Ford to Roll Out Sync 4 Infotainment, Wireless Connectivity
Touchscreens will measure as huge as 15.5 inches, and the Sync 4 system will come with smoother over-the-air updates and multitasking screens.
By
Sebastian Blanco
OCT 30, 2019
Ford
- Ford will put Sync 4 infotainment software on upcoming models; it can learn your habits and connects to the cloud and the user's smartphone wirelessly.
- New over-the-air updates for Ford vehicles will be "virtually invisible to customers."
- All this tech, on touchscreens from eight to more than 15 inches, will start coming to new and redesigned Fords in 2020. Which ones? Ford isn't saying yet.
Ford is bringing big updates to the increasingly big screens in its upcoming vehicles. Some of those updates will come in the form of an advanced version of the over-the-air technology that the company promises will be "virtually invisible to customers." The other will be through the introduction of Sync 4, the latest version of Ford's in-dash software, to select Ford vehicles that the automaker has not yet named.
Since the 2016 model year, Ford vehicles that have the
Sync 3 with navigation infotainment system have been
updatable using Wi-Fi or with a USB drive that has the new code on it. With this now improved over-the-air (OTA) service, when Ford pushes an update to vehicles, the cars will download the new software in the background but keep running the current software until it can activate the new version. This update method is "something that no other vehicle, or even some popular smartphones, can do today," Ford says.
Related Story
2020 Ford Explorer's Giant Vertical Touchscreen
The new OTA tech will be available on most redesigned Ford vehicles in the U.S. starting in 2020, Ford says.
Ford
Sync 4 for New Big Screens
Continuing with the wireless theme, one of the big improvements in Sync 4 is cloud connectivity for improved performance, as well as cord-free compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sync AppLink. The stronger cloud connection will let drivers have easier conversations with their cars to search for information on restaurants, the nearest electric-vehicle charge station, or sending texts or emails. Cloud connectivity will come standard with vehicles that have Sync 4. Wireless charging for phones will also be available.
