Voice Command - is it worthless

[dtr]

I tried using the voice command initially

Voice command sucks

My writing skills are abysmal, but my diction is very good as I had poor diction and then had speech lessons for 4 or 5 years as a child. If it can not understand me even on the third try how the heck can it understand most people?

Why the heck did ford team up with Microsoft anyway????? btw I am not an apple fan I just recognize MS limitations.

 

[peterk9]

I had no issues with voice command in my previous Explorer nor with my MKT.
As long as the proper commands are given, it has operated as advertised. I use voice command mainly for radio, climate and navigation.

Peter

 

[1995E]

You have to speak like a robot. You have to understand, voice recognition is not as clear as the human ear. Unless if you have the processing power of the NSA, then maybe you would have top notch voice commands. Even so, a computer can only analyze your voice so much with the resources it has. It makes it harder when there is road noise, accents, and so on. I agree, Ford can improve on the voice commands by a lot. This is why I heard they are moving from Microsoft Auto to Blackberry's GNX O.S.

 

[blwnsmoke]

You have to speak like a robot.

What???? I speak very natural to it with no issues and I have it in 2 vehicles. You do not have to speak like a robot. In fact, the more you do not speak naturally, the more it will not understand you. If you try to talk really loud or shout, if you try to pronounce your words more exact and clear, I find it does not recognize as well. Talk as you would to a passenger.

 

[dco43054]

I tried using the voice command initially

Voice command sucks

What are you trying to get it to do?

It changes radio stations pretty easily.

I never use it to do anything else.

 

[xxboarderxx]

What???? I speak very natural to it with no issues and I have it in 2 vehicles. You do not have to speak like a robot. In fact, the more you do not speak naturally, the more it will not understand you. If you try to talk really loud or shout, if you try to pronounce your words more exact and clear, I find it does not recognize as well. Talk as you would to a passenger.

I agree. Also, if it doesn't understand you completely, it will usually give you options. For example, if I am calling someone and MFT cannot fully distinguish, then it will ask you to choose an option displayed on the screen.

Now, for the OP's question about whether it is worthless or not...that's really up to your personal preference. Can you do without? Absolutely. I use the right thumb controls on the steering wheel for most things but when I want to call someone or control music, it is almost always voice command.

 

[jrmexplorer]

I use them quite a bit for phone commands and navigation commands. I find them unhelpful for climate or radio. In my opinion the commands work pretty good.

 

[dtr]

What are you trying to get it to do?

It changes radio stations pretty easily.

I never use it to do anything else.

I agree on voice for radio stations, but the six presets work even better.

my temp button and the + and - buttons work well. Climate voice is rather frustrating

Navigation sucks no matter how you use it

Buttons on steering wheel and for temperature control seem well thought out so why suffer through poor voice commands?

 

[ltdjp]

Mine works fine.. I usually use it for bluetooth sync phone calls and changing radio stations

 

[CreativeAVtech]

My 2 year old daughter repeats the voice commands that I regularly give the Sync system and it even understands her..... Sometimes when I don't want it too.

She hears the "Ding, Please say a command" and then my daughter yells out "Destination, Favorites"....... lol

 

[182RG]

Why the heck did ford team up with Microsoft anyway????? btw I am not an apple fan I just recognize MS limitations.

Voice Recognition isn't a Microsoft thing. The Voice Recognition module/engine is Nuance, which is a leader in the industry, which is very mature BTW.

I personally believe some of the issues are hardware, specifically the crappy microphone and it's placement in the vehicle. We use hundreds of portable voice recognition terminals (Vocollect) on the factory floor. Proper hardware is essential.

Also, you do have to speak at its level, using its command structure and speak clearly and with enunciation. It doesn't recognize mumble, "Um", "Ah", Hillbilly, and/or Brooklyn.

 

[jester435]

My Wife's name is McCall like the town in Idaho.. Most individuals we meet mess it up for the first few times we are around them.

Microsoft sync is flawless when I call her everyday I leave work. "Calling McCall on cell"

I also use the voice recognition for temperature, radio station, and nav. All have worked flawless.

I like the Microsoft system way better than any other car I have driven.

 

[hambone83]

Its a real nice feature actually.
Just a slight learning curve. Took me a few days of playing with options and I feel now I've mastered it. I use it for almost everything in the vehicle while driving.
Also - far better system than the BMW X5 i-drive voice commands; they were extremely limited and useless...

 

[blwnsmoke]

Navigation sucks no matter how you use it

If Navigation sucks, then it is the user and not the navigation. Sorry, I refuse to believe (unless the APIM has failed) that the Nav is junk. It works very well and voice commands work very well. You just need to know the commands.

After reading your comment in that regards, I recorded 3 videos today , all flawless and all doing different things via nav just for people to see.

I do radio commands as well as phone commands.. the one thing I don't do is climate (I have but it's quicker to hit the buttons).

Now you don't need to waste your time watching them but it just goes to show how well it does work.

And this is in my 2015 F350 but MFT is the same thing int he Explorer.

 

[dtr]

If Navigation sucks, then it is the user and not the navigation. Sorry, I refuse to believe (unless the APIM has failed) that the Nav is junk. It works very well and voice commands work very well. You just need to know the commands.

After reading your comment in that regards, I recorded 3 videos today , all flawless and all doing different things via nav just for people to see.

I do radio commands as well as phone commands.. the one thing I don't do is climate (I have but it's quicker to hit the buttons).

Now you don't need to waste your time watching them but it just goes to show how well it does work.

And this is in my 2015 F350 but MFT is the same thing int he Explorer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI4ZvdRR2Q8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwawoIdSgSw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r06KUL-80Xo

Well thanks for blaming the "user" as opposed to the POS navigation system supplied with my EX.

I have successfully used several other navigation systems that were of better or lesser value but none was as bad as the POS in my EX.

Thanks for your comments. I can not see videos as my cell connection is rather poor in this National park.

I will never recommend Ford nav and may never buy a ford again mainly based on feeling ripped off for this POS navigation system they sold me.

Sorry if you can not differentiate between the POS navigation supplied by ford versus all the other navigation systems out there.

These are my opinions and YMMV

 

[blwnsmoke]

These are my opinions and YMMV

Thank you for proving my point. It is your opinion that the system is a POS and it is a fact that it is not. As I have just provided almost 4 minutes of video showing the nav functions and how well it works by voice.

Again, APIMs have failed and are known to fail in the past. If an owner has a bad APIM then I can understand their frustration but with a working APIM and v3.6.2, the system works very very well.

And with a working APIM, of course I am going to blame the user because there is a learning curve/process to MFT. I have had over 3 years with it and know it very well.

 

[dco43054]

Thank you for proving my point. It is your opinion that the system is a POS and it is a fact that it is not. As I have just provided almost 4 minutes of video showing the nav functions and how well it works by voice..

Sorry - but it's your opinion that it's not.

IMHO - Is voice command totally worthless? No, but the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

 

[peterk9]

I think that the issue here is that you are judging the MFT Voice Command system based on your negative experience with your own system. This is the same way that a few members who have had one issue after another with their own Explorer paint the entire 5th generation with the same brush. It isn't only unfair but also highly inaccurate. That is just human nature.

Peter

 

[blwnsmoke]

Sorry - but it's your opinion that it's not.

IMHO - Is voice command totally worthless? No, but the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

I feel it is fact since I have video proof that it works extremely well. I would love to see others who have 3.6.2 and post videos of how much of a POS it is.

Not only did I go through the address input but changed states as well. I had it look up gas stations, restaurants and also dialed the number for me to place an order. Not a single hiccup or issue.

Prior versions to 3.6.2.. yes, the system was junk back then but ever since the latest release, it has been awesome. This is the version Ford should have released with, not the 4th or 5th update.

When you provide video proof of how well it works, that is not an opinion. Typing words on the internet is opinion if you have nothing to back it up with.

I never said it was 100% perfect, I said it isn't a POS and it works very well. My posts started here because someone said it is a POS, Navigation sucks and voice commands suck. That is just not the case whatsoever.

 

[dtr]

How do you load POIs into the POS NAV?

btw, just because you can not discriminate or understand why others prefer superior gps systems (like even one of my cheap second rate garmins) does not mean you have proved anything. Yes I still am of the opinion the nav in my ex is a POS