SYNC without MFT and Bluetooth audio

[Dr. Woo]

I totally would've posted this in some stickied FAQ thread if there was one, but since there isn't...

I just ordered an SE 5-door with 203A, which includes MyFord and SYNC. I had a specific question about this setup and am hoping an owner can chime in: Will I be able to pair my Android smartphone via Bluetooth and use voice commands to search music? Or is this exclusively a USB feature? If it's only through USB then perhaps I'll just have to put together a USB drive to leave in the car.

"Play artist The White Stripes"

I've read about indexing and the building of voice commands but that seems to be with MFT. How will this work, exactly?

[Sponsor]

[cottage]

I believe the answer to your question is yes. I have an iphone which syncs wirelessly to MFT/Sync and it's not an issue. On syncmyride.com Ford does provide a list of compatible phones. This is also a great site for answers to questions about sync and MFT.

[ScottMcC]

Mine is a 2012 SE 5-door with 203A, just like yours, and yes you can pair it up with your android via bluetooth, use voice commands, etc. You just don't have the touch screen, which based on all the complaints I keep reading we're not missing a thing.

...On second thought, IIRC the voice commands specifically for playing a specific artist will not work via bluetooth, only USB. You have to use the player on your phone to make that kind of selection. But please don't take your eyes off the road!!!

But still I don't think you or I are missing a thing.
SE w/ 203A... most bang for the buck!!!!

[GapBoyPCS]

Originally Posted by Dr. Woo

I totally would've posted this in some stickied FAQ thread if there was one, but since there isn't...

I just ordered an SE 5-door with 203A, which includes MyFord and SYNC. I had a specific question about this setup and am hoping an owner can chime in: Will I be able to pair my Android smartphone via Bluetooth and use voice commands to search music? Or is this exclusively a USB feature? If it's only through USB then perhaps I'll just have to put together a USB drive to leave in the car.

"Play artist The White Stripes"

I've read about indexing and the building of voice commands but that seems to be with MFT. How will this work, exactly?

It really depends on whether your Android smartphone is a compatible media player with SYNC. If not, then you're stuck with having to use a compatible media player or USB stick if you're planning to use voice to control the media player.

If you do use a USB stick, make sure you have the right tags on the songs. Simple things like "Dr. Dre" might mean you need to tag your song as "Doctor Dray" because SYNC might misinterpret abbreviations.

Otherwise, you could just have your phone stream via Bluetooth, and use the steering wheel mounted controls for basic controls i.e. volume, next track, and previous track. Voice can work for playing and pausing.

[Lincoln61]

Im using both the and ipod hooked in usb and a iphone that have used through the blue tooth set up on my SE. Your answer is yes you can use voice commands with blue tooth.

[Dr. Woo]

Originally Posted by cottage

I believe the answer to your question is yes. I have an iphone which syncs wirelessly to MFT/Sync and it's not an issue. On syncmyride.com Ford does provide a list of compatible phones. This is also a great site for answers to questions about sync and MFT.

Indeed, unfortunately my phone (Samsung Captivate) isn't listed, but it's running Android 2.1 so I figure it should have good compatibility. I've been checking Sync sites out there and have gotten lots of great info, but never a straight answer to using music voice search phrases with Bluetooth.

Originally Posted by ScottMcC

...On second thought, IIRC the voice commands specifically for playing a specific artist will not work via bluetooth, only USB. You have to use the player on your phone to make that kind of selection. But please don't take your eyes off the road!!!

That's what I was starting to fear. I may have to pick up a USB drive. There's only one USB port, right? Or are there two? Would be nice to leave a flash drive in one and have the other available for charging the phone if need be.

EDIT: Found a photo. Only one, bummer.



Anyone know if this thing will play nice with a hub?

Originally Posted by ScottMcC

But still I don't think you or I are missing a thing.
SE w/ 203A... most bang for the buck!!!!

My thoughts exactly!

Originally Posted by GapBoyPCS

It really depends on whether your Android smartphone is a compatible media player with SYNC. If not, then you're stuck with having to use a compatible media player or USB stick if you're planning to use voice to control the media player.

If you do use a USB stick, make sure you have the right tags on the songs. Simple things like "Dr. Dre" might mean you need to tag your song as "Doctor Dray" because SYNC might misinterpret abbreviations.

Otherwise, you could just have your phone stream via Bluetooth, and use the steering wheel mounted controls for basic controls i.e. volume, next track, and previous track. Voice can work for playing and pausing.

Thanks. That clears up a lot of fuzziness.

One question - I'm guessing in order to build voice commands and allow for quick searching the media library needs to be indexed. How often does this happen? Every time you turn on the car? Does this only apply to MFT?

[JessicaTi]

Hi Dr. Woo!

Building media commands is the same for Sync or Sync with MFT.

What's indexing?

Indexing is the way SYNC categorizes the music it finds on your media player.

By indexing the music, SYNC can play selections by track, artist, album, genre and similar music categories. SYNC automatically indexes your music every time the player is connected to SYNC by the USB port.

SYNC will begin playing music after it completes indexing. Indexing may only take a few seconds, but if your player holds thousands of songs, indexing may take longer.

Why do I need SYNC My iTunes?

In order for music to be played on SYNC, it is necessary for SYNC to retrieve and categorize music according to a song’s attributes, or metadata—information about each song such as Title, Artist, Album, and Genre—which is extracted from your music library.

Sometimes this metadata is blank, or contains information that is not recognized by SYNC. SYNC My iTunes corrects errors, such as blanks, in your music library so that SYNC is able access all of the media in your music library.

Do I have to pair my iPod or MP3 Player with SYNC?

You don’t have to pair your iPod® or MP3 Player to SYNC. You can play music through SYNC by connecting your media player through the USB port.

You also can play your media device through SYNC wirelessly by pairing it to SYNC if your music player supports Bluetooth® Audio Streaming (A2DP) Profiles.

[2012silversel]

Originally Posted by Dr. Woo

That's what I was starting to fear. I may have to pick up a USB drive. There's only one USB port, right? Or are there two?

There is a post with pics somewhere on the Forum that shows a second usb port (for those who only have one) behind the center console on the passenger side. If I remember, it's behind the plastic cover on the lower console where your knees would be. The poster plugged in and ran the cord through to by the shifter. Find that usb and you will have the Golden Ticket.

[Dgc333]

You could also pick up a USB hub, they pretty cheap, most have 4 ports.

[Dr. Woo]

Originally Posted by JessicaTi

Hi Dr. Woo!

Building media commands is the same for Sync or Sync with MFT.

What's indexing?

Indexing is the way SYNC categorizes the music it finds on your media player.

By indexing the music, SYNC can play selections by track, artist, album, genre and similar music categories. SYNC automatically indexes your music every time the player is connected to SYNC by the USB port.

SYNC will begin playing music after it completes indexing. Indexing may only take a few seconds, but if your player holds thousands of songs, indexing may take longer.

So this means there's no indexing memory in the system, I take it? Every time the car starts it needs to index and build media commands?