5 Cool Features of Chevy’s MyLink Infotainment System

Infotainment is the latest buzzword in the motoring industry — a blend of the words information and entertainment. As smartphones became an integral part of our lives, it wasn’t long before car manufacturers integrated it into our driving experience. Chevrolet’s MyLink system is found across all of its models and offers simple functionality that meets all your basic technological needs.

Safe Communication with Hands-free Phone Calls

To access many of the features on the Chevy MyLink system, connecting your smartphone is key. This is quick and easy and can be done via Bluetooth or USB. Once your device is paired with the system, you can make and receive calls, get text message alerts, and access the music on your phone. Making a call is easy and can be done from the steering wheel. Just tap the push-to-talk button and through the voice recognition technology, tell the system whom to call. With text messages, the system reads the message to you through the text-to-speech technology.

Get from A to B with Easy Navigation

The navigation system has a touch screen so you can tap and move around on the map with your finger. The only shortcoming is that currently, MyLink does not have pinch-zooming on the navigation. Traffic warnings also inform you about accidents or problems occurring in traffic and adjust to an alternative route. You can also select the points of interest you would like shown along your route such as gas stations or food stops, a useful feature for long-distance trips.

Play Your Favorite Tunes with the Entertainment System

With your phone connected via Bluetooth, you can access the music on it, or from your iPod if that’s connected. Standard AM/FM radio stations are available, and you can save your favorite stations for easy access. One cool feature of the MyLink system is that live radio can be paused for up to 20 minutes. Chevy also features its own Pandora internet radio, a service which requires an internet connection such as the data on your phone. Sirius XM satellite radio is another fab way to listen to tunes — but at a price — as it is a subscription service.

Keep a Check on the Weather

The weather app on the MyLink system is particularly useful for those long-distance trips. Once you’ve got your route up and running, you will receive regular weather updates along the way. It’s handy in giving you the heads up on whether you will encounter rain or snow or more severe weather at various points along your route. If necessary, you can adjust to an alternative route to avoid harsh weather.

OnStar Service: Specific to Chevy

All General Motors vehicles include OnStar, but you’ll need to subscribe to one of the three plans to unlock all it has to offer. A free three-month trial is available to give you a chance to test it. OnStar includes navigation, protection, and security services. In the event of an accident, OnStar can dispatch emergency services. If your car is stolen, it can be tracked via the GPS, and the system will even slow your car’s speed to help police catch up to it. The app also has the nifty feature of remotely locking or unlocking your car or starting the engine using your smartphone.

Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system meets all your basic needs. It’s an easy-to-use system, especially for those who prefer more simple technology.