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

realitydcf Avatar
75 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
75 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
75 months ago
Took a world pandemic to finally kill off non-viable subscription services.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
natallica Avatar
75 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)
oregon.trader Avatar
75 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
75 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

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, Macs, and More

Thursday January 15, 2026 11:19 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased. iPhone ...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
Verizon New

Verizon Offering $20 Credit After Major Outage, Here's How to Get It

Thursday January 15, 2026 7:37 am PST by
Verizon today announced it will be offering customers a $20 account credit after a major outage on Wednesday, and action is required to receive it. The carrier said affected customers can accept the credit by logging into the My Verizon app, but it might take some time before this option shows up in the app. Affected customers will receive a text message when the credit is available. On...