Connected Car Features Face Obsolescence as Technology Evolves

Do you use your vehicle’s app to pre‑cool the cabin on a scorching day, confirm the doors are locked from bed, or have the car automatically call for help when the airbags go off?

Savor those connected, cloud‑based conveniences while you can—the clock is already ticking on their obsolescence. In a few short years, you may be driving today’s vehicle without many of the features you currently enjoy.

How we got hooked on the cloud

“Connected services”—cloud-based and networked features that let a vehicle communicate with external systems to deliver apps, data, and remote functions to drivers and passengers—have been around since the 1990s, when GM introduced OnStar as an option. Those early systems were mostly voice‑centric, but they still depended on centralized back‑end systems. Modern versions, which are fully data-driven and cloud-hosted, use much more sophisticated over-the-air data links to allow a considerably better feature set.

Today, virtually every volume brand offers some form of cloud-based telematics or a connected services stack. They can be deeply embedded, and most are fully integrated as the core of modern vehicle connectivity, supporting over-the-air (OTA) updates for the vehicle and app-based services for owners. As GM’s OnStar celebrates more than 30 years of service, a dozen others have joined, with each automaker branding its own unique services. HondaLink, Lexus Enform, FordPass, BMW ConnectedDrive, Volvo On Call, and Porsche Connect are just a few.

Despite their catchy marketing names, the systems are all functionally similar—each offers a very comparable feature set. Basics include remote lock/start, vehicle status and maintenance updates, location and tracking, and emergency assistance. Additional premium features include in-vehicle Wi-Fi hotspots, cabin preconditioning, stolen-vehicle tracking services, and concierge owner services.

Plenty of consumers have embraced the remote conveniences and demonstrated to automakers that they are more than willing to pay for them. After a bundled “free trial” following new vehicle delivery, manufacturers charge monthly fees or subscriptions for connected services. GM said that 40 percent of OnStar customers choose to renew their subscriptions after the introductory period expired.

Why automakers love a connected car

Of course, the OEMs get something out of it, too. Cloud-based services allow manufacturers to perform OTA software updates, eliminating the need to pay dealers for labor-intensive warranty repairs such as software-related safety recalls, bug fixes, and powertrain calibration errors. Instead of repairing one vehicle at a time, automakers can push updates to thousands of vehicles simultaneously. Plus, they can offer “product improvements” to owners, including UX changes, ADAS refinements, and new software versions for infotainment apps long after the start of production.

Vehicles require unique hardware for OTA and connected services, of course. The basic components of original equipment (OE) hardware in most passenger vehicles include a telematics box (TCU) with a 3G/4G/5G modem, a SIM/eSIM, and antennas—these comprise the “smartphone” component. There’s also a main onboard computer with flash memory and a boot system to install the new hardware (programmed to revert to early code if something goes wrong so the car doesn’t “brick” itself).

The TCU/main computer is tasked with sending signals over the vehicle’s internal wiring (CAN/Ethernet) to various ECUs, which are engineered to accept updates. For everyone’s peace of mind, robust security measures must be put in place to ensure that only genuine factory software can be installed and that hackers are locked out.

Subscription costs aside, consumers are generally pleased with cloud-based services. Connectivity improves convenience, comfort, and safety, while OTA updates keep vehicles feeling fresh and up to date. Unfortunately, that honeymoon phase doesn’t last forever—over time, vehicle-cloud-based connected services are scaled back or, worse, shut off entirely.

The day the signal dies

There is no single event or element that triggers the end—it’s a combination of things. As vehicles age, OE on-board hardware becomes obsolete as cellular providers replace older technology and automakers stop investing in aging back-end stacks and features. Manufacturer contracts for connected services can also expire. Taken together, these factors mean that time ultimately kills cloud-based vehicle services.

In 2022, many US cellular carriers, including AT&T, T‑Mobile/Sprint, and Verizon, shut down their 3G networks to create system capacity for upcoming 4G and 5G rollouts. When the 3G signal finally ceased, vehicles with the technology lost their connected cloud-based services (Porsche, Nissan, and Volkswagen were just a few of the automakers affected).

Lexus owners felt this shift acutely. The company’s Enform connectivity, which relied on the 3G network and was fitted to nearly all 2010–2017 models, went dark overnight because the hardware simply wasn’t forward‑compatible. (Lexus refunded owners for paid time left, while opportunistic dealers suggested that frustrated owners upgrade to a new Lexus that supported current technology.)

Last year, Acura announced that it would stop supporting vehicles with the older AcuraLink-backed stack and feature set, eliminating app-based remote access, service reminders, lock/unlock capabilities, “Find My Car,” and emergency call functions for many owners. The announcement itself was unremarkable, but many were stunned to learn that the technology was fitted to 2014–2022 models, including cars with current 4G hardware.

Even though the vehicles and their modems could connect, Acura chose to stop supporting the old AcuraLink backend stack and feature set because the company determined it wasn’t worth it. Obsolescence was not an issue. (Acura provided prorated refunds to the relatively small number of customers still on paid plans but offered no retrofit path or migration for those vehicles that lost services.)

In early 2022, BMW ended ConnectedDrive/BMW Assist services for vehicles equipped with 3G telematics. As the end date neared, owners were not permitted to renew their contracts. That February, when the official stop date arrived, all 3G services were terminated, even for those with vehicle connectivity that functioned perfectly. (BMW provided selected owners with other complimentary services; some vehicles with 4G-capable telematics were offered an upgrade at no charge, but many simply lost connectivity altogether.)

Life after the shutdown

When cloud-based connectivity goes away, it’s more of an inconvenience than a disaster. While remote conveniences and safety services end, they don’t serve an important role in the vehicle’s daily mechanical operation, meaning the powertrain, climate control, and accessories continue to work.

But what if you use those cloud-based features and need an alternative once the existing system shuts off? Thankfully, there are a handful of possibilities, including software/OTA updates, hardware/TCU replacements, aftermarket telematics and OBD devices, and smartphone apps to keep vehicles connected to the cloud.

Software/OTA updates are the easiest path to restore cloud services, but that assumes the vehicle has the proper hardware installed. Some 2017–2019 Genesis vehicles, including G80 and G90 models, used an SVLTE-type telematics system that could be upgraded with new software (the pure 3G-only units lost services when Verizon dropped its 3G network). Honda offered many customers free over-the-air software upgrades to 4G LTE in advance of AT&T’s cutoff. And GM brand owners, including those with Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles, were offered over-the-air software updates that preserved core OnStar services even after the first 3G network ceased.

Things are a bit more complicated with hardware upgrades, as swapping out the physical telematics control unit typically requires a visit to the dealership. Many 2016–2018 Subaru models equipped with the brand’s Starlink Safety & Security required a new 4G network telematics Starlink data communication module (DCM) to keep cloud-based services running (the remedy was offered at no charge to eligible subscribers).

Nissan offered a $199 2G‑to‑3G TCU upgrade, which was partially subsidized by the manufacturer, for many 2011–2014 Leaf models but then offered the same upgrade to 2015 Leaf owners for free. BMW told i3 owners that no official technology upgrade was available, so owners took matters into their own hands and bought up-to-date 4G TCUs and paid to have them coded—this cost upward of $1,400 per vehicle.

Although less integrated with the vehicle’s systems, aftermarket telematics and diagnostic-port (OBD) solutions offer limited cloud connectivity to fill the gap left by OE services when they’re phased out. Unfortunately, most are engineered for fleet services—creating app-based trip logs, GPS tracking, driving-style scoring, and basic OBD fault-code data for remote monitoring and data logging. They’re effective in this role, but they generally can’t duplicate OEM functions such as remote lock/engine start, automatic crash notification, or SOS features because they sit on the OBD port rather than on the carmaker’s proprietary telematics stack.

When cloud-based connectivity services disappear, those who can’t update via software or hardware (or simply don’t want to pay subscription and fee costs) often adopt a simple handheld solution—they rely on their smartphone. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been cleanly integrated into nearly all the OE infotainment systems on the market for the past decade. Consumer acceptance is high, as the interactive screens duplicate smartphone interfaces, keeping the UI effortless. There are also regular OTA updates via the mobile subscribers’ 4G/5G service.

While remote lock/engine start and climate control preconditioning typically aren’t part of the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equation, most smartphones offer some sort of crash‑detection and SOS functions, reincorporating some of the important safety features lost with OEM cloud-based systems. Mobile phones also offer Wi-Fi via mobile hotspots, adding another useful feature. Phone-driven connectivity, with cloud services routed through CarPlay and Android Auto, has proven both dependable and virtually seamless for some drivers.

A connected future with an expiration date

Cloud-based vehicle connectivity is growing. While only about half of the vehicles on the road today utilize the technology, industry experts predict that 90–95 percent of new vehicles will be Internet‑connected by 2030. Most vehicles, even those on the assembly line today, still rely on embedded modem-based hardware. That means they’ll all eventually face the same obsolescence challenges.

One proposed solution to the problem is modular software-defined architecture at the OE level, allowing consumers to physically swap hardware and upgrade software as technology advances. That welcome advancement would allow owners to upgrade their cloud-based connectivity and services rather than simply go dark.