Voice Commands

[UofMEngineer]

While I'm working on it, would it be of help to anyone that uses the built in VR to have a wider list of commands that are valid in the v3.4 releases? If you say "Commands" you'll get some high level examples broken out by function, but those are still limited since they need to be short and sweet for use while driving. v3.4 adds more flexibility in commands that folks have been saying. For example, "Switch to 100.3", "Play some <Genre> music" (USB), things of that nature.

Reminds me, I need to make a list of all the other changes in the newer build of v3.4 as well.

 

[UofMEngineer]

So, here are some starter examples, let me know if this is useful at all. Essentially, there are a handful of the simplest real world commands, followed by some other example phrasing styles. It won't encompass everything, but it's more options than what you'll see elsewhere. Note this is valid for the latest build, but most will work with 19101. I'll put anything specific to 19200 in italics.

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Selecting a Source
AM
FM
Sirius / SiriusXM / SXM
CD / CD Player
Bluetooth / Bluetooth Audio
<AppLink App Name>
USB
<Device Name>

Turn on / Switch to / Change to / Source + <Source Name>
Open / Launch + <AppLink App Name>

Terrestrial Radio
88.7 / 950
FM 88.7 / AM 950
88.7 FM / 950 AM

Tune to / Turn on / Switch to / Change to / Listen to / Play / Radio / Radio station + <Frequency>

Satellite Radio (Channel Number)
Sirius / SiriusXM / SXM channel 2
Channel 2

Tune to / Turn on / Switch to / Change to / Listen to / Play + <Channel Number>

Satellite Radio (Channel Name)
Sirius / SiriusXM / SXM Lithium
Lithium

Tune to / Turn on / Switch to / Change to / Listen to / Play + <Channel Name>

Satellite Radio (Games)
Turn on the Tigers Game
Switch to the Detroit Red Wings Game

Tune to the / Turn on the / Play the / Switch to the / Listen to the / Change to the + <Team Name> Game

CD
Play / Pause
Play Track + <Track #>

Bluetooth Audio
Play / Pause

USB (Generic Playback)
Play / Pause / Play All

USB (Play an Artist)
Play + <Name>
Play Artist + <Name>
Play the Artist + <Name>
Play Some + <Name>
Play Something by + <Name>
Play a Song by + <Name>

USB (Play a Song)
Play + <Name>
Play Song + <Name>
Play the Song + <Name>

You can add “by <Artist Name>” to the end of any of the above commands.

USB (Play an Album)
Play + <Name>
Play Album + <Name>
Play the Album + <Name>
Play Something from + <Name>
Play Some Music from + <Name>

You can add “by <Artist Name>” to the end of any of the above commands.

USB (Play a Genre)
Play + <Name>
Play Genre + <Name>
Play Some + <Name>
Play Some + <Name> Music

USB (Play a Podcast)
Play + <Name>
Play Podcast + <Name>
Play the Podcast + <Name>
Play the + <Name> Podcast
Play an Episode of + <Name>

USB (Play an Audiobook)
Play + <Name>
Play Audiobook + <Name>
Play the Audiobook + <Name>
Play my + <Name> Audiobook

USB (Play a Playlist)
Play + <Name>
Play Playlist + <Name>
Play my + <Name> Playlist

Similar to the other audio commands, you can use carrier phrases like “Turn on / Switch to / Change to / Listen to” instead of Play in the above commands. “Read” is also supported for Audiobooks.

USB (Generic Browsing)
Browse my + <Media Type, e.g. Artists>
Browse all + <Media Type, e.g. Songs>

USB (Browse Genres)
Browse + <Name>
Browse Genre + <Name>
Browse my + <Name> Albums
Browse + <Name> Music

USB (Browse Albums)
Browse + <Name>
Browse Album + <Name>
Browse Music from + <Name>
Browse Songs on + <Name>

USB (Browse Artists)
Browse + <Name>
Browse Artist + <Name>
Browse Music by + <Name>
Browse + <Name> Albums

USB (Browse Podcasts)
Browse + <Name>
Browse Podcast + <Name>
Browse Episodes of + <Name>
Browse the + <Name> Podcast

USB (Browse Audiobooks)
Browse + <Name>
Browse Audiobook + <Name>
Browse Chapters of + <Name>

USB (Browse Current Playlist)
Browse the Current Playlist
Browse Songs on the Current Playlist

For Browse commands, you can replace “Browse” with “Show”. For example, “Show Music by The Beatles”.

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Call a Contact Name
Call Bob
Call Bob at Home

Call + <Name> + <Location>

Dial a Number
Dial 123-456-7890

Dial + <Number>

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Navigation (Assume Vehicle in Michigan):
Find an address
Find an address in Ohio
Find an address in Detroit

Notes: You can request to search any state or province name, or any city in the current state/province you're in.

Find a place
Find a place in Ohio
Find a place in Detroit
Find a place along route
Find a place near my destination

Note 2: Same guidelines as address search. If you'd like to search for a category or a major retail/restaurant chain, just say replace "place" with that. For example, "Find a gas station", "Find the bass pro shops in Auburn Hills", "Find the next Wendy's", etc. This only works for major chains that HERE has identified in the map data. If you have build 19200, and the

Note 3: An alternative to searching another location is to first say "Find a place", then "Change search area". For vehicles built with 19200, they should have updated nav voice data such that you can say the city + state or city + province (English) here instead of first having to say "in a city", "change state", etc. For example, "Find a place", "Change search area", "Windsor, Ontario". You can also say only the city name if it's in your current state, e.g. "Detroit" in this example. The prompt will tell you if you can say it this way or not.

Find the nearest Starbucks
Find the next rest stop
Find an intersection
Drive home
Drive to work
Navigation favorites
Navigation history

TravelLink
How’s the Traffic?
Traffic Report
Show the Weather Map
What’s the Five Day Forecast?
What’s the Weather Like?
Show Fuel Prices

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Settings
Advanced Mode On / Off
Phone Confirmation On / Off
Voice Command Lists On / Off

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Climate (If Supported)
Set the Temperature to + <#> Degrees
Set the Temperature to High / Low

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If this type of info is useful, I can expand on the different areas more as well. The italicized items are examples of why it's helpful to turn on sending in failed commands. Easier to adapt the system when it's clear what's actually being said and roll in changes where possible.

 

[jmr061]

I think it would be helpful to have a voice command to turn the sync display off instead of having to fumble through the icons to get to the screen settings and turn it off that way.

 

[UofMEngineer]

I think it would be helpful to have a voice command to turn the sync display off instead of having to fumble through the icons to get to the screen settings and turn it off that way.

You're the first I've heard that particular item from actually. Thanks.

 

[UofMEngineer]

Added some Nav examples as those are the largest pain points typically.

 

[Viper Driver]

QUOTE="UofMEngineer, post: 3801937, member: 348905"]Shoot me some examples of exactly what you're saying, and the POI names, I may be able to help. The item where results can show up across the country is the nav search engine. Some POIs get promoted so even if they're outside the area, they'll still show in the list. Searching for "Spartan Stadium" in East Lansing will show one in San Jose as well as an example. I think that's the type of thing you're referring to? I'm not a fan of that either personally as it can add needless steps to the process. Also, check out this to make sure you're giving it what it's expecting, else it's a garbage in garbage out situation.[/QUOTE]

UofSTATEUPNORTHEngineer - This reply is from the thread someone started about the big v small displays for 2020. I'm a 2017 Platinum owner, running SYNC 3, software version 3.0, build 18093. Our previous experience was with the My Ford Touch in our 2013 Edge. Infotainment there was terrible and the turbo crapped out right at 36K and therefore Ford would not address the failure because it was just out of warranty. Not impressed at all, but due to my Ford roots and probably a bit of insanity, bought the Explorer. Anyway, for our current ride, if there is something newer in terms of software, that is worthy of an entire thread on it's own in terms of how people get notified of available updates AND what improvements have been incorporated in said updates. In it's simplest form and doing a limited amount of research before we bought the vehicle, I thought when I'd pull in the garage, the system would connect to my home Wifi network, notify me that there was an update available, ask me if I wanted to install it (you know, sort of a PC standard way of pushing out updates), and that's all there would be to it. Not exactly. Again, another thread, but you'll find across other Ford blogs intermittent success with receiving updates this way. Short version is mine doesn't even come close to working this way so I have to update with a flash drive and unless I go out searching to see if there are updates, I have no idea if there's been something better made available. Even then, the description of the "improvements" for a new software version basically are non existent, so I'm installing something that I don't even know what it's changing. That problem is not unique to this situation; reference app updates on smartphones. In any event, I'm not too bad with tech "stuff" and my son is an IT guy, so I'd rate our team as well above average for these types of issues.

I don't keep a written or even a mental log of the exact words I'm using, but I have researched the "language" and am quite confident my phrasing is not the main source of my frustration with the performance of the nav system. We don't use the phone piece much and almost always use the console and/or steering wheel controls for music instead of voice commands. We have mostly given up on trying to use the nav system and frequently use phone apps like Google Drive, etc if we're traveling to a new, hard to find location. The vehicle nav system winds up being a secondary system to our phones assuming we can the the vehicle to find the location we're heading to.

I'm not exactly sure where the problem is with the voice recognition system since there are 2 main parts to it - first correctly interpreting what the user is saying followed by using that wording to perform a database search to find a match. It seems like it does a pretty good job at figuring out what words are being said except when trying to find POI's. The best way I can explain it is the Michelob Ultra beer commercial on tv where 3 personal assistant bots try to have a conversation. THAT is hilarious, but extrapolating that situation in to a moving vehicle is frustrating and downright dangerous due to distraction Again, wish I had a log to give you of all the examples we've experienced. The thing that baffles me is how many of the search results even show up. I've already specified a search place, so why would it show me results anywhere other than that. Even excluding that enormous shortcoming, it then dumps salt in the wound by showing "possibilities" that are neither anywhere close to the spelling of what you're searching for nor even remotely close to sounding the same.

Sorry I can't provide what you're looking for but REALLY appreciate you taking interest if you're doing so on behalf of Ford Motor Comp. The problem I have with all of it, and I don't think it is exclusively Ford's problem, is the car companies pushing a new or updated piece of tech out the door in their vehicles before it's ready, then downplay or ignore all the glitches. When we bought our Edge and once I figured out how horrible the infotainment system was, I went to the dealership to have a chat with our salesman, who I immediately realized had no clue about any of the tech and then proceeded to tell us how it wasn't that big of a deal because car's missions are to get people from point A to B. I told him that thinking will be the eventual downfall of vehicle manufacturers since the next generations of people don't see it that way and will have a hundred questions about the infotainment system, buy a vehicle based almost exclusively on the tech features, and do this all while not knowing a rocker arm from a rocking chair.

I'll close out for now by offering that when we first got the Explorer we thought SYNC 3 would be far superior to MFT, only to realize if MFT was a piece of junk, SYNC3 was only a faster operating piece of junk that is marginally better. There were numerous times where I told my wife that I'd like to have the CEO of Ford in the front seat, the chief infotainment R&D engineer riding in the back as well as one of the programmers. A lot of ranting and ultimately did not provide you any actionable data. Doubt I'll start keeping track of any of this either unless Ford wants to put me on a retainer

Oh, one last thing. GO BUCKS!!

 

[peterk9]

................. I'm a 2017 Platinum owner, running SYNC 3, software version 3.0, build 18093.

You are 1 update behind. Latest build is 19205.

Peter

 

[Viper Driver]

You are 1 update behind. Latest build is 19205.

Peter

Thanks Peterk9. Most appreciated. That was one of my points about update notifications. I'm all signed up on the website and would assume it would push a notification to me about an update, especially since the login username is my e-mail address. Seems like this used to work, but doesn't any more? If it's truly a pull system and not a push one, that needs to change as well. I'll check it out. Is there any documentation that even hints on what improvements have been made in this build?

Edit: Just updated to 19205 via thumb drive. Not exactly sure what changed...

 

[peterk9]

I only find out about updates by posts on the Forum. I believe there was some info on the owner.ford.com website when the update was listed but I don't recall anything specific.

Peter

 

[UofMEngineer]

I'm not exactly sure where the problem is with the voice recognition system since there are 2 main parts to it - first correctly interpreting what the user is saying followed by using that wording to perform a database search to find a match. It seems like it does a pretty good job at figuring out what words are being said except when trying to find POI's. The best way I can explain it is the Michelob Ultra beer commercial on tv where 3 personal assistant bots try to have a conversation. THAT is hilarious, but extrapolating that situation in to a moving vehicle is frustrating and downright dangerous due to distraction Again, wish I had a log to give you of all the examples we've experienced. The thing that baffles me is how many of the search results even show up. I've already specified a search place, so why would it show me results anywhere other than that. Even excluding that enormous shortcoming, it then dumps salt in the wound by showing "possibilities" that are neither anywhere close to the spelling of what you're searching for nor even remotely close to sounding the same.

So, I could drone on for ages, especially with Nav. Lunch is only so long...

So, to your questions on POI search specifically:

Why does it show results outside of where searched? - Four primary reasons. First, to allow areal searches since a customer will not always knows the exact city to search. Second, to work with the map data. In cases of shared postal codes, but different cities, if you only searched the one asked it could be the wrong one relative to the map data. Third, there's usually a design intent to show something vs nothing. This has been common in automotive nav systems. Finally, if a customer gives an invalid command like "Navigate to The Horseshoe" or something similar that isn't supported, since SYNC 3 is still a fixed command system, it can potentially result in the command "slots" being errantly filled with terms supported by the system. That can result in an unintentional change of search area and odd results.

Why all the possibilities? - SYNC 3 allows for partial searches. Again to work with the data and users, we don't require the exact name to be said as it is in the data. "Bob's Corner Greenhouse" would show up as a candidate if you just say "Greenhouse" for example. Since there's no free lunch, that also means there are more candidates in the data pool to match a phrase to. When you say "X" in the POI search, the voice engine will show the ranked results. So typically what you're looking for will be on that first page, ideally candidate 1 of course, with some other results that may/may not be similar phonetic matches. If you get results that are totally off the wall, the most likely scenario from what I've seen is a stylized POI (e.g. La-Z-Boy), a missing POI in the data, or some corruption of the signal from background noise or speaking too soon (before the beep).

Hopefully some of that makes sense.

Also, I think you had a nasty typo at the end there. For some reason "Blue" was changed to "Bucks"...

 

[Viper Driver]

So my takeaway from your explanation was your #1 priority is to fix the system so "Navigate to the Horseshoe" works properly

Thanks much for the clear, concise, and nicely presented information. It does make sense in the engineering world, but I'm not so sure it does once you jump elsewhere, specifically the human part(s). I doubt many studies have been made to examine the best way to present information that results in the fewest distractions. The current solution by most moving vehicle manufacturers is to have some type of lockout feature once movement is detected. I'm not convinced that's actually the correct solution. Along that line, which would be more distracting and frustrating; getting a message like Alexa will give fairly frequently (Sorry, I can't help you with that, so if incorporated in the nav system maybe a "no results" on the screen) OR 3 pages of incorrect responses to choose from or maybe even the correct response is listed in line 5 on page 2. Way too much heads down reading to remain safe on the roads. Our nav system seems to wind up presenting the multiple page selection solution way more than I think it should. Then there would be the study of consequences and follow on actions, if any, for a report of "no results". That would be a tough one to analyze. If I'm just trying to get to a specific burger joint and keep getting "no results", maybe I stop, roll down the window and ask for directions, or just stop at another food location that is in my current line of sight. The outcome might be quite different and take on a much more important priority if vacationing in a unfamiliar city when the wife goes in to early labor and you're trying to get to the nearest hospital. And my Captain obvious comment concerning the "something vs nothing in the auto industry" would be, if it's wrong and everybody's doing it, it's still wrong

Just for grins, I went out and tried something with the nav. Wanted to see what the results were of finding a restaurant called Shotzy's Bar and Grill in a town less than 15 miles from here. After the beep each time, these were the results:

• Tried "find Shotzy's in Upper Sandusky Ohio". No luck and gave me all the options of what I could say (AM, FM...... etc with Navigation being one of them).
  
• Tried "find Shotzy's", same results
• Tried "find POI Shotzy's", same results
• Tried "find POI". Result was the search page came up with "nearby" as the default area and a "POI name" reply. I answered "Shotzy's" and got 2 pages of results to chose from. The correct response was near the end of page 2 (that actually surprised me as normally the correct answer is closer to the top)
• Tried the exact same thing again and got 3 choices of which line 2 was correct. One of the choices was Jim's Barber Shop. That doesn't look or sound much like Shotzy's AND it's 67 miles away when the search criteria clearly shows nearby, which I think might be inside of 25 miles if I'm remembering that correctly?
• Tried the same thing a third time and it found it with the normal follow on lingo about how to then navigate to it. Funny that it almost seemed to be doing some machine learning, but I know it wasn't.
  
• Grabbed my phone, clicked the mic feature of Google search, tried "find Shotzy's" and it immediately found the correct place with an icon that would allow me to start navigating to it.

I was very careful to not change my position in the car, and tried to keep the amplitude, inflection, and enunciation of my request consistent through all attempts. Maybe I've missed something and I know that's only a single data point, but it's very representative of what we've experienced and why we sort of gave up with relying on it as our primary nav.

So, I would actually expect Google to blow Ford away when it comes to this arena based on a comprehensive look at the available resources and background of each company. I also don't expect that to change much, in fact it might get worse, so IMO you guys need to get rid of the autonomous and organic pieces and work on a better way to leverage what's already out there. I'd take a totally glass console that was merely a touchscreen version of a souped up repeater of my phone. I have lot's of ideas along these lines that diverge greatly from 100 year old traditions that will eventually be broken. As an example, having map data/directions in the center console location with the current size all without any training for the user is just a giant recipe for disaster. So the next best thing is the voice controls and spoken turn-by-turn directions but as they say, a picture (map) is worth a thousand words. Get rid of the old fashioned instrument console except for fuel quantity and speed and put a big moving map display there. Anyway, that's getting off topic a bit and beyond the scope of what you're working on.

BTW if you ever get to Upper Sandusky OH, Shotzy's is an OSU decorated bar & grill. Look me up and I'll buy you a beverage.

 

[Texas Steve]

Thanks Peterk9. Most appreciated. That was one of my points about update notifications. I'm all signed up on the website and would assume it would push a notification to me about an update, especially since the login username is my e-mail address. Seems like this used to work, but doesn't any more? If it's truly a pull system and not a push one, that needs to change as well. I'll check it out. Is there any documentation that even hints on what improvements have been made in this build?

Edit: Just updated to 19205 via thumb drive. Not exactly sure what changed...

I have a 2020 Aviator and when I go to the Sync 3 update page it says there is no update and Im on 19101! Are your getting it from somewhere else?

 

[UofMEngineer]

• Tried "find Shotzy's in Upper Sandusky Ohio". No luck and gave me all the options of what I could say (AM, FM...... etc with Navigation being one of them).
  
• Tried "find Shotzy's", same results
• Tried "find POI Shotzy's", same results
• Tried "find POI". Result was the search page came up with "nearby" as the default area and a "POI name" reply. I answered "Shotzy's" and got 2 pages of results to chose from. The correct response was near the end of page 2 (that actually surprised me as normally the correct answer is closer to the top)

The bottom one is the valid path for a specific POI search (technically in v3.0 you should say "Find a POI"), that's why it showed up there finally. We can do the big brands/chains in a "Find X" command because the list is relatively small. Full POI listing, etc. requires more system resources and processing power than is available on the unit.

If you're on v3.0, you "Find a POI in Upper Sandusky" also would work. You just need that one (admittedly annoying) extra step.

 

[UofMEngineer]

I have a 2020 Aviator and when I go to the Sync 3 update page it says there is no update and Im on 19101! Are your getting it from somewhere else?

It's limited to dealer update currently. I believe 19200 is what they're updating to now still.

 

[Texas Steve]

It's limited to dealer update currently. I believe 19200 is what they're updating to now still.

"Viper" said he got it via USB. I assumed that was from the update page.

 

[Texas Steve]

How did you get this for your 2020

Thanks Peterk9. Most appreciated. That was one of my points about update notifications. I'm all signed up on the website and would assume it would push a notification to me about an update, especially since the login username is my e-mail address. Seems like this used to work, but doesn't any more? If it's truly a pull system and not a push one, that needs to change as well. I'll check it out. Is there any documentation that even hints on what improvements have been made in this build?

Edit: Just updated to 19205 via thumb drive. Not exactly sure what changed...

Aviator? I went to update page it is says none available

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2020 Aviator and when I go to the Sync 3 update page it says there is no update and Im on 19101! Are your getting it from somewhere else?

My Aviator shows it is on build 19200.

Peter

 

[UofMEngineer]

How did you get this for your 2020

Aviator? I went to update page it is says none available

Viper has an older MY. That software is v3.0.

 

[Viper Driver]

Hey Steve. Peter is a subject matter expert on this forum, but let me throw my 2 cents in on what you're asking. First, as they point out, Sync 3 is not Sync 3; i.e. it varies across the year models and I believe even the makes of vehicles. So with that said you always have to compare model and year to get an apples/apples piece of info. That may not be entirely technically correct, but that's how I think of it. Would have thought it'd be easier to keep the same software available across all systems, but I guess not.

I assume that you are getting your build number which you said is 19101 from your vehicle by going to settings>general>about sync. Youtube video here: That is the info I would trust to be accurate as it's coming right out of the black boxes in the vehicle. If you're logging in and looking at the owner.ford.com website, I wouldn't trust what it tells you. BTW, the owner site is where I downloaded the latest update to my PC, transferred it to a USB, and then uploaded it in the vehicle. The reason I made mention of the USB piece is the updates are supposed to be able to be retrieved if your vehicle connects to your home Wifi system. Mine connects fine, but I've never been able to get the rest of that update feature/method to work; hence, the USB. From other blogs I've read, I'm not the only one with that problem. Hope this helps and best of luck. Can you ship some of that great TX BBQ to Ohio? Edit - I am actually using a thumb drive which I guess would be synonymous with USB drive, flash drive, pen drive and probably a few others just in case that came across as confusing. One last thought with brand new model years. I think it's what UofMEngineer mentioned, it seems like there can be some lag in the entire system in terms of availability of the latest build. Sounds like maybe your vehicle was built before Peter's and until Ford gets his build out on the owner site, the only way you might be able to update is visit the dealer. My experience there; look for the youngest kid on the floor to help you get the tech piece right

 

[Texas Steve]

Hey Steve. Peter is a subject matter expert on this forum, but let me throw my 2 cents in on what you're asking. First, as they point out, Sync 3 is not Sync 3; i.e. it varies across the year models and I believe even the makes of vehicles. So with that said you always have to compare model and year to get an apples/apples piece of info. That may not be entirely technically correct, but that's how I think of it. Would have thought it'd be easier to keep the same software available across all systems, but I guess not.

I assume that you are getting your build number which you said is 19101 from your vehicle by going to settings>general>about sync. Youtube video here: That is the info I would trust to be accurate as it's coming right out of the black boxes in the vehicle. If you're logging in and looking at the owner.ford.com website, I wouldn't trust what it tells you. BTW, the owner site is where I downloaded the latest update to my PC, transferred it to a USB, and then uploaded it in the vehicle. The reason I made mention of the USB piece is the updates are supposed to be able to be retrieved if your vehicle connects to your home Wifi system. Mine connects fine, but I've never been able to get the rest of that update feature/method to work; hence, the USB. From other blogs I've read, I'm not the only one with that problem. Hope this helps and best of luck. Can you ship some of that great TX BBQ to Ohio? Edit - I am actually using a thumb drive which I guess would be synonymous with USB drive, flash drive, pen drive and probably a few others just in case that came across as confusing. One last thought with brand new model years. I think it's what UofMEngineer mentioned, it seems like there can be some lag in the entire system in terms of availability of the latest build. Sounds like maybe your vehicle was built before Peter's and until Ford gets his build out on the owner site, the only way you might be able to update is visit the dealer. My experience there; look for the youngest kid on the floor to help you get the tech piece right

thanks! yes I think the issue is i have sync 3.4 build 19101 vs those here saying Sync 3 version 19205 So its important when posting a update to sync to also post what version Sync you have. As well as when posting we should be specific if its a Lincoln or Ford. Mine is a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. BBQ - OMG it is fantastic!! - now im hungry