General Motors and Amazon announced plans to introduce the OnStar Guardian skill for Amazon Alexa. This new feature will provide voice-enabled connections to emergency-certified OnStar advisors at home through compatible Alexa devices.
The OnStar Guardian skill for Amazon Alexa is part of the OnStar Guardian platform, which aims to help keep people safe no matter where they are located. Once the new feature is enabled, members can reach OnStar's advisors by saying, "Alexa, call for help," during crisis situations, such as house fires, medical emergencies, break-ins and more.
"We're excited to work with General Motors to introduce the OnStar Guardian skill to customers," said Beatrice Geoffrin, director, Amazon Alexa. "This hands-free Alexa skill makes it easy for customers to get help from OnStar's Emergency-Certified Advisors when they need it. We hope this feature helps give families greater peace of mind throughout their day-to-day lives at home."
General Motors and Amazon Alexa have already teamed up to offer built-in features in GM vehicles. After initial set up, GM customers can: stream news, music and books; stay up to date on health and safety information; confirm Amazon package delivery status; add items to their shopping list or Whole Foods cart; find nearby restaurants — including those that deliver to their home; request directions and destinations, get them sent to your vehicle's navigation system (if equipped); hands-free calling and messaging and in car control of smart home devices.
OnStar plans run from $24.99 to $49.99 a month based on the features. The lowest tier option includes the built-in Alexa feature.
The OnStar system was initially founded in 1995 and has remained a leader in driving automotive innovation through digital communication.
OnStar is a collaboration between GM, Electronic Data Systems, and Hughes Electronics Corporation. The service has over 6 million customers.
The OnStar Guardian skill for Amazon Alexa will initially be available to select OnStar members, with the intent to broadly roll out the service, beginning in 2022, to anyone in the United States with a compatible, in-home Alexa-enabled device – an Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Show.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
