| Q1. | What is Virtual Advisor? |
| A1. | OnStar Virtual Advisor makes driving time more enjoyable and productive. Using OnStar Hands-Free Calling minutes, Virtual Advisor delivers location-based weather, location-based traffic reports,* and stock quotes on the road. With the push of the white-dot or phone button and a few simple voice commands, you can browse preselected topics from your profile. You can set up your profile and manage your settings online at OnStar.com at MyOnStar. *Traffic service available in most major markets. |
| Q2. | What happened to the email feature within Virtual Advisor? |
| A2. | Due to OnStar's renewed focus on vehicle-related services, the email feature within OnStar Virtual Advisor* was discontinued in November 2004. |
| Q3. | Do I need a computer or the Internet to use Virtual Advisor? |
| A3. | No. You have two options when you enroll in the Virtual Advisor: You can go to MyOnStar to set up your personal profile, or you can use the default profile. |
| Q4. | Can I use Virtual Advisor if I have The America's Choice Plan with OnStar? |
| A4. | Subscribers to The America's Choice Plan with OnStar cannot use Virtual Advisor, with the exception of 2005 Cadillac owners, who can choose The America's Choice Plan with OnStar and still have access to Virtual Advisor for one year upon purchasing the vehicle new. |
| Q5. | Can I listen to my car audio system while using Virtual Advisor? |
| A5. | No. Virtual Advisor has been integrated into your audio system, so your stereo speakers are used to interact with Virtual Advisor. |
| Q6. | How do I use Virtual Advisor? |
| A6. | Push the white-dot or phone button and say "Virtual Advisor." You can use the following voice commands to go to each category: "Get my weather."
"Get my traffic."
"Get my stock quotes." You can stop the Virtual Advisor at any time by saying "Take a break" and then say "Come back" to resume. You can say "What are my choices?" or "Help" when you need help. If you need to speak to a live Advisor, just say "Customer care," and you will be connected to a live Advisor. |
| Q7. | Can I go from one category to another without finishing the previous category? |
| A7. | You can interrupt Virtual Advisor at any time, and say "Get my weather," for example, or "Get my stocks" to go to your desired category. |
| Q8. | Can I pause or stop Virtual Advisor? |
| A8. | Yes. Just say "Take a break" and the Virtual Advisor will pause. When you want to resume contact with the Virtual Advisor, say "Come back"; or it will automatically return after three minutes. To stop Virtual Advisor, say "Stop playing." |
| Q9. | How do I ask Virtual Advisor for help? |
| A9. | You can say "What are my choices?" or "Help" at any time to hear a list of available commands. |
| Q10. | How do I sign off from the Virtual Advisor? |
| A10. | When you have finished using Virtual Advisor, you can always say "Good-bye" and Virtual Advisor will sign off. Also, you may disconnect the Virtual Advisor just by pushing the white-dot or phone button. This action will immediately cancel the call. |
| Q11. | How much will I pay for having and using Virtual Advisor? |
| A11. | You must first subscribe to an OnStar plan. Then you you'll need to purchase a package of OnStar Hands-Free Calling minutes. These minutes count toward both OnStar Hands-Free Calling and Virtual Advisor usage. |
| Q12. | What do I do if I'm not sure what to do next while in Virtual Advisor? |
| A12. | You can say "What are my choices?" or "Help" when you need assistance. If you need to speak to an Advisor, just say "Customer care" and you'll be connected to a live Advisor. |
| Q13. | How do I control the volume of OnStar Hands-Free Calling and Virtual Advisor? |
| A13. | By adjusting the volume of your vehicle's entertainment system. Depending on your vehicle model, the volume controls are located on either your steering wheel or dashboard console. Please note: If you have both steering-wheel and dashboard console volume controls you must use steering-wheel volume control. If you have only dashboard volume control, use that. |
| Q14. | What voice commands do I need to know to use Virtual Advisor? |
| A14. | These Virtual Advisor commands will help you in any section: "Play the tutorial." "Play it again." "Get the first one." "Get the next one." "Get the previous one." "Get the last one." "Good-bye." "What are my choices?" Listen to the list of available commands or options. "Take a break." Pause Virtual Advisor. "Come back." "Stop playing." Interrupt Virtual Advisor any time you want. "Get my daily drive." Hear weather for today and tomorrow and the local five-mile traffic report,* both based on the vehicles current location. "Get my quick update." to hear a Wall Street Journal market update including the Dow, NASDAQ and stock updates. "Get MyOnStar summary." Hear all of your selected profile content without transitional phrases or prompts from Virtual Advisor. |
| Q15. | What should I do to make sure my voice commands are understood by Virtual Advisor? |
| A15. | When speaking to Virtual Advisor, speak in a natural, controlled, concise fashion. Use normal voice tones; there is no need for shouting. Virtual Advisor actually has a harder time understanding you when your voice is raised above normal in-vehicle speaking levels. Noise may confuse the speech recognition system.* You should get better performance in quieter conditions. Here are some tips: |
| Q16. | What is a Current Metro Area? |
| A16. | It's the major metropolitan area in which you are located at the time of your request. For example, if you are in Bloomfield Hills, MI when you push the white-dot or phone button to access Virtual Advisor, you will receive general traffic information for the entire Detroit metropolitan area. |
| Q17. | What is Local Traffic? |
| A17. | It's a report of traffic incidents within a 5-, 10-, or 15-mile radius of your vehicle. |
| Q18. | What is Metro Traffic? |
| A18. | A traffic report for the entire Metro Area in which you're currently driving. |
| Q19. | For which cities can I get traffic reports? |
| A19. | Currently, traffic information is available for 68 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., including:Albuquerque, NM
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Birmingham, AL
Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland, OH
Colorado Springs, CO
Columbus, OH
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Dayton, OH
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Fort Myers, FL
Fresno, CA
Grand Rapids, MI
Greensboro, NC
Greenville, SC
Harrisburg, PA
Hartford, CT
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Jacksonville, FL
Kansas City, MO
Las Vegas, NV
Long Island, NY
Los Angeles, CA
Louisville, KY
Memphis, TN | Miami, FL
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Nashville, TN
New York, NY
Norfolk, VA
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha, NE
Orlando, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
Providence, RI
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
Rochester, NY
Sacramento, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio, TX
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
Spokane, WA
St. Louis, MO
Syracuse, NY
Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL
Tucson,AZ
Washington, DC
West Palm Beach, FL
Westchester County, NY
Wilkes-Barre, PA |
|
| Q20. | What is Metro Area From List? |
| A20. | An offering of traffic reports from currently-available markets, which could include a different area than the one in which you're driving. |
| Q21. | Will Traffic reports be made available in more cities? |
| A21. | Currently, traffic information is available in 68 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. As traffic information becomes available in additional locations, we will alert subscribers in those areas. |
| Q22. | Which cities will be next to get Traffic? |
| A22. | We are going to expand the service rapidly and will be adding in new cities frequently. We ask you visit the Web site frequently as many new services will be announced there. You will also be notified of new city updates when you are using Virtual Advisor. |
| Q23. | If I set up a Traffic Profile for my city and then drive out of my Metro Area, can I get any real-time Traffic Report assistance? |
| A23. | If the OnStar Traffic service is available in the city you are visiting, you can use simple voice commands to access the Metro Area Traffic Report or you may soon be able to ask for Local Traffic based on your location and service availability. |
| Q24. | What are Personal Traffic Reports? |
| A24. | You select roads within one or more market areas to make up your primary, secondary, or alternate traffic route. You will use a map to select roads on your most frequently traveled routes. |
| Q25. | How many Personal Traffic Reports can I set up? |
| A25. | You may create up to three reports (Primary, Secondary, and Alternate) in your Traffic Profile. |
| Q26. | Is my Traffic Profile secure? Can anybody else access it? |
| A26. | When logged in to MyOnStar, pages are SSL-encrypted; so only you can see your Personal Traffic Reports. |
| Q27. | Can I choose reporting options for each of my Personal Traffic Routes? |
| A27. | Yes. You can select all incidents, construction only, or accidents and other delays. |
| Q28. | What types of traffic incidents will be reported? |
| A28. | Delays and holdups due to construction (projects/repairs), accidents, or other related problems. |
| Q29. | Can I get an instant traffic update for wherever my vehicle is? |
| A29. | Yes. One of the benefits of having the OnStar Traffic service is that we can identify the location of your vehicle and deliver the traffic information that's pertinent to your specific location.* *Calls to Virtual Advisor are charged in the same manner and at the same rate as calls using OnStar Hands-Free Calling. Available in most markets. OnStar voice recognition system may not work with some voices. Traffic service available in most major markets. |
| Q30. | How often are Traffic Reports updated? |
| A30. | We provide real-time updates for OnStar Traffic any time there is a change with a reported incident. Changes include updates, new incidents, and when an incident or construction is no longer a problem. |
| Q31. | Will my OnStar Advisor be able to help me? |
| A31. | No. Traffic updates and conditions are currently not part of the Advisor service. |
| Q32. | My other Virtual Advisor services have online capabilities. Why can't I check Traffic Reports online? |
| A32. | Virtual Advisor Traffic service is designed to deliver up-to-date traffic conditions to you while you are driving. Because traffic conditions can change frequently, we've focused on delivering information to you while you're on the road. There is no plan to display traffic conditions online at this time. |
| Q33. | I didn't set up a Traffic Profile yet. Why do I automatically have one? |
| A33. | Each subscriber is given a default profile in Virtual Advisor when he or she begins using OnStar Hands-Free Calling. There are certain items within Virtual Advisor that are automatically selected for you as part of this default profile. You will continue to receive this default until you access your Virtual Advisor profile by dragging your mouse over Virtual Advisor at the top of your screen and clicking Profile. Then, simply customize the items in your profile to your preference by following the instructions on each page. |
| Q34. | Is my Traffic Profile automatically updated once I've edited it? |
| A34. | No. Make sure you hit the Save Changes button once you're satisfied with the changes you've made. |
| Q35. | Which roads can I select? |
| A35. | All the gray roads are selectable. Some smaller roads are displayed for reference only, rather than selection. |
| Q36. | How do I designate multiple roads? |
| A36. | Click and drag your preferred roads or point and click on them. Once you have selected your roads, click Update Map. |
| Q37. | How do I move to another metro area to select more roads? |
| A37. | Use the drop-down menu above the map on the Personal Report Choices page. |
| Q38. | Is there a limit to the length of a personal route? |
| A38. | No, but the route may include a maximum of 100 roads. |
| Q39. | How do I remove roads after I've selected them? |
| A39. | Use the Clear All button to remove all of them. Click and drag to delete individual choices or click the road, then click Deselect Roads. |
| Q40. | If I delete a personal route can I get it back? |
| A40. | You cannot automatically recover the route that you deleted, but you can re-create it at any time. |
| Q41. | How do I clear all roads from a route? |
| A41. | Click on the Clear All link. |
| Q42. | How do I see more detail on the map? |
| A42. | Use the Map Tools to the right of the map:- Select — Click to select roads one at a time for your traffic report, or click and drag
- to select multiple roads
- Deselect — Click to remove roads one at a time from your traffic report, or click and
- drag to remove multiple roads all at once
- Zoom-in — Click to zoom in one level to see in greater detail
- Center — Click to re-center the map, or click and drag to move across the map.
|
| Q43. | What are those arrows surrounding the map? |
| A43. | They are tools to help you view different areas of the map. Click on the one that's pointing in the direction you want to explore. |
| Q44. | Why can't I select any road? |
| A44. | Either you're not zoomed in close enough, or you've selected the maximum number of roads. Also, only highways and major roads are selectable. In most cases, you will not be able to select a residential road. |
| Q45. | What happens if my Traffic Profile is no longer relevant? Am I locked in once I set one up? |
| A45. | No. You can change or delete your Traffic Profile at any time. |
| Q46. | Will OnStar ever notify me of any severe traffic incidents for areas I did not specify in my Traffic Profile? |
| A46. | No. You must initiate contact with OnStar and use Virtual Advisor to hear the traffic conditions in your area. |
This is the first place to find answers to the most common questions asked about OnStar. If you have a question that is not addressed here, please contact us or call us directly at 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827). Or if you are an OnStar subscriber, push the blue OnStar button in your vehicle.
Back to top