How to get youtube/netflix on the display?

[mu5e]

Hello.
How do I get access to streaming apps on my display?
I am trying to figure out if Ford Streaming is what I need, but I could not get much from their description, seems like it is more for audio sreaming.

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[scoopman]

Ford's descriptions of their various subscription efforts that different groups at Ford are clearly doing is very confusing, and perhaps delibrately so.

To answer your question, all you need to play YouTube, and the NBC video you can find in your center display is to have your car connected to the internet. The Ford Streaming subscription DOES NOT do this.

What you can do to watch YouTube in your car is to activate the WiFi data hotspot from AT&T that's built-in to your car. You can do that here. Or you can turn on the wifi hotspot on your phone, and then connect to it from your car's Settings menu (you should see your phone's hotspot listed there after you turn it on). For me, I can conenct my car to my dashcam's hotspot, and stream YouTube from the car just fine.

Deceptively, some other offering at Ford is named "Ford Streaming" -- but it absolutely does not let you stream YouTube because it doesn't provide the data connection to the internet that you need. Rather, this poorly-named $10/mo subscription appears to only currently let you use premium features from Amazon's Alexa to control Amazon's music and podcasts. It's pretty low-value in my opinion, as you can have your phone's Assistant do any of these things for free, instead of $120 a year for your car only.

In their Ford Streaming description page, Ford says that Ford Streaming enables "video streaming" but then says "Requires .... Ford Streaming connected service plan or Wi-Fi network."

If I were guessing, I bet Ford is trying to get some premium video service to bundle into this subscription (eg, Peacock's paid plan for example), but they don't have any deal (yet?). The inaccurate description is still up on their web landing page, along with a deceptive YouTube-like logo.

I wonder how many poor owners signed up for "Ford Streaming" and then wondered why YouTube didn't work....

 

[mu5e]

What you can do to watch YouTube in your car is to activate the WiFi data hotspot from AT&T that's built-in to your car. You can do that here. Or you can turn on the wifi hotspot on your phone, and then connect to it from your car's Settings menu (you should see your phone's hotspot listed there after you turn it on). For me, I can conenct my car to my dashcam's hotspot, and stream YouTube from the car just fine.

Let's say I have wifi connected.
Where is youtube app in my console? I could not find it, There is an app to draw stuff on the screen and some puzzle game.

 

[scoopman]

Let's say I have wifi connected.
Where is youtube app in my console? I could not find it, There is an app to draw stuff on the screen and some puzzle game.

I should mention the other thing you need is a recent-enough version of software for Sync 4A center screen. I think PowerUp 3.4xx is the first one that had YouTube in it.

If you don't have the newest software, tap your profile circle in the middle of the top bar, and poke around on the menu that pulls down from the top and you should see a YouTube icon on it.

If you see the puzzle game but no YouTube, you need to sit in your car in the garage and stare at the screen until Ford starts sending your car OTAs. Or find a nice forum member or dealer who might help you get your software up to date...

 

[scoopman]

Here ya go, Ben the Ev Guy (before he sold his MME for a Model 3) made a video about the older UI with YouTube on it.



Your UI should look like this -- unless you have the fancy schmancy new updated UI, which has a similar menu of apps under a "home" icon.

 

[kdonnel]

The Ford Streaming subscription DOES NOT do this.

The Ford Streaming subscription definitely DOES give you access to stream the video apps.

When the streaming subscription is active there is no need to connect to wifi to use the YouTube app.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

What you can do to watch YouTube in your car is to activate the WiFi data hotspot from AT&T that's built-in to your car.

I don’t believe you can use the built in hotspot. You can use a home Wi-Fi, you phones hotspot, or pay $10 a month for Ford streaming.

 

[kdonnel]

I don’t believe you can use the built in hotspot. You can use a home Wi-Fi, you phones hotspot, or pay $10 a month for Ford streaming.

Correct.

Starting with 4.1.3 the car is able to connect to public wifi that uses a captive portal. I subscribed to the $10 streaming service initially because every time I wanted to stream the public wifi available had a captive portal and the car would not connect. Now I am thinking about canceling the streaming subscription.

 

[awp0]

My only contribution to this thread is noticing "netflix" in the title: You can't get Netflix on the center display unless you purchase a (arguably shady) physical media device that you plug in via USB.

I'd love it Ford were to add Netlifx, but I'm skeptical that they will because I expect it would either require a dedicated app, or a big investment in browser security. The Youtube app is clearly in some kind of browser container, but it's not exposed and likely not very full featured.

 

[generaltso]

To answer your question, all you need to play YouTube, and the NBC video you can find in your center display is to have your car connected to the internet. The Ford Streaming subscription DOES NOT do this.

What you can do to watch YouTube in your car is to activate the WiFi data hotspot from AT&T that's built-in to your car.

As others have said, you have those backwards. Ford Streaming DOES let you play YouTube over the car's built-in cellular modem. The car's Hotspot DOES NOT.

 

[scoopman]

As others have said, you have those backwards. Ford Streaming DOES let you play YouTube over the car's built-in cellular modem. The car's Hotspot DOES NOT.

I stand corrected then 5x over! This is how I read their poor marketing page for Ford Streaming, where they mention the word YouTube *zero* times.

Still not sure it's worth $10/mo though, as it sounds like this only enables data for those apps on your screen and nothing else.

 

[mu5e]

How to check the current version of software I have!

 

[azerik]

I thought I stumbled into a screen mirroring setting somewhere in the display. It might only work for Android or computers but I know I saw something that said. "connect to this display" and it had a bunch of values. I might try to play with that later.

 

[Neil4Real]

Here ya go, Ben the Ev Guy (before he sold his MME for a Model 3) made a video about the older UI with YouTube on it.



Your UI should look like this -- unless you have the fancy schmancy new updated UI, which has a similar menu of apps under a "home" icon.

Wow, I had no idea he sold his MME for a Model 3!

 

[scoopman]

Wow, I had no idea he sold his MME for a Model 3!

Indeed! https://www.instagram.com/bentheevguy/

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