Sync 4A Update Overview from Ford - Larger Apple CarPlay Android Auto interface, added dial functionality & more

[SashaLondon]

Love the knob as well

That statement means something else in the UK.....

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[Shayne]

That statement means something else in the UK.....

Don't be a wanker.

 

[Keeperofthe7keys]

@JustSomeQuickGuy To not spam up the Vapor Blue thread (which I wish I had that color!) show us off the new UI here a little if you don't mind?

 

[JustSomeQuickGuy]

@JustSomeQuickGuy To not spam up the Vapor Blue thread (which I wish I had that color!) show us off the new UI here a little if you don't mind?

If you're looking for something more specific in the demo, let me know, I can record another video. I've never used the old UI beyond one time last year during a test drive, so I can't really speak to the differences.



I do wish they had some buttons up top, or let you customize buttons on top (ie: opening the truck, frunk, turning on the camera).

The UI isn't always the smoothest, and will get slightly choppy at times but most of the time it performs well. If I'm playing music via Android Auto, and doing something else in the UI, sometimes the music will cut out for 1-2 seconds. Hopefully they can fix that over time.

 

[macchiaz-o]

If you're looking for something more specific in the demo, let me know, I can record another video. I've never used the old UI beyond one time last year during a test drive, so I can't really speak to the differences.



I do wish they had some buttons up top, or let you customize buttons on top (ie: opening the truck, frunk, turning on the camera).

The UI isn't always the smoothest, and will get slightly choppy at times but most of the time it performs well. If I'm playing music via Android Auto, and doing something else in the UI, sometimes the music will cut out for 1-2 seconds. Hopefully they can fix that over time.

Hard to say while watching someone else use it, but that looks a bit quicker than the earlier versions that the rest of us have used.

Regarding the audio cut outs with Android Auto, this is a new problem for existing owners starting with the updates to SYNC that came out in recent months. Though the cut out is usually shorter like a quarter to half second.

A workaround that I use is to pause Android Auto playback for five seconds and then resume it. This mostly fixes it for the remainder of the drive. It's especially a problem if you tap pause and the audio continues playing for several seconds before it pauses. Thus wait five seconds before resuming to ensure the buffer is fully cleared.

 

[jrstinkfish]

Regarding the audio cut outs with Android Auto, this is a new problem for existing owners starting with the updates to SYNC that came out in recent months. Though the cut out is usually shorter like a quarter to half second.

It's actually a returning issue -- this was happening to me last year. I just started using wired 100% of the time as a result, and when I got a new phone around November 2021, I tried wireless again and the cutouts were gone ... until last week after my car got a series of OTAs. Now it's back

 

[Keeperofthe7keys]

If you're looking for something more specific in the demo, let me know, I can record another video. I've never used the old UI beyond one time last year during a test drive, so I can't really speak to the differences.



I do wish they had some buttons up top, or let you customize buttons on top (ie: opening the truck, frunk, turning on the camera).

The UI isn't always the smoothest, and will get slightly choppy at times but most of the time it performs well. If I'm playing music via Android Auto, and doing something else in the UI, sometimes the music will cut out for 1-2 seconds. Hopefully they can fix that over time.

Thanks for posting! Just needed to see what I'm missing I picked up mine yesterday, last production week of 22, wonder how long until the update gets pushed.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

If you're looking for something more specific in the demo, let me know, I can record another video. I've never used the old UI beyond one time last year during a test drive, so I can't really speak to the differences.



I do wish they had some buttons up top, or let you customize buttons on top (ie: opening the truck, frunk, turning on the camera).

The UI isn't always the smoothest, and will get slightly choppy at times but most of the time it performs well. If I'm playing music via Android Auto, and doing something else in the UI, sometimes the music will cut out for 1-2 seconds. Hopefully they can fix that over time.

That is a great walk through, Thank You!

What is they button up next to settings? It looks like an Android Auto button that showed up when you switched away from AA.

I don’t know if you have an iPhone around, or would be great to see what the tiled CarPlay Home Screen looks like in the new full screen.

Interesting that they left the D off Unbridled, I hope that’s an accident. Unbridle seems like an odd phrasing.
If you tap it what does it look like?

 

[generaltso]

That is a great walk through, Thank You!

What is they button up next to settings? It looks like an Android Auto button that showed up when you switched away from AA.

I don’t know if you have an iPhone around, or would be great to see what the tiled CarPlay Home Screen looks like in the new full screen.

Interesting that they left the D off Unbridled, I hope that’s an accident. Unbridle seems like an odd phrasing.
If you tap it what does it look like?

Well, they never put a D on Engage, so maybe they just decided to match the tenses.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

Well, they never put a D on Engage, so maybe they just decided to match the tenses.

It just sounds wrong to say though.

 

[scoopman]

If you're looking for something more specific in the demo, let me know, I can record another video. I've never used the old UI beyond one time last year during a test drive, so I can't really speak to the differences.



I do wish they had some buttons up top, or let you customize buttons on top (ie: opening the truck, frunk, turning on the camera).

The UI isn't always the smoothest, and will get slightly choppy at times but most of the time it performs well. If I'm playing music via Android Auto, and doing something else in the UI, sometimes the music will cut out for 1-2 seconds. Hopefully they can fix that over time.

Thanks for posting this. I co-founded Android Auto back when I was at Google, but sorry, your audio focus bugs are not something I can fix anymore. (I would use wired AA, multiplexing the wireless radio properly is a constant problem they have).

I did spend way too much time learning and doing automotive company driver distraction testing. It's interesting that Ford did this -- especially with the additional affordances they seemingly put inside and above the knob to indicate its modality and the current setting. Four questions:

(1) When you select an HVAC control (such as temperature as you showed in your video) will the knob "time out" after a period of time, or does it stay active to change temperature until you change it?

(2) Are there any buttons you thought you would be able to then adjust with the knob that weren't adjustable with the knob? How does the knob work if you bring up the full-screen HVAC controls?

(3) Did the system bring up any tutorial when you first used your car to help you understand this multi-control?

(4) if you don't ever select an HVAC control to adjust, and just twist the knob, does it continue to change volume if there is audio of any type playing?

 

[scoopman]

Well, they never put a D on Engage, so maybe they just decided to match the tenses.

I think that Ford is putting the active app that has focus as an icon in the status line -- this gives them more vertical space for projection. In the older UI, you'll notice they have a lot of wasted space for a "window title" line that it looks like they removed in this new UI.

 

[scoopman]

That is a great walk through, Thank You!

What is they button up next to settings? It looks like an Android Auto button that showed up when you switched away from AA.

I don’t know if you have an iPhone around, or would be great to see what the tiled CarPlay Home Screen looks like in the new full screen.

Interesting that they left the D off Unbridled, I hope that’s an accident. Unbridle seems like an odd phrasing.
If you tap it what does it look like?

I'm sure their tech writer thought it was best to match all three as present-tense verbs. I wonder if they changed it to "Untame" instead of "Untamed" for the UK.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

I'm sure their tech writer thought it was best to match all three as present-tense verbs. I wonder if they changed it to "Untame" instead of "Untamed" for the UK.

Of all the things they chose to “fix” I don’t think anyone was complaining about the grammatical tense of the drive modes.

 

[macchiaz-o]

Of all the things they chose to “fix” I don’t think anyone was complaining about the grammatical tense of the drive modes.

This change frees up a couple nibbles of storage.

After Whisper changes to Shh there will be room to push an electronic frunk update to @Jimrpa's vehicle. (Only his at first.)

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