Ford announced many new apps as 
well as AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots coming in the fall. App partners include ExxonMobil, Samsung, DriverScore, Sygic and Dash Radio. Ford SYNC works as an IBM Watson app. Ford Apps will work with Amazon Alexa. In the summer, drivers can ask Alexa questions through the steering wheel voice button.
Ford SYNC AppLink integrates the latest in technology trends – mobile payments and navigation, wearables, usage-based insurance, voice control and streaming music – with the car.
Digital Assistant with Watson
The latest innovation to come from a Ford hackathon is integration of IBM Watson – showcasing the potential to provide customers with access to voice-controlled digital assistants in the car.
This year’s Ford’s hackathon winner leveraging IBM Watson technology – a machine-learning, question-answering system – shows that with AppLink, Ford is well positioned to capitalize on the popularity and capability of cloud-based digital assistants, which are on the rise.
Watson uses natural language processing and machine learning to reveal insights from large amounts of unstructured data. Drivers can easily control the Watson app using their vehicle’s touch screen, steering wheel controls and voice capability. If developed into a consumer offering, it could ultimately serve as a comprehensive in-vehicle assistant that addresses requests ranging from “What’s the weather like?” to “What’s on my calendar?” to “Where’s the nearest restaurant?”
The Watson app uses the voice pass-through capabilities of both AppLink and other SYNC tools that provide access to vehicle fuel level. When fuel is low, the app issues a verbal alert and suggests nearby gas stations along the vehicle route. Working exclusively with Ford SYNC, it combines unique machine-learning capabilities to answer questions more effectively over time.
Ford & Amazon Alexa
Ford and Amazon have partnered to offer consumers the ability to access their car from home, and call up other features from their vehicle via Alexa – Amazon’s cloud-based voice service.
The Alexa capability through Ford SYNC 3 AppLink enables users to listen to audiobooks inside the vehicle, search and transfer local destinations to navigation, request news, play music, add items to Amazon shopping lists and more.
Access to Alexa in the car provides ability to command internet-enabled functions such as lighting, security systems, garage doors and other Alexa smart home devices.
Available home-to-car features allow electric vehicle owners to start and stop their engine, lock and unlock doors, and monitor vehicle readings, including fuel level and battery range.
Ford announced many new apps as well as AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots coming in the fall. App partners include ExxonMobil, Samsung, DriverScore, Sygic and Dash Radio. Ford SYNC works as an IBM Watson app. Ford Apps will work with Amazon Alexa. In the summer, drivers can ask Alexa questions through the steering wheel voice button.
Inside the vehicle, drivers can ask Alexa to locate a desired destination. Alexa will use the vehicle location to find nearby businesses. For example, customers could say, “Alexa, find the nearest Italian restaurant.” Once the driver chooses the desired destination, Alexa can transfer the address to the SYNC 3 navigation system.
Customers can also continue experiencing their favorite books from the road. Using Whispersync for Voice, Alexa will switch to an Audible audiobook recording to resume reading where the driver left off.
Through Alexa, Ford plug-in electric vehicle owners can control their vehicle from home using Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or Amazon Tap. Speaking to Alexa through one of these devices, they can:
- Start or stop the engine.
- Lock or unlock doors.
- Check range and charge status.
- Learn fuel level.
- Obtain a vehicle mileage summary.
Mobile Navigation with Sygic
In-car navigation is made easier as Ford offers a new feature to project navigation apps from the smartphone to the vehicle’s SYNC 3 touch screen.
Using a smartphone paired to the vehicle via USB cable, control of the Sygic app is removed from the smartphone. The app is automatically projected to the vehicle touch screen and linked to voice control. The feature works to help make navigation apps better by reducing drivers’ urges to pick up and look at their mobile devices.
Sygic is the first mobile navigation app to take advantage of Ford AppLink capability to move mobile navigation from the phone screen to the in-vehicle touch screen. Available in more than 200 countries and about 40 languages, Sygic technology is used by 150 million smartphone owners across the globe. The Sygic Car Navigation app is optimized to work seamlessly with Ford SYNC 3 – giving drivers more choice in how they navigate.
Mobile Fuel Payments
Ford and ExxonMobil introduced a new e-commerce app that helps make the chore of refueling and payment faster, easier and more secure.
Leveraging ExxonMobil’s Speedpass+, an automated payment system is now available for Ford SYNC 3, drivers can use voice commands to search for and find participating Exxon Mobil stations, as well as pay for fuel.
Speedpass+ users can access the app from their Ford SYNC 3 touch screen or by voice commands to authorize payment while automatically earning Plenti loyalty points at Exxon and Mobil stations.
Using GPS, the vehicle recognizes it is at a participating Exxon or Mobil station, making it easy for the driver to enter the pump number and automatically pay for gas.
To pay for fuel using voice commands:
- Say, “Pay for fuel” or “Express pay”
- Indicate which pump number to authorize by saying the number; for instance, “1” or “Pump 1”
- Confirm fuel authorization and begin fueling
Drivers also can use the app to search for and navigate to approximately 9,400 participating Exxon and Mobil stations. Using the Ford SYNC 3 touch screen, the car automatically shows a list of nearby stations, along with directions, when a customer’s fuel gauge drops below a specified fuel level.
Ford first introduced a mobile payment app in 2014 when it worked with Domino’s Pizza to add AppLink compatibility for its app – making the technology capable of placing a pizza order using a few simple voice commands.
Usage-Based Insurance with DriverScore
With insurance premiums on the rise nationwide, Ford introduces DriverScore – the first smartphone app to create a personalized driving score based on individual driving behavior that can lead to lower insurance rates.
Developed by IVOX™, DriverScore is a smartphone app compatible with the Ford SYNC®AppLink platform. DriverScore empowers consumers by giving them the option to share the score with participating insurance providers. The higher the score, the better.
Other usage-model insurance programs are based on performance of a vehicle, which often can have multiple drivers, so the driving behavior reported back to an insurance company isn’t personalized. Some other programs require raw vehicle data and driving performance data be shared with insurance carriers – information you might prefer to keep to yourself.
Developed by IVOX, DriverScore users share what they want, when they want. Only the score is shared, not the specific data points. DriverScore accesses vehicle data for consumers’ direct benefit. The user can agree to let the app’s sophisticated algorithm access vehicle data to objectively analyze driving patterns. The app takes into account speed, acceleration, braking, location and time of day.
With DriverScore, driving behavior is associated with the user’s smartphone, so every score is tailored to an individual since it only works when connected to the car. That means a younger driver’s inexperience won’t hurt a parent’s score. Likewise, a lead-footed driver won’t affect the score of a more cautious spouse – if they happen to share driving duties on weekends.
Other usage-model insurance programs score based on the performance of a vehicle, which often has multiple drivers, so driving behavior reported back to the insurance company isn’t personalized. Some of these programs require raw vehicle data and driving performance data be shared with insurance carriers – information you might prefer to keep to yourself.
DriverScore accesses vehicle data to directly benefit consumers, sharing only the score, not specific data points. The user can agree to let the app’s sophisticated algorithm access vehicle data to objectively analyze driving patterns. The app takes into account speed, acceleration, braking, location and time of day.
Once downloaded and set up, it runs in the background without any driver interaction when connected through SYNC AppLink. SYNC AppLink provides drivers with the ability to control compatible smartphone apps using their voice or the in-vehicle touch screen
SYNC Gears with Gear S2 & S3
With the popularity of wearable devices on the rise, Ford is offering vehicle integration to help make life more convenient and personalized.
Samsung Gear S2 and S3 smartwatch owners will soon be able to integrate their smartwatches to their Ford SYNC system for convenient parking and alerts that help them remain attentive in the car. The feature acts as an easy-to-use digital assistant that sends helpful prompts right to your wrist.
Samsung Gear S2/S3 wearers will soon be able to integrate your device to a Ford SYNC®-equipped vehicle for convenient parking reminders and alerts to help you remain attentive in the car.
The easy-to-use feature means you don’t have to remember to take out your smartphone and note your parking location. Rather, the app proactively asks you to log the vehicle’s location with just a few taps on your watch.
After parking and shutting the car off, drivers receive a prompt on their Samsung Gear smartwatch asking if they would like to log the parking spot, which is acquired from the vehicle’s GPS. If the vehicle is parked inside a parking garage, the driver can type the level, column and other location indicators into the watch interface. When returning to the vehicle, drivers can receive directions to navigate back to the parking spot using the watch.
Drivers can help ensure their attentiveness by using the Gear smartwatch to set audible chimes and voice alerts at three-, five-, 10-, 15- or 20-minute intervals while on the road. Future versions of the app will vibrate the watch as an added way to help keep the driver alert.
Gear Auto Link is expected to be available this spring.
The integration will include logging vehicle location upon parking and navigation back to the parking spot. It will help ensure attentiveness by sending audible chimes and voice alerts at intervals convenient to the driver.
Streaming Music with Dash
Launching soon, Dash Radio– the biggest all-original digital radio broadcasting platform in the world – will soon be accessible to consumers via an app on their SYNC touch screen. Running 24/7 and commercial-free, Dash Radio features more than 80 stations and more than 300 top DJs, artists and figures in the entertainment business. Dash Radio is available for free in an easy-to-use interface.
Ford Built-in Wi-Fi Hotspots Starting this Fall
SYNC Connect will now support families and those who use their cars as a mobile office by turning their vehicle into a Wi-Fi hotspot while on the go. Powered by AT&T’s 4G LTE network, the hotspot can support up to 10 devices at a time and, when parked, is accessible up to 50 feet outside the vehicle. An external antenna improves the signal and increases Wi-Fi performance, in both everyday commuter traffic and long family trips.
SYNC Connect Wi-Fi hotspot users can monitor data usage, signal strength and connected devices, plus block certain devices and change settings on the SYNC 3 touch screen. They can use FordPass to view Wi-Fi data usage and link to AT&T’s account management portal.
Ford owners can select a standalone AT&T data plan. Existing AT&T customers can easily share data among their smartphones, tablets and vehicles with an AT&T Mobile Share Advantage or Mobile Share Value plan. New vehicle buyers qualify for a trial subscription of three months or three gigabytes – whichever comes first.
To take advantage of the built-in Wi-Fi hotspot capability, a 2018 Ford vehicle must come with the appropriate hardware, and a wireless service plan is required. Data coverage and service is not available everywhere and terms of your wireless plan, including applicable data rates, may apply. Message and data rates may apply.