of smartphones and apps. OnStar has announced that they will be giving select developers a chance to develop new apps for OnStar services.
Of course the security involved with merging OnStar services with a smartphone app can cause concern for some customers. But OnStar has made sure that the security issues will not be a problem by employing many different security techniques for the new apps.
OnStar services use OnStar’s Advanced Telematics Operating System, or ATOMS, to function as they do. ATOMS is one of the most powerful systems of its kind that are available and is able to connect to as many as six million customers. The new apps for OnStar will use the same ATOMS system to deliver the services through the phone or tablet computer.
Linda Marshall, President of OnStar, recently spoke about the functionality of the new apps. “Research shows that the amount of mobile applications for the Android and iOS platforms is likely to double in the next 12 months,” she said. “Customer demand is driving a new marketplace for a variety of automotive applications. With this step we believe we can broaden our portfolio, grow our business and enable our customers to achieve additional functionality from their vehicle using their computer, smartphone, tablet or other devices.”
Before considering the development of the app, OnStar did its research to find out what specific OnStar services are most important to customers. They found that most customers rank emergency and security services as their top OnStar priority. The next highest ranking services were navigation, vehicle information, and diagnostics. OnStar plans to utilize this information in the development of the new app, and they are also considering future apps with a more customized user interface, in which the customer may decide which services are most important to them and prioritize them within the app.
“We want to give people 1,001 reasons to keep their OnStar subscription active,” said Eric Litt, chief information officer, OnStar. “We feel that opening up our proprietary API to developers will ensure that OnStar continues to keep customers connected in ways they never thought possible.”
As we’ve blogged about here before, the first new partner that OnStar will work with in app form is RelayRides, a car sharing marketplace where people can rent out spare vehicles. RelayRides holds an exclusive partnership with GM and GM is hoping to use that partnership to utilitize this new app function from OnStar. They expect to be able to let customers use RelayRides to rent out OnStar equipped vehicles, and then allow the person renting to access the rented vehicle through the OnStar app.
“Through our work with OnStar, we are jointly defining the cutting edge of smart mobility,” said RelayRides founder and Chief Community Officer Shelby Clark. “With access to the OnStar API, carsharing has never been safer or more convenient. We are looking forward to rolling out the program in early 2012.”OnStar hopes to get the new app up and running as soon as possible, but right now they are still searching for developers.
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