OnStar’s new app will use smartphones to detect a crash

General Motors’ OnStar division can tell a thousand tales of sending help at the right moment for drivers, but now the big blue button is going mobile.

OnStar said on Wednesday it will roll out OnStar Guardian as a smartphone app for those with active subscriptions. With it, you — and seven of your family or friends — can take OnStar’s suite of services wherever you go.

The app has four services: Mobile Crash Response, Roadside Assistance, Emergency Services and Location Status.

The first feature is quite useful since it works with a smartphone’s sensors to detect a crash. Even if you’re a passenger in a vehicle without OnStar, the Guardian mobile app can alert OnStar to a crash and tell an advisor to contact emergency services. For those running Android, it will automatically connect you to an OnStar advisor.

Roadside Assistance does just as it sounds. Anyone with the Guardian app can request assistance, even if the vehicle doesn’t have an active subscription. Emergency Services will connect you with an advisor who can provide medical instructions, alert 911 and remain on the line until additional help arrives.

Location Status follows other apps that let family members and friends share their location right in the app. Should someone decide to head out, they can easily share their location so family members can see their whereabouts. The user and up to seven other people can access this function, too.

To assist with the app’s rollout, OnStar will provide the mobile services complimentary for six months. The offer is good for current OnStar users who redeem the offer by July 31. OnStar currently starts at $14.99 per month.