Verizon gave its Hum connected car offering a refresh on Wednesday, introducing an expanded product lineup, new features, and a revamped app.
The carrier said Hum will now be offered in three product tiers, including a basic free app, traditional Hum services rebranded as Hum+, and a premium HumX option.
The latter will come with a new WiFi hotspot capability, top level hardware, and a new mobile app. That hardware includes a 4G LTE OBD-II plug-in and a stainless steel Bluetooth speaker that can be clipped to a user’s car visor. Verizon said the speaker supports HD Voice, and has designated buttons for roadside assistance, a mechanics’ hotline, and emergency services. Oh, and that new hotspot capability can support up to 10 devices, the carrier indicated.
As before, the standard Hum offering will include core features like auto health and diagnostics, driving history, boundary and speed alerts, and vehicle location. However, that tier will now be known as Hum+. The plain old Hum moniker will now cover two base-level features offered on a new free Hum app, including a safety score based on driving behaviors and turn-by-turn navigation.
So the Hum tiers now look like this:
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Hum – two features (safety score and navigation) available via a free app.
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Hum+ – basic hardware with core features like auto health and diagnostics, driving history, boundary and speed alerts, and vehicle location.
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HumX – premium hardware with core features plus designated assistance buttons, a WiFi hotspot and an enhanced vehicle location feature.
New pricing for the tiers was not announced, but Hum typically comes with a $30 equipment fee, a $20 activation fee, and a $10 monthly subscription cost on a required two-year subscription.
Verizon’s Director of Product for Telematics Michael Maddux said the reinvigorated Hum platform is “ideal” for “people vehicle’s performance, improve their driving, or have peace of mind knowing they can reach Hum’s 24/7 roadside assistance at the press of a button.”
The new lineup will go on sale at Verizon retail locations March 23, while the new Hum app will be available in both the Google Play and Apple App stores.
Verizon’s Hum update comes three months after T-Mobile stepped into the connected car space with its SnycUP DRIVE solution, which offered on-board diagnostics as well as WiFi hotspot capabilities. More on that is here.
