My Ford Touch Thread

[copernicium112]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Talking about third party apps and how they can be controlled by applink doesn't really benefit sync G1 v 3.x from 2012 as they have not made any announcements as to updates so sync G1 customers have still been left for dead in comparison to MFT which has been updated several times.

Yeah, MFT has been updated several times but it is not like they are adding some new "latest and greatest" features to it. The only thing these updates have accomplished is the removal of more and more features and functions. I'm not sure which is worse - being left for dead but still having full functionality or being updated regularly and finding out after each update that your system can do less and less in comparison to when you purchased it.

[blackraven456]

Originally Posted by Kabigon

http://arstechnica.com/information-t...gram-for-sync/

But Ford owners who have vehicles with the second generation of Sync may have to wait a little longer. Marketed as MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch, the next-generation Sync system sports a larger 8-inch, touch-sensitive display. But it doesn't currently support AppLink—Ellis says Ford is working on it, but just how soon MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch will get the voice integration capability remains to be determined.

The answer is never. Remember it takes this company months and months to fix a digital clock. It's just lip service.

[oritpro]

v3.5.1 has been nothing but trouble. While several problems were fixed, annoying new problems were introduced.

Example, on my way to work this morning while listening to Sirius/XM I hit the voice command switch and...

Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"
Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"
Me - "FM"
MFT - "99 is not a valid channel"
Me - "FM"
MFT - "Adding new device..."

...and up pops the add new device screen. I selected the home button on the steering wheel and the home screen returned but my phone was disconnected and the display info for the satellite channel I was listening to disappeared. This isn't the first time this has happened. MFT -> Time to CTRL-ALT-DEL again.

In other news, it looks like GM has the right idea:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/...al-smartphone/

Not perfect and not necessarily better, but definitely a step in the right direction. They provide updates through a phone app instead of a flash image that requires dealer installation or an hour of your time sitting in the driveway while all presets get blown away. Add another 15-30 minutes for reprogramming.

I am developing a similar system on a low cost SoC platform and have been using it in my vehicle with excellent success over the past two weeks. It's not a new concept, but it sure has potential.

Proprietary IVI's are not the future. The smartphone is and will continue to evolve as such. I'd take a Ford over Chevy any day, but I'll make my own toys.

[lddavis]

A smarter idea would be to turn the WiFi radio around, and instead of being a hotspot uplinking through your cell, to use it to connect to your home (or work or coffeeshop) WiFi and download updates via the Internet.

[feta_mgp]

Originally Posted by oritpro

v3.5.1 has been nothing but trouble. While several problems were fixed, annoying new problems were introduced.

Example, on my way to work this morning while listening to Sirius/XM I hit the voice command switch and...

Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"
Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"
Me - "FM"
MFT - "99 is not a valid channel"
Me - "FM"
MFT - "Adding new device..."

...and up pops the add new device screen. I selected the home button on the steering wheel and the home screen returned but my phone was disconnected and the display info for the satellite channel I was listening to disappeared. This isn't the first time this has happened. MFT -> Time to CTRL-ALT-DEL again.

In other news, it looks like GM has the right idea:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/...al-smartphone/

Not perfect and not necessarily better, but definitely a step in the right direction. They provide updates through a phone app instead of a flash image that requires dealer installation or an hour of your time sitting in the driveway while all presets get blown away. Add another 15-30 minutes for reprogramming.

I am developing a similar system on a low cost SoC platform and have been using it in my vehicle with excellent success over the past two weeks. It's not a new concept, but it sure has potential.

Proprietary IVI's are not the future. The smartphone is and will continue to evolve as such. I'd take a Ford over Chevy any day, but I'll make my own toys.

Haven't had any of your issues with v3.5.1 *shrug* so I can't comment on your issues. GMs initiative is cool, but I think a system like MFT with those features would be all the better. I'd rather have the voice commands in my system rather than rely on my phone, and if it's Siri only than that means all Google Voice users are out of the picture, big no no. So the idea is neat, but for consumers to take advantage of it they HAVE to have a smartphone, and at that it seems like they HAVE to have an iPhone to get the most from their system.

So, I agree and disagree. I like MFT, my v3.5.1 has fixed most of my issues, it's very usable now, much more stable, and the only things remaining I can complain about are aesthetics, displayed information, and some small quirks here and there probably brought on by the system interaction with my iPod, not the system being at fault entirely.

[Woggy64]

Originally Posted by oritpro

v3.5.1 has been nothing but trouble. While several problems were fixed, annoying new problems were introduced.

Example, on my way to work this morning while listening to Sirius/XM I hit the voice command switch and...

Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"
Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"
Me - "FM"
MFT - "99 is not a valid channel"
Me - "FM"
MFT - "Adding new device..."

...and up pops the add new device screen. I selected the home button on the steering wheel and the home screen returned but my phone was disconnected and the display info for the satellite channel I was listening to disappeared. This isn't the first time this has happened. MFT -> Time to CTRL-ALT-DEL again.

I love this 3.5.1 update - everything has been working without issues for me except for some voice commands. But those voice commands work for others in my car - so the better half is blaming my east coast accent that the rest in the family do not have :)

[oritpro]

Originally Posted by Woggy64

I love this 3.5.1 update - everything has been working without issues for me except for some voice commands. But those voice commands work for others in my car - so the better half is blaming my east coast accent that the rest in the family do not have :)

Glad it's working better for others. It works fine for me most of the time but every once in awhile is goes brain dead.

Sent from my RK3066 using FF Mobile

[copernicium112]

Originally Posted by oritpro

v3.5.1 has been nothing but trouble. While several problems were fixed, annoying new problems were introduced.

Example, on my way to work this morning while listening to Sirius/XM I hit the voice command switch and...

Me - "fm"
MFT - "For your safety that device has been disabled"

I've had this one twice. Not trying to go to FM though. Once trying to bring up the weather map and once trying to make a phone call. Same thing though, telling me for my safety some functions are disabled while driving (phone calls and weather map, hmmmm, strange, they both typically work while moving at other times).

Other things that have crept in:

Had to run to the store a few days ago and wanted to hear the song "Quite Unusual" by Front 242. It went:

"Play song Quite Unusual"

"Please choose" followed by a list of four songs that looked like:

1 <song title> - U2
2 <song title> - U2
3 <song title> - U2
4 <song title> - U2

"None of those"

"Play song Quite Unusual"

again a list of four song titles all followed by "- U2"

This went on for 10 minutes and every song title on list after list was followed by "- U2". Almost all of the song titles it brought up were not even by U2 (and none of them were "Quite Unusual") but it put U2 after every one. It was really hung up on U2. Went in to the store, got a few things, left and headed home. Tried again (and again and again and again) on the way home and same thing, always a list of titles followed by U2. Never even got the actual song title to come up for the drive to or from the store. The next morning I got in and headed off to work and for fun tried "Play song Quite Unusual". Bing, command accepted and it played the song first try. No hassle.

It also now just starts indexing at random times. Sometimes I get in and start up and it is indexing, even though the iPod has been left plugged in unchanged and indexing had already completed. No reboot has occurred either while the car was off. Sometimes I'll be driving, using voice commands and playing music and 15, 20 25 minutes or so into my drive it just goes into indexing for no reason. Working fine up to that point but it just goes to indexing. Again, no crash/reboot has occurred. It just does it for no reason.

Speaking of indexing I've also found that when it legitimately has to index again, after I make changes or run a delayed reboot, if I have my map screen up it will take about 2 and a half to 3 hours total drive time to complete indexing/voice commands. If I leave it on the home screen the entire process completes in just about 20 minutes. Tested this several times and always the same result.

Two other new things, and I don't know if they are related to the update install:

IA just plain doesn't work about 10% of the time anymore. I have had an occassional problem where I would have trouble unlocking it with either front handle but the back handles always unlocked it no problem, no issue. It also always locked no problem, no issue when I touched the pad. Now it just does nothing. Won't unlock when I use any of the handles and won't lock no matter how many times I touch the pad. Have to fish the fob out of my pocket and lock or unlock using the fob buttons.

About 50% of the time now if I am driving and it starts raining and I have to turn the wipers on (fully on, not rain sensing), the headlights will not come on even though it is on "auto". No matter how long the wipers have been on the headlights will not kick on. I have to go and change it from "auto" to "on" physically to get headlights. The other 50% of the time it works fine, I turn the wipers on and several seconds later the headlights kick on.

Again, not sure if the last two are related but it seems awfully coincidental that these issues that never existed before would suddenly appear after an update was done.

[oritpro]

More MFT fun this morning.

Me - "FM"
MFT - click! (turns off)

I press the power button.

Me - "FM"
MFT - "For your safety some devices have been disabled"

Me - "FM"
MFT - "Adding new device"

My phone gets disconnected and up pops the add new device screen.

For something that was designed to minimize driver distraction it sure is distracting when it doesn't work right.

I give up.

[feta_mgp]

Originally Posted by copernicium112

...Again, not sure if the last two are related but it seems awfully coincidental that these issues that never existed before would suddenly appear after an update was done.

I've seen others with the IA issues, I don't think that has to do with the update. As a matter of fact neither of those should have to do with the update. I say should because I can't be 100% positive, but I would imagine the system that controls the headlights/wipers/IA is entirely separate from the MFT system...

That said, your car seems to have had voice command issues for EVER. It's weird how inconsistent these cars are, as you know I've responded to your posts usually stating that my voice commands work exceptionally well, now especially after upgrading to v3.5.1 my "play (anything, song, artist, etc.)" simplified commands work rather well.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the microphone in your car functioning improperly? I don't think anyone has ever made the suggestion but if the microphone isn't properly picking up your voice than it would certainly result in issues with the system.