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SYNC System Thread

331K views 525 replies 200 participants last post by  double b 
#1 ·
#278 ·
Hi all,
I just bought my FF and it looks like it has Sync VersionGen2 - V3.0.2.

Should I wait until the December 10th rollout of 3.5 to update or apply a more recent update first? I am SUCH a NOOB so it might make sense to bring it to the dealer since I need to make an appointment because I think the alignment isn't right.
 
#281 ·
Your posting in the wrong thread. Sync and my ford touch are different. Sync is just the voice activated system only.
Also, sync was built by Microsoft, my ford touch was built by a soda pop vending machine maker.
 
#284 ·
I have a 2013 Titanium with sync and nav. Occasionally, the Sync services screen will appear for no apparent reason. What does this mean? I never dial up Sync services, as Nav has all the info I need, so far.
Are you bumping the ☆2 favorite button on your steering wheel? Ever since v3.0.2 (when we lost Favorites programmability [scream]) that button's taken you to Services, if I recall correctly.
 
#286 ·
Well sync locked up and was non responsive yet again today, that makes at least two full losses of functionality.

This time it was playing music from the usb drive, then it suddenly stopped on a track at 0:00 and wouldn't play and wouldn't respond to skip while driving.

Popped it over to radio and tried to press aux in to get back to usb and or to use the sync voice command paddle, no luck for at least a minute, then when it finally listened and allowed me to say USB it repeated it back three times before going to usb
 
#287 ·
I have a 2012 SEL with SYNC (No MyFord Touch). I noticed in a YouTube video someone was demoing directions with SYNC Services and the next turn was showing up on the little LCD screen that's in the middle of the instrument cluster. Mine doesn't do this. It will only show the next turn on the radio screen when I approach the turn. It would be nice to have it showing constantly on the screen in the instrument cluster. I also noticed that his Focus was equipped with MyFord Touch (Mine isn't). Is this feature only available to people with MFT? It says my version of SYNC is Gen1 - V3.1.1.C.
 
#293 ·
Center Display for Podcasts

When playing podcasts the center display will show the amount of time the podcast has been playing. Better information would be the time remaining in the podcast. Is it possible to change the display so that it counts up rather than down. Actually since there is so much room having the running time/total time or remaining time would be best.
 
#294 ·
When playing podcasts the center display will show the amount of time the podcast has been playing. Better information would be the time remaining in the podcast. Is it possible to change the display so that it counts up rather than down. Actually since there is so much room having the running time/total time or remaining time would be best.
There isn't. There used to be a progress bar and it would tell you how much time has played out of how much time total. Then 3.0.2 happened.
 
#296 ·
Here is something related to dimming the dashboard: I have a dark commute early in the morning on an unlit road. The more light you have inside your car the more difficult it is to see the road ahead. The center display is very bright. An option to turn it off or make it very dim would be nice.

As it is when I am driving I stuff a towel into the dash display to minimize the amount of light in the car. I bet a portion of the people complaining they can't drive at night just have too much light inside their car.
 
#303 ·
I wonder how many people Ford and Microsoft have working on the Sync system? I had an Alpine I installed in my last car that did not have a CD player. It was designed specifically for use with an iPod and worked intuitively when it came to selecting different inputs or the radio. I think the people working on the Sync may have Inattentional Blindness in that they have expertise on how to use the thing compared to others that are not as familiar with it. Kind of like finding spelling errors in what you write, your brain sees what you wanted to write not what you did. The people working on are so familiar with it they do not see the issues others can have.

In any case sometimes the Sync will play the iPod seamlessly when returning to the car sometimes it forgets the iPod is plugged in even though the iPod shows it recognized by the Sync. Sometimes you have to unplug the iPod to re-establish the connection. Then you have to go thru the menus again to select it which are hard to navigate.

Another issue is the Sync will display what was playing when the car was turned off even though you have removed the iPod. When this happens it kind of locks up with really no indication on what to do. Then you get lost in the menus trying to choose the iPod again.
 
#305 ·
All sync my itunes seems to do is destroy id3 tag data and I then had to repair them all manually in itunes. It still didn't stop the bad media messages on tracks that work just fine most of the time, but sometimes it still errors out on the tracks.
 
#310 ·
You know technically we paid over $15,000 for the Sync system as it came with the car. If we did not buy the car we would not have it.

Leo Laporte endorses and promotes the Sync system on his tech shows. One of the things he says if you are paying for something the company making the software should write it specifically for the platform. They offer Mac versions of their software that looks like it is a port from the Windows side. Since I paid over $15,000 they should have made a native app which would have used the styles that Apple publishes for developers.
 
#314 ·
/beginning of irrelevant post

On one hand... having specs, system requirements, endorsements, and extra information is a good thing, it's nice to be able to read the box and actually get some information.

On the other hand... Apple's packaging is always first rate and is always a joy to open, which some people may find ridiculous, but I've always enjoyed it.

That said... they don't put ANY info on them. It's the bare minimum.

Also, if MS really made that video... then it was as funny as it was demeaning for them.

/end of irrelevant post
 
#320 ·
Dear God, yes. I'll start programming tonight. lol

EDIT: I don't actually know how to code.
 
#327 ·
The hope would be that with this SDK and developer program, Ford is getting people in Silicon Valley involved. The talent there is much different than what is found in Michigan or Washington states. Maybe that back and forth will help the Sync team at Ford be better. Oh by the way this is under the testing tab on the Ford Developer website:

Test
Ensuring that your application properly interacts with the vehicle Human Machine Interface or “HMI”, the SYNC® software, and the user is the most important requirement after determining that your content is appropriate for in-vehicle use.

We cannot stress enough the necessity to thoroughly test every aspect of the AppLink™ command and control of each of the features in your connected app. It is frustrating to have applications crash while sitting on the couch, so you can imagine the frustration if the same happens while on the road.

Prior to submitting your app for approval, it is imperative that you perform and pass the full suite of tests provided on this site. It will be required that you submit records of your validation tests along with your approval request and Ford will reference these while completing our validation of your app.

You will want to make sure that you are accurately performing and passing the validation tests. Any apps that fail testing will incur a fee for subsequent submissions. The team here wants nothing more than to help you make your AppLink-enabled app available for Ford owners, but we are a small team and just can’t perform trial and error bug fixing.
 
#330 ·
I have the non MFT in my Focus and I use the Bluetooth audio frequently to stream music/Pandora/Spotify. Once the music is playing it works great. But if I shut off the car and come back even 3 minutes later, I have to activate Sync and say "Bluetooth audio" every single time. It keeps defaulting back to Line In even though the display says Bluetooth Media Stream. Can I get it to stay on Bluetooth audio and just press play on my phone? This is with an iPhone 5 running iOS 6.0.2.
 
#334 ·
Bought my '13 5MT Hatch with 6 speaker Sync with My Ford on 09/08/2012. Ran the gamut of problems that have been reported within this thread. Tried the usual fixes--master re-sets, updates at my dealer and an exorcism, but the problems just kept coming back.

On my 4th or so visit, the service advisor suggested replacing my Sync module with a new one, with a FREE loaner thank you. So I am now rocking "Sync VersionGen1 - V4.1.2.F", according to the info about my car on the Ford Owners Page.

She (the "Sync say a command" person) seems to handle my southern accent without problem (Siri, take a lesson!) and best of all she handles my "Mobil Apps" requests flawlessly.

I really think the Sync person on the original module was censoring my music choices and playing what she wanted to hear, instead of what I wanted. Every once in awhile, I want to hear Abba--not that there's anything wrong with that--every time she would play Talking Heads.
 
#340 ·
Bluetooth Audio (Labeled on the button as "BT Stereo") has to be selected in the Entertainment screen.
 
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