We’ve all had the experience of having someone ask where we are, only for us to be unable to reply because we’re behind the wheel. It’s best to stay safe and keep your hands on the wheel, but that could mean leaving people guessing about your whereabouts for long periods of time. Chevy just may have a fix for that with a new feature introduced to its myChevrolet mobile app.
In a recent update to the app, Chevy has added a feature called Vehicle Locate that is designed to ease any of the worries of your friends and family when you’re on the road. Instead of pulling out your phone to tell everyone where you are, the app can send an automated text alert to the important people in your life. That message will let them know when you’ve gotten into your car and have left a specific area or have arrived at a designated destination. Owners can also use the feature to find the exact location of their car at any given time, making it easy to locate the vehicle, even in a crowded, endless parking lot.
The feature serves as a replacement for Chevy’s Family Link service, which only worked on the web. Vehicle locate will work on mobile, so you can check in with your loved ones no matter where you are. Users can create boundary areas as wide as 20 minutes in any direction. Any time the car enters or leaves that area, an alert will go out to up to 10 people. To make sure those people actually want to get those notifications, Chevy has set up the alert system to require recipients to opt-in.
“At Chevrolet, we aim to make our drivers’ lives easier through smart and purposeful technologies,” said Alejandra Gonzalez, product manager, Remote Services, Chevrolet. “Vehicle Locate provides both drivers and their loved ones with peace of mind in a variety of different drive-related scenarios.”
Chevy envisions the new Vehicle Locate feature will add peace of mind to just about any situation, from a long-distance commuter who has family waiting at home, to parents waiting up late for their teens to return home, to daters who want their friends to know where they are just in case. The feature works well with aftermarket accessories like a dash cam. Vehicle Locate will be available to owners of eligible Chevrolet vehicles from 2012 or newer as part of the company’s remote access plan.
