SYNC 3 lets you connect your Apple or Android smartphone to your car SYNC 3 Apple Carplay Android Auto. Instead of the SYNC 3 interface on the 8” Touchscreen, it will display the familiar screen of your Smartphone. Navigate and control your Apps using the buttons, dials and touchscreen in your Ford, or by using simple voice commands. Infotainment.com has been in the industry for over 10-years. We specialize in upgrading the MyFord Touch Sync 2 to Sync 3 100% plug & play. We will pre-program the kit to your exact vehicle so it can be installed within 20 minutes.

• 2016 Ford Escape Apple Carplay
• Ford Focus Apple Carplay
• Ford Apple Carplay Wireless

Good news: Ford has figured a way to retroactively give Apple Siri Eyes-Free capabilities to five million Fords and Lincolns dating back to 2011 models. Eyes-Free is a way to communicate to Siri and thus to your iPhone via the car’s press-to-talk button. You can ask Siri just about anything so long as the back-and-forth is all spoken: your requests to Siri, Siri’s responses to you. Not much displays on Ford’s 8-inch color LCD (which continues showing whatever was on the display like the current music playing) and nothing at all shows on the phone because Eyes-Free it’s blanked out once Eyes-Free take over.

Along with current cars already set up for Eyes-Free, that means the majority of the 12 million Fords built with one of the three flavors of Sync can now use Eyes-Free. This update is for Ford Sync version 2, the one that is being superseded in 2015 and 2016 models. You’ll need to download a Sync update, either at home (via a USB key) or at the dealership, but check first to see if you’ll be charged, since this is not a bug fix. Sync 1 (2008-2011) is not updatable, and Sync 3 (some 2016 cars, virtually all 2017s) already has it.

How it works

When a smartphone shares the steering wheel push-to-talk button, a short touch summons the car’s voice recognition system. A long press alerts the phone the request is for the phone’s voice recognizer, in this case Siri Eyes-Free. Ford says, “Drivers can use just their voice to ask Siri for requests,” meaning “drivers can use only their voice,” because the phone display is blanked and Eyes-Free is not sophisticated enough, nor are the cars of the era ready, to display on the dash LCD anything gleaned from the phone.

(This doesn’t stop the phone from displaying iPhone music or phonebook entries, since that’s done outside of Eyes-Free.)

According to Ford, some of the things you can do via Eyes-Free are:

• “Audibly” send and receive text messages. A text comes in, it’s read — spoken — to you. You want to send a text, you dictate what you want to see (so to speak) sent, then how close Siri comes to parsing your message, all without knowing if Siri is spelling it “to,” “too” or “2” or if “Gwen” once again parses as “Quinn.” It’s better than nothing.
• Choose and play music. You could also do this via the existing dashboard-to-phone interface and see what you’ve chosen. Still, it’s kind of cool the first time say “Play the Boss” and Siri knows you mean Springsteen.
• Ask about the weather here or at your destination if navigation is also running, or by naming another city.
• Set an alarm or reminder.
• Look up phone numbers for points of interest.
• Make calls to phone book contacts.
• Get directions through Apple maps. (Directions via Google Maps running on your iPhone? Fuggedaboutit.)

Makes you wish there’s a download for Sync 3

According to Sherif Marakby, director of Ford Electronics and Electrical Systems Engineering, “SYNC, Ford’s entertainment and communications system, was designed to be flexible and updatable, just like other mobile technologies, so our customers are able to get the most out of their smartphones while behind the wheel.”

An owner who’s seen the wonders of Sync 3 — a seriously up-to-date and useful interface — might wish the “flexible and updatable” part of Sync extended to ditching Sync 2 and downloading Sync 3. That is not in the cards, because Sync 2 is tied to old hardware and the last-generation operating system from Microsoft, rather than BlackBerry’s QNX that powers Sync 3.

Sorry.

What CarPlay does

CarPlay takes the things that you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them on your car's built-in display. When you connect your iPhone to CarPlay, you can get turn-by-turn directions, make calls, send and receive messages, listen to music, and more. CarPlay uses the contacts on your iPhone to help you make calls, send texts, and find destinations.

CarPlay uses Siri Voice Control, so you can ask for what you want while you're driving — allowing you to stay focused on the road. CarPlay even works with the built-in controls in your car — like a touchscreen, knob, or button.

Set up CarPlay

Follow these steps to get started:

1. Make sure that you're in an area that supports CarPlay and that your car supports CarPlay.
2. Start your car, then make sure that Siri is on.
3. Connect your iPhone to your car:
   • If your car supports CarPlay via USB cable, plug your iPhone into the USB port in your car. The USB port might be labeled with a CarPlay icon or a smartphone icon.
   • If your car supports wireless CarPlay, press and hold the voice-command button on your steering wheel. Make sure that your stereo is in wireless or Bluetooth mode. Then on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay, tap Available cars, then select your car. Check your car manual for more information.

Learn more about CarPlay and driving and navigating safely.

Use Siri with CarPlay

If your vehicle supports CarPlay or Siri Eyes Free, hold down the voice-command button on your steering wheel while you say what you need. If you aren't sure where the voice-command button is, check the manual for your car or stereo.

Remove and arrange CarPlay apps

While using CarPlay, the display in your car will show available apps. To add, remove, or customize the order that the apps are in on your iOS device:

2016 Ford Escape Apple Carplay

1. Go to Settings > General, and tap CarPlay.
2. Select your car.
3. Use the add or delete icons to add or remove apps. Tap and drag an app to change the icon order.

Ford Focus Apple Carplay

Only apps that are supported by CarPlay will appear. If you have an issue with a third-party app, try to contact the app developer.

Get help

If CarPlay doesn't work like you expect, make sure that your iPhone has the latest version of iOS. After your iPhone is updated, follow these steps—checking CarPlay after each step:

1. If CarPlay doesn't activate automatically, look for the CarPlay logo on your car's display.
2. Restart your iPhone and your car.
3. Make sure that Siri is on.
4. If your iPhone isn't detected by CarPlay, make sure that CarPlay isn't restricted. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap Allowed Apps and make sure that CarPlay is enabled.
5. Go to Settings > General > CarPlay, and tap Forget This Car.
6. Check your connection:
   • If you have a wired connection, try connecting again with a different USB cable to a different USB port if you have one.
   • If you have a wireless connection, enable AirPlane Mode by going to Settings > Airplane Mode. Don't enable Airplane Mode from Control Center.
7. If needed, install firmware updates. Check your car's manual for more information.

Ford Apple Carplay Wireless

If you still have issues connecting to CarPlay, contact Apple Support.