There are some of you out there who have never experienced the SYNC 3 connectivity system. That’s going to change for many of you because the Blue Oval is going to make it available on all of its 2017 models – cars, SUVs, light trucks (including the next-generation Super Duty), and electrified vehicles.
Not only is SYNC 3 running faster on all-new hardware and software, but it’s also compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Updates will come over the air via Wi-Fi.
You owners of iPhone 5s and later models will be able to use CarPlay through a 2017 Ford’s touch screen to voice-control Siri, look up a destination on Apple Maps, jam out to Apple Music, place a call through the Phone function, check your Messages, and do other things through a variety of third party apps.
Those of you who have phones operating on Android 5.0 or higher can use SYNC 3/Android Auto to get your bearings via Google Maps, listen to your tunes, and place calls and send text messages with voice commands.
SYNC AppLink provides access to convenient and helpful apps such as Spotify, Pandora, Ford PASS, AccuWeather, and AAA member services.
If you have tried SYNC 3, feel free to let us know what you like about it and how you think Ford can improve it.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
