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Does hands-off cell phone usage die with your OnStar subscription?

4.7K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  Patman  
#1 ·
Reason I ask is because when trying to program in a cell phone, that gal locked up in my radio kept on mentioning OnStar. My dealer assured me, using this feature has nothing to do with OnStar and strictly between my cell phone company and me for usage charges.

Owners manual states to contact your cell phone company to learn if your cell phone is compatible with the Cruze system or not. Felt like an idiot asking that question, how are they suppose to know if any of their phones are compatible with whatever those Cruze software guys came up with? But asked anyway, and knew exactly the answer they gave me. We don't know, check with your Cruze people, they designed this system.

Did have a slight feeling, needed a cell phone with Bluetooth capability, another weird name for wireless, but wireless is a negative word, could just call it RF for radio frequency like we use to when we were sane. Key point is that the cell phone finds that gal locked up in your radio box, not the other way around.

Tried three different brands of phones to learn if it would copy the contact list, no luck. But have a strong feeling will only do that with an "I" type phone. Love that, Jobs uses "I", Gates uses "MY", but either applies to them and not the rest of us making them super rich. It's not my computer, but is Gates computer, just read your licensing agreement and have that told to you a zillion times. Got screwed by Jobs 23 years ago, told them they will be on my no-buy list forever, no way in **** am I going to buy an iphone or any other Apple product.

But learned the hard way, that directory can be installed manually, by only using verbal commands and knowing the number and the name of the person or place you want to contact. Except, the Cruze calls that "name tags", logic tells me it's the same as contacts that every cell phone in existence is using that word. Man do I have a language barrier, to me a name tag is something with your name on it that you pin to your chest.

First number I put in was my home land line number and when asked what to call it, replied "HOME", that gal locked up in that box said I can't call my home home, sounds too much like help, so I had to use some other name. So Sh!t is the new name for my home.

Ever work with software guys? I did and wonder what brand of crack they smoke. And talk about a messy desk and surroundings, and that is exactly what you get with their software.
 
#5 ·
This is what happens;

1. When you use your phone to make/receive calls, the signal and call goes through your phone. The only thing that happens is that the car takes over as the speaker/mic so that you can talk without having to hold the phone up to your ear.

2. When you use Onstar to call(You press the call button on your car instead of your phone), then you use Onstar, and your car itself as the signal that the call goes through. In which case, you have to buy pre-paid minutes from Onstar in order to then use them. Also, having grandparents with Caddies that have had Onstar for a while now. I can say that this is the first time that I have ever heard of syncing contacts. For their cars, you had to manually enter each contact one by one.
 
#6 ·
As far as I know, you have to manually enter the contacts. That's how the sales guy demonstrated it to me when he conducted the after purchase check out. I don't know if the OP is asking for help or not. I found the post a bit confusing, leaving me to guess a bit about what is going on. The rant against Apple muddied things up a bit.If the OP can give us the cell phone model that he is using, then someone else might be able to clue him in.
 
#7 ·
Shame on me for ranting, phones I have tried to load contacts with are a Motorzazr, LG Banter, and a Motorola Electrify. I believe the way to check it is to see if your contacts were loaded in the Directory, but that remains empty. Read in the owners manual, it should be automatic.

Actually not bad doing it manually, after doing it several times. Get to chat with that lady locked up in my radio, she even said, thank you.
 
#8 ·
Old thread I know but I just got my 2012 Cruze LTZ a few weeks ago and I have the same question this thread was titled: "Does hands-off cell phone usage die with your OnStar subscription?"

I never signed up for any trial of Onstar but the hands free calling does work so I don't know if the hands free calling will continue in case it is something that maybe the dealer set up a trial of Onstar.

So to rephrase the question...do I have to have an Onstar paid subscription to keep hands free calling working?
 
#9 ·
The hands free cell phone calling goes through the On-Star module behind the dash, but it is not dependent on an On-Star subscription. The actual Bluetooth receiver for this feature is embedded in the On-Star module.