Signal® by Farmers® Reviews

by Fire SUV

In a nut shell, you’ll need to check your trip history after EVERY single time you go anywhere in a vehicle. Why? Because Signal constantly evaluates you on its assumptions whether you are the driver or simply a passenger or if you’re operating a work vehicle that is not even related to your coverage. IF you’re the driver of any vehicle, then your phone is a boat anchor. It’s a anchor because if anyone (i.e. spouse) uses your phone during the trip Signal will basically say you were distracted. And, you can’t make a selection or note in Signal to accurately reflect what transpired. First responders take note, Signal will evaluate your work driving too even though it’s not a Farmer’s insured vehicle and you have emergency response driving privileges, which are completely different than the average driver. Great concept, but needs some end user evaluation.

by Colorful Jacket Boy

Like so many other Farmers Insurance customers, I had to download Signal in order to have a chance to qualify for the rate I was quoted. The quote did not mention Signal . I recently checked to see what my distracted driving score was, and was surprised to find that some trips were rated as “Distracted” when I only use hands free calling. Looking into it more, it appears that “hard braking” can be attributed for this. In one case, I had a driver decide later that they wanted to take the exit I was in while they were immediately to my left. Choosing to avoid a collision, I slowed down and that registered as distracted driving. The more common occurrence was when I choose to show for yellow lights instead of milking them. For that one, message received. Rather than slow down for yellow lights, I will just speed up to get my car into the intersection before the light goes red because that will save me both time and apparently insurance premiums.
I’m still not sure if they have fixed the bug where my daughter was rated as distracted because she had her phone set to automatically respond to phone calls with a text that said, “I’m driving and can’t talk right now” when she was driving.
On the bright side, Signal does provide you (and the world) a record of everywhere you have driven or ridden to.

by Zulater.com

App lists your “Hard Brakes”. To avoid these you must break the law and run red lights. If you stop on yellow, because you would not make it through before the light turns red (as the law states), then you get a Hard Brake.
Signal also lists your time speeding. Though I had zero minutes speeding on all of my drives I was near average for “Excessive Speed”
It tracks your phone calls or phone in hand which if you drive somewhere and exit your vehicle you will get docked for phone in hand. If you drive somewhere, park, send a text or make a phone call (while parked) then leave you will get docked for using phone, distracted parking er i mean driving obviously you were moving.
We have dash-cams in our cars to cover us from bad drivers lying to police. I’d rather keep my personal data personal for the minuscule % they want to give.

by Realtor67

This rating is for the old app. It is ridiculous that it would lower your score for dodging potholes or blown out tires on the road, or if I had my phone in the cup holder and went through a drive thru and moved it so I could place cups in the cup holder. That’s a load of crap. Turn on Waze which I use religiously or use Pandora. Give me a break. It even counted of multiple times. For normal breaking. In GA on the interstate you are allowed to drive 80mph in a 70 mph speed zone. I travel 6 hours to see my son almost every weekend. I refuse to drive 55 and spend that extra time on the road when the law says that is ok. Signal thing is a joke. Not accurate. Penalized for listening to an app that is connected to the radio or answering a handsfree call. I’m a Realtor and take many hands free calls plus use Waze app to find homes I’m showing. Signal is a joke.

by Snooze1951

Signal is flawed. Example one: My wife and I drive from point A to point B, an 11 mile trip. Half the time Signal shows the driver was the passenger and the passenger was the driver. This happens even if our phones are in our respective door cubbies. We drive a Ford F-250, so our phones are not even close to each other. If the passenger uses her phone she's a distracted driver. WRONG! Sure, we can correct it, but we have to change it so often, who's going to believe us? Example two: We drive from point B to point A, an exact backtrack. Signal shows 4 miles. What? We did not stop except for red lights! How are we supposed to trust the miles driven tracker? Example three: Driving during rush hour and number of miles driven can work against us. We get it, that both increase the chance of an accident/claim, but that doesn't mean that we are driving any less safely.
It appears that Farmer's rebate program is biased against all drivers thereby reducing the chance of a rebate they cite as the very reason to use Signal in the first place. We are in the first six months of this program. We'll see how it goes, but color me skeptical. In the meantime, please fix the problems I described.

by Julal13

Just started using Signal and it is easily “fooled”. Example: To avoid a distracted driver who pulled out of cross street in front of me I alertly avoided collision by braking and maneuvering... but this app declared I was “distracted”. I hope Farmers was glad I was allegedly “distracted”. Example: While driving with phone on console, my wife (passenger) picked up my phone to enter navigation instructions. this app declared I was “distracted” though of course this scenario is correct and safe. this app does not know who is holding the phone. Keep in mind that this app does not know what is really going on but makes many assumptions which can be frequently wrong. Maybe “on average” it is useful statistically but it makes many mistakes in specific scenarios.

by Qqwqqww ゆら

Signal frequently claims I have had many Hands-free phone usages when I haven’t had any. I have exchanged many emails with Farmers and the rep says they’re working on fixes. Meanwhile I just tell Signal either I was a passenger or I wasn’t in a car. I told Farmers in emails I would be doing this. Supposedly I’m getting a 12.5% discount so I suppose it’s worth the fairly minor aggravation. I’m also not playing with my phone while driving and am more careful about my driving otherwise. The this app app now says I have a 6.5% discount rather than 12%. Farmers hasn’t responded to three separate requests for an explanation! (Farmers finally responded when I sent messages to my agent directly and to Farmers on its website.) Out of the last 68 trips, Signal incorrectly indicated that I used the hands free phone 14 times! Farmers keeps telling me that occasional errors won’t have much effect on my discount but I think these errors are problematic.

As indicated above, Signal used to falsely claim I was using hands-free calling which I never did. Now it simply claims there was Distracted Driving” with no indication what actually happened so I trust Signal at all.

Signal also recently indicated I wasn’t the driver for a trip when I actually was!

by Bazzy72003

I like using Signal overall. It gives me a chance to see my son’s rating and my own. I earn a discount on my insurance if we drive safely. The only problem is that I cannot actually view my son’s stats, just his rating. Also it is a little frustrating that if I run my gps or an app like target’s telling them I am enroute to pick up my curbside order then this app gives me distracted drive. I think that is silly. Also not sure why taking a 2 min Bluetooth call on a 26 minute drive gives you distracted drive. Taking a Bluetooth call is not more distracting then talking to passengers. But overall it is a good app and I was able to redeem previous month rewards for a PlayStation Store gift card for my son. That was a great reward to a teen driver and just one more incentive to keep a safe driving rating!

by Plant People

I’m a Farmers Insurance Agent and I have used Signal from its inception. I find it very un-intrusive and once you set it you can forget it. As an agent I also have clients that are using it and also report good results.

The following are a couple of suggestions from my clients which could move Signal to the great category. I have several law enforcement clients that are using this app and right now there is really not a good way to designate ‘on the job’ driving. As police officers, there job may require them to drive aggressively while performing their duties.

Another suggestion would be to allow renewal this app discounts to be calculated as of their policy renewal date and not so early prior to renewal. The issue here is that I have clients that are currently not driving enough to satisfy trip thresholds resulting in good driving patterns not being recognized and appropriate discounts not applied. The pandemic is also limiting the amount of driving and impeding trip counts.

Thanks
Your local TX Farmers Insurance Agent

by Some Nee Bugs

Signal works great, it does not use a ton of power, it measures speed and location accurately, it can sense handling of the phone (not totally accurate), and it is able to check for hard brakes at the location and time. However, there are some major flaws in Signal .

1. Personally, hard brakes for me are recorded but do not show on the progress bar in the “My driving behavior” tab. So the bar is nonexistent.
2. Measuring mileage and time of day driving for a discount is extremely bias. I personally have to drive in the mornings, rush hour, and nights and for quite a long distance so my score tends to be low. While another person using Signal may not ever have to drive during those times and only for short distances and have a higher discount.
3. The last point is the phone handling accuracy is a bit off. I found that certain movements such as bumps on the road can make a phone move up and down quickly and that set the sensor off. It has happened under other circumstances that I have not tested myself, but it has been triggering quite a lot which can be annoying.

Other than those three issues, Signal works fairly well. I hope these problems can be resolved in some way.

by SandraFerrell

I have been a member of the this app program for over two years now. I find that I am paying more attention to “how” I drive
…not just concerned with “getting” to my destination. Having a “driving behavioral system” rating my driving performance is causing me to want to drive safer…thereby achieving a better rating through this app. As an “advanced senior citizen”, who is still quite healthy and able to drive myself around town, I find this app to be the “polite big brother” we all need…who can help us all be better drivers.

by Milt Reynolds

App install and use is simple. Set it and forget about it. Check it once a week to see how it's assessing your driving and whether it's correctly identified you as Driver or Passenger. Several times I've reached for my phone while driving only to suddenly remember that the this app app would certainly detect my distracted driving. I appreciate its presence and purpose, and would recommend it to all drivers.

by Navy Aviation Weather Buff

Signal is a constant reminder to me to be a defensive driver, looking front and back before changing lanes, and for me to be aware of my speed on the highways. We live on a highway that is 2 lane and has a lot of elevation changes and no pass zones. There have been several wrecks on this highway in the 2 years since we have lived here, so that is a constant reminder to not take chances when passing another vehicle. We don’t want to be another statistic to add to the Texas 2020 death on the highways. Thanks for providing Signal to us to keep it foremost on our mind to be safe on the highways.

by Repeated Calls

In the pass week I‘ve had 2 string of several calls back to back Asking me if I was in a crash. First time I had parked my car about 4 mins later receiving that calls while shopping in Wal-Mart. Today received 3 phone calls in a row, 2 from the DC area and 1 from Utah. I was driving and in-line waiting for my left turn. Called my ins. Agent to inform her, she’d hadn’t heard of any cliques. She was unable to get into her app. When I opened my app it asked if I was in a crash. Gave the choice of Yes or No. I selected No but app wouldn’t allow me too.

by 503Garry

After driving around, and experiencing interactions with other drivers; I’ve been able to review the “trips” and determine that for me to avoid accidents, sometimes I must accelerate my speed to avoid colliding with other poor drivers that are creating high risk traffic conditions! Sometimes, slowing down or speeding up to avoid traffic risks is needed.
Also, reviewing my “trips” helps me to see possibilities for rearranging my times to travel; allowing me to avoid congested traffic areas. That’s the best, changing my time to travel schedule!

by Reviewdit11

I can confirm myself that the spam reviews are inaccurate. Use Signal for yourself and see. By testing throughout the week with me and my wife’s phone we can confirm that Signal is definitely NOT a battery hog. (I would also recommend disabling low power mode since that’s what we did). Only suggestion would be for Signal to give pop ups of how disabling low power mode allows Signal to run better and save trips.

Other than that, Signal is very accurate at checking speeds and I love being rewarded for my good driving. Good to see farmers is helping me save on my coverage. Hopefully it treats me well in the upcoming months!

by Eagle10197

I’ve spent the Majority of my life responding to horrible auto accidents and have also been a client of Farmers most of my carrier. Signal. Will help ALL of us develop better driving habits. To you young drivers, on your parents policy, that may have a few bad driving habits: You CAN NOT hide from Signal!! And, if you pay attention to it’s lessons, it WILL teach you how to be a better driver and greatly reduce the possibility of you causing an accident. To Parents of young drivers: Please get their car added to Signal. BEFORE they drive it anywhere. It WILL help them to be Better Drivers and hopefully reduce the chances of you and all of us parents, ever getting that “Dreaded Phone Call”!!

by There Isnone Left

I have yet to call to my agent to ask a question and not talk to someone who acts like I am the most important person. I have never felt like they just wanted to answer my questions and get me off the phone.
The information I have got has been correct and if I didn’t understand what I was being told that they just wanted to tell me anything to get me off the phone. I have had many insurance companies in my life but I can’t think of any that treats me like Farmers does. I don’t know how or who picks the ones who works for Farmers but they are great at their job. I say again, I am so glad and happy I have Farmers insurance. Keep up the great work as I know you will. Roger Paul

by ManiTheCoder

Love Signal , however algorithm should be tuned to,
1. Phone can move but should not be unlocked and used. Locked phone moving while driving is equal driver take a sip of coffee movement even though he take a phone and keep it somewhere without starting at it. We cannot expect human to strict straight and phone do not move in long drive (not that driver want to move but phone on right seater can move due to road conditions) and count that for not a focus drive.
2. Sometimes my co-passenger might use phone (spouse), if phone is connected to car Bluetooth and hand free then should not be counted for driver is not focused. It is equal to co-travelers chatting while driving. Do not say keep your mouth shut and drive :)

by Big Lou 32

I like the way it tracks the vehicle and where I have gone. The only thing I don’t like about it, is that if I’m on my phone as a passenger it says that I was a distracted driver. The one time I was driving and my wife had my phone again it registered me as a distracted driver. If you can find a way to separate when driving and when not driving would be good. However there is some down side to that because there will be some people saying they weren’t driving when they were. Over all I like it and plus it keeps me updated on how many miles I have driven.

by Barbara Robins

It won’t go past the turn on background refresh notice even though I have background refresh turned on and I restarted the phone.

Update: I spoke with Farmers tech support. Still doesn’t go past background refresh notice. iPhone 6s iOS 13.

by P-Wunder

The good: I don’t know yet.
The bad: I can’t login. Says my phone number isn’t valid.

by Lordstrange

Was willing to live with the big brotherness fora god discount but can’t tolerate the huge battery drain.
Uninstalling now.

by GidgetlovesMana

So many problems trying to install Signal. The previous one wasn’t too bad.

by Fnhl.survivor

If I am driving and my passenger answers my phone or uses my phone to watch a video or play a game (and, yes, this happens), the this app app gives me a bad grade and says I am distracted. There needs to be a way to edit a trip and explain that the driver was driving perfectly and the passenger was on the phone!

by Moki59

In using Signal , I’ve got some concerns. First, in emailing my concerns I never got a response from Farmers. 2nd, since my wife and I often drive together, we always had to make sure the non driver as selected as passenger. Tedious at first, then Signal was updated and that process became downright difficult. 3rd I was often riding my bike and it was treated as driving a car. 4 battery drainage is a problem. 5. The rating scale by Farmers is not declared,defined, described anywhere I can find. It appears that your score is lowered for what time of day you drive? 6. What is the real discount mount? How does one really know? For example it might state ‘you’ve earned a 7% discount, but where do you actually see that? In conclusion, too many unknowns and no responses lead me to no renewal.

by Sandyanne87

The previous app was much more transparent in its grading system for driving habits. The old app actually showed me where my driving behaviors needed improvement. This new app is not transparent in its grading system and functionality has deteriorated. You need to decide if you really want to help drivers or just provide an ineffective means for 10% off car insurance.

by Seriously Folks1

Farmers is more than an insurance company... they are a privacy averse data mining operation... they are Farming the data of their clientele and giving virtually nothing in return.
A 5% discount on insurance coverage that is, while good coverage, on the extreme upper end of the pricing curve.
Farmers Insurance demands 100% access to app users’ movements... 24-7-365, in return for a mere 5% discount on auto insurance ONLY. Signal is invasive and the destruction of personal privacy is not really excusable. The laws make auto insurance mandatory... and the insurance companies fix prices at a level where people must jump at every discount.

5% is not enough. ... and the developers need to write Signal in such a way where it only accesses data while moving above a certain speed for a certain duration.

by Tjb46142

Two reasons we have Signal . 1- I just added my son to my policy and I’d like a discount on the cost. 2- I want him to be aware & focused while driving. Apple just replaced his old iPhone 5 with a brand new one, but it won’t ever have IOS 11. I can’t imagine spending $$ for a newer phone. I mean, I’m teaching him to NOT use the phone while driving. Also, spending $500 on a new phone would definitely negate the idea of the discount.

by PSK496

I got an email saying to update my this app app to the new this app 2.0. The email had a different app icon than the current this app app i have been using. So I downloaded this one and tried to put my phone number in and it says my phone number is not valid. So what is going on and why does Farmers have 2 different this app apps in Signal Store?!?!?

by Momma JoAnn

Are we supposed to delete the old version with our driving history after downloading v2?

by Liz1112020

Not only can the this app app help me save money on my car insurance, but it is actually helping me realize how much I am distracted when driving. I love the focus streaks and how I can always try to do better than my last streak. Nice job Farmers!

by Buffalo Bills Fan 81

At stop lights, I used to grab my phone to ‘see what’s going on’. I think of Signal as a little angel on my shoulder saying “Don’t touch that phone, keep your hands on the wheel, eyes on the road”. It really has helped me become a more focused driver!! Thanks Farmers