Ford Drops MyFord Touch -- Now SYNC

"Sync 3" to arrive in showrooms in 2016.

Ford SYNC 3 To Begin Arriving In Showrooms Next Year | Edmunds.com

What happens with current orders which include MyFord Touch, Mr. Ford?

See also:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...chscreen-pulls-plug-on-myford-touch/index.htm

http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/myford-touch-dead-long-live-sync-3

I'm annoyed with two things that I skimmed from those article, but pleased by another.

One, I really wish that HVAC controls were not a touchscreen item off on some separate menu somewhere. I should be able to reach over with my hand, eyes on the ROAD, and adjust by feel of buttons or knobs. Seems a blurry line between eyes off the road to read a text message and eyes off the road to navigate a touchscreen just to turn the fan down a bit.

Two, there was mention of Siri. Bleah. I'm a Google/Android guy, and while I don't mind Apple, I really don't like getting locked out of options.


But then, there was a comment by the lead guy that they intend to work with both Apple and Google; that they "don't want the purchase of a $30,000 car to be determined/limited by a $200 phone". That's good to hear.


Still... touchscreen controls for HVAC? Arghh!!!

PeterR said:

Rick, you got the "Sirius/Sync radio" I believe? Is this part of the MyFord Touch, or are they different? My order sheet has Option 584 for the MFT -- what was your Option Number? [Edit -- 58X or 58Y maybe?]

And how is your radio working including the Sync aspect?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Hi Peter,

I have the Sirius/Sync/HD radio ($540 option), which is not part of the MyFordTouch. I had mistakenly thought the MyFordTouch option was going to be the new system that allowed Apple's CarPlay (now known as the Sync 3), but now I believe it is the same old Microsoft based system used in previous Ford models. So I think people who ordered MyFordTouch will get one (it's been in other Ford cars). They will change the ordering system to select a Sync 3 radio once they are available.

After reviewing videos of the CarPlay system in action, I realized I would be much more satisfied using my iPhone 6 Plus on a dashboard mount, just as I had on the F-150, and syncing audio/music via Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth on my Transit works better than on the F-150, music automatically resumes when I restart the van, unless I've done something else on the iPhone during the interim, such as watch a youTube video or something. I can just tap the audio control on the steering wheel and say "Bluetooth Audio", and it will again sync with the phone and resume playing music. I can advance to the next song and control volume with the steering wheel controls. I cannot see info about the song on the Ford radio display, but could just as easily keep the iPhone display on, with the music app open if I want to see it. When jumping in the Transit for short trips, I don't even pull the iPhone out. It stays out of sight on my person, and I use Bluetooth Audio via Sync to listen to music on the phone, played thru the Transit's stereo.

I have my choice of GPS apps on the iPhone, and can actually have more than one running and will hear audio prompts from both, such as warnings of Police or traffic conditions. And I prefer the Portrait view using the GPS, giving me more a view of the road ahead. Music still plays in the background, and phone calls will mute all audio and be initiated or answered via the Ford Sync radio and steering wheel controls (all of this is played thru the Transit's stereo speakers).

iOS 8 on the iPhone now allows a voice command to be recognized without touching the phone if it is plugged into a power source. So I plug it into the 12V socket and am able to say "Hey Siri", wait for it to respond and give it any normal Siri command (the iPhone hears the command via it's own mic, you don't use the steering wheel control). This allows my girlfriend to choose or change music from the iPhone without touching it, we can ask for directions, make phone calls, open apps, send text messages, have it search for info on the internet, and many other things without having to touch anything. I was already doing all this in the F-150.

Using the iPhone this way, I never have to worry about getting software updates, or GPS map updates on a dashboard receiver. I can continue to utilize any new stuff Apple brings out. I think you saw the dashboard mount in my other thread, the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5" display, 128GB of memory (almost half of that contains my music), can rotate to the landscape position to shoot a dash cam video if I want.

After thinking all this through I realized I didn't want the expensive MyFordTouch (nor the new Sync 3 radio). My iPhone does much more and I always have it with me.

Zyzzyx said:

Two, there was mention of Siri. Bleah. I'm a Google/Android guy, and while I don't mind Apple, I really don't like getting locked out of options.


But then, there was a comment by the lead guy that they intend to work with both Apple and Google; that they "don't want the purchase of a $30,000 car to be determined/limited by a $200 phone". That's good to hear.

Click to expand...

The Blackberry QNX based system is used by both Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto. Once plugged in via USB, the cell phone's OS overlays it. Everybody will switch to this since it is OS neutral, and is probably the only thing keeping Blackberry afloat. There are already aftermarket radios using QNX, some still have the Bluetooth sync option, at least one does not (which would be severely limiting). I don't know if Ford's Sync 3 will still have Bluetooth, it would be stupid to remove it because it would rule out any other cell phone other than Android or iPhones.

That was another thing I didn't like about this new QNX system. You have to connect the phone via USB to use any of the CarPlay or Android Auto stuff. If not plugged in via USB, you will use the native QNX operating system - which should still have GPS Navigation.

I'd just as soon do everything wirelessly via Bluetooth using my iPhone's display as described in my last post.