Sync 3.4 Functionality Questions

[Kozmo]

Hello! I'm the proud owner of a new-to-me 2019 XLT Desert Copper Explorer. It's been great so far.

I'm seriously considering moving forward with the 3.4 update using CyanLabs, but I had two quick questions that I couldn't find answers to here on the forums or anywhere else.

1) For radio presets, do the steering wheel controls for next/prev now cycle from one preset group to the next rather than cycling within a single group? This was a major disappointment for me in 3.0 and would be worth the risk of bricking if I could get this functionality in 3.4. Call me fickle, but on a road trip, I might want to easily cycle through more than 6 stations on SXM. : )

2) I think the only functionality that I might lose from Sync is the control to turn on the steering wheel heater. Has anyone found a way to redirect this control to a physical button that I could load in another empty spot (like under the light controls)?

I've learned a lot in the short time I've been in here and hope to contribute useful info myself as I learn more.

Thanks!

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
I'm not familiar with the upgrade but it would void any warranty you have left on that system.
I actually have a few presets programmed but 99% of the time use voice commands to change the stations/channels I listen to. All that to say that I don't use the steering wheel controls for that. I'm sure that someone more familiar with this process will be able to answer your questions. Good luck.
Have you checked this thread? Sync V3.0 to V3.4 Upgrade

Peter

 

[Kozmo]

Welcome to the Forum.
I'm not familiar with the upgrade but it would void any warranty you have left on that system.
I actually have a few presets programmed but 99% of the time use voice commands to change the stations/channels I listen to. All that to say that I don't use the steering wheel controls for that. I'm sure that someone more familiar with this process will be able to answer your questions. Good luck.
Have you checked this thread? Sync V3.0 to V3.4 Upgrade

Peter

Thanks for the warm welcome. It's already got 62K miles, so unfortunately the warranty is gone regardless. As soon as I get my hands on a Windows laptop (I use Macs) I think I am going to give it a go. I've read through the Sync V3.0 to V3.4 Upgrade thread completely twice now.

 

[ISTGradFromPSU]

I will say i did the 3.4 update from 3.0 in my '17 Limited and everything worked (ambient lighting, heating/ventilated seats, massaging seats, etc). SiriusXM logos worked as well, i know some people lost them, but I didn't experience that issue.
The only bug I experienced, and this happens randomly, was if I clicked on "Audio" in the bottom left, the presets would be misaligned which would cause the last preset to be half off the screen or you would see half of the last preset from the previous group on the left (I traded in the car so i can't illustrate what i mean).. But again it would happen randomly, sometimes they lined up correctly, and sometimes they didn't

That being said, here are the answers you are looking for:
1). The steering wheel control still only cycle through the single group when you press the up/down arrow. You would have to press the right arrow and select the preset group you would like

2). The sync 3 heated steering wheel button on the home screen still works

Also any forscan changes you make will still work with the 3.4 upgrade (added heating/ventilated seat controls on the home screen)

You will also gain the new "Explorer" splash screen during start up instead of the Ford blue oval.

Last benefit I gained that doesn't exist with 3.0.20204, was if I unplugged my phone (apple carplay), the phone would auto reconnect to Bluetooth. In 3.0.20204, you would have to click on "connect phone" and choose your phone.

 

[Kozmo]

Thank you! I really appreciate the detailed response. I am bummed to hear that the preset cycle behavior doesn't change, but considering its in my nature to tinker and optimize, I'm thinking that I'll still take the plunge and give it a try.

Thank you!

 

[MM07]

I kept all my settings. I needed to adjust in FORScan a few things. 3.4 is so much better.

 

[texsn95]

Does Sync 3.4 have the radio "scan" button? Can't believe 3.0 doesn't.

 

[PlatinumOwner]

Gotcha. I didn't wait that long, maybe 45min or so, so I'm sure a bit more could have come out, but it still would have been really low. So far there's hasn't been any fluid puking out of my breather cap so that's a plus. I'm about to take a 3k mile road trip in March so I feel more confident in it.

Does Sync 3.4 have the radio "scan" button? Can't believe 3.0 doesn't.

Under Settings > Radio there is an auto scan function that automatically sets all presets.. I believe you can scan by holding down one of the hardware buttons on the front controls for a second or so.

 

[texsn95]

Yeah I don't need to auto set the pre-sets, just want to scan stations like we can in every other car out there. I'm away from my car for another week, but we've never found a way to do it with the physical buttons. Anyone else with Sync 3.0, can you scan?

 

[mmorey79]

Does Sync 3.4 have the radio "scan" button? Can't believe 3.0 doesn't.

I can't speak for the "soft" button, but I believe both the hardware button on the control panel and steering wheel if you hold seek up or seek down for a couple seconds will instead scan to the next tunable station. I know for sure the hardware button on the audio control panel does. Typically the functionality is mirrored on screen so I'd assume soft buttons work the same way.

 

[texsn95]

Sure it will seek to the next station and stop, but the "scan" function keeps hopping stations until you're ready to stop. The previous version of Sync had it in my '14.