Automatic Shutting Down and Connected Car Service is Ending on May 28 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Automatic Shutting Down and Connected Car Service is Ending on May 28

by

Automatic, a company that made the Automatic Adapter that plugs into a car's OBD-II port to provide vehicle information like distance traveled, gas used, time spent in the car, and more, is shutting down.

automaticadapter
The imminent shuttering of the company was announced on the Automatic website, which says that the global health crisis has impacted its business.

The Automatic connected car product, service, and platform are shutting down at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on May 28.

All services, including crash alerts, roadside assistance, and real-time location and sharing will stop when the shutdown occurs. Automatic recommends that non-functional adapters be recycled using standard electronic recycling procedures.

Automatic released several adapters over the course of the last several years, and its products were popular among those who wanted to use an iPhone to monitor vehicle diagnostics and sign up for services like crash alerts. Service plans were priced between $2 and $5 per month.

Top Rated Comments

77 months ago
Automatic abandoned me. I was an early adopter and really appreciated the product. For no necessary reason, they discontinued the product, and released the new one with the subscription model for features I already had. This insured that I would NOT upgrade nor support the company. It was a poor decision, and one that appears to be part of the destuction of the company now. It's too bad they made the wrong choice. Anyone have a suggestion of a viable alternative? I know there are many on the market now.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
77 months ago

Took a world pandemic to finally kill off non-viable subscription services.
I wonder how many companies who were on the path to demise anyway, will bring up the pandemic on the way out as a convenient excuse.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JoEw Avatar
77 months ago
Took a world pandemic to finally kill off non-viable subscription services.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
natallica Avatar
77 months ago
Anyone know of an alternative that will let me tag trips as business-related? This is why I've been using Automatic since gen 1.

What rubs me the wrong way is that they blame the pandemic for this, but it feels disingenuous.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
77 months ago
I'm another unhappy former customer, abandoned by Automatic when it stopped supporting the 2nd generation (non-subscription) product.

Has anyone found an acceptable replacement?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
77 months ago
So many "because of COVID" cover stories being used that really, let's be honest, have nothing to do with COVID actually.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...