jbc77

Why do you need to switch to CarPlay audio? Have you subscribed to Apple's music service? Sync 3 can play music stored on your phone via USB or Bluetooth just fine. Plus there are similar music apps (e.g. Spotify) that work with Sync 3 via Applink as can be found in CarPlay.

Anyhow all you need to do is enable/ disable CarPlay under Settings.

Fastfwd

The whole point of carplay is that the music interface on the screen; otherwise you can buy a 10$ bluetooth thingy on amazon and have that work in any car with a line-in. If while the screen is doing sync-app-waze it cannot also keep taking the music from the usb then you would be out of luck.

I expect it will work just fine playing the music already playing; it does it now when using waze on the phone screen. I mostly wonder how it will do when trying to go back to the carplay music screen to choose a different playlist. From what I understand the phone screen is on and mirroring while using waze but the phone screen is off when using carplay.

I guess this is what siri is for. Waze for long road trips using siri to change playlists and then apple maps and apple music within carplay for day to day driving.

jbc77

I don't understand your concern. Sync 3 has a nice music screen and gives you the same music selection functionality as CarPlay does and you can select your iPhone playlists. You can select playlists via Sync 3 voice command if your phone is plugged in via USB, which you will have to do if you use waze. Or, you can also use Siri to change playlist, which I use if I'm connected via Bluetooth.

I haven't seen the waze integration yet (some members have seen it as they are participating in the beta program) but I doubt using waze will interfere with Sync 3's music screen.

Fastfwd

I have not seen the waze integration either except as a still picture; it looked great.

I see your point about already having a working music solution. What I always wanted in a car and what I still want is for them to just provide a screen, speakers and microphone. No matter how much resource Ford puts towards sync apps they will never match what android or apple and their millions of developers ecosystem can do. Carplay is a good first step but still much more limiting than simply mirroring the phone screen that would allow any app to play.

Why is it that we cannot run a browser or play videos on that screen when the car is in park? Have Ford and Apple decision makers never had to wait in a car? Imagine looking at your inbox on that screen while waiting to pick up your kids.

planetix

Waze's press release for Sync integration clearly states "March" and we're still not in March so....

Carplay and AA being enabled disables Sync apps. For whatever reason.

Carplay and AA are designed as minimal in-vehicle systems that promote the Apple and Google's ecosystems. Apple doesn't allow 3rd party Nav apps in Carplay, Google allows a few, such as Waze. Apple is the only place you can get access to iTunes/streaming, though you can browse and use on-device music just fine with Sync.

I have an iPhone for work and my personal phone is a Google Pixel so I get to try both. I prefer AA but that is because I greatly prefer Waze for nav and I already subscribe to Google Play music (thought the latter will also work on Carplay). AA can be a little less stable in terms of needing to plug/unplug the phone to get it working sometimes, though apparently that has improved quite a bit with 3.0.

They are both pretty simple, straightforward systems that are not meant to browse emails, etc. even when parked and probably never will. They aren't trying to replicate the phone experience on the dash screen.

Both are easy to switch back and forth with to the Sync screen though some functions like Sync apps are disabled - as it tells you when you enable either.

Both really only work well if your phone has good coverage where you drive and you are willing to use data. Or use the built in access point on newer trucks, though I think that is a ripoff. You can play on-device music easy enough and the maps have some caching but if you don't really use data on the go you are better off just playing music through Sync and using stock Nav if you have it.

Both have hands free voice control that is heads and tails above the built in voice control - as long as you are connected.

Neither support wireless connectivity, though newer trucks with access points may be able to be upgraded in the future - wireless Carplay and AA use BT+Wifi to connect to your head unit. BMW supports wireless Carplay and having used it it is pretty damn convenient - especially since they also have wireless charging that supports the new iPhones.

BTW Spotify is no longer supported as a Ford Sync app; it was dropped January 18th: https://support.spotify.com/us/article/ford/

Why, I don't know, but it kind of sucks because Spotify and Waze work well together and I was hoping the upcoming Sync/Waze integration would include Spotify. Looks like that isn't in the cards.

stowaway

Android Auto does a lot more than just play music. There's news, podcast, messaging, and maps/navigation as well. If you're plugged in and have AA running then hit the talk button the steering wheel and say what you want. It isn't always listening.

And AA doesn't work over only bluetooth because it's never been designed to do that. Apple CarPlay runs on the head unit with instructions and some communication from the phone, but AA runs on the phone and thus far doesn't have a way to do it over a private wifi network like some CarPlay units can now do.

planetix

AA does have an "always listen" option for the "Ok Google" keyword if you configure it. Check under settings if you don't want it (or do want it as the case may be) to do this.

AA recently announced they will support wireless via BT and WiFi like Carplay. JVC/Kenwood announced aftermarket HU that support it at CES this month. Whether Ford updates to support it with vehicles that have a hotspot is an open question.

jlundy

I know what AA does and was using it until my free subscription to WIFI ran out, do I need WIFI? Something is working over Bluetooth. I'll have to try the button on the wheel, before I just spoke "OK GOGGLE" she was always listening. So much easier to Nav/maps, messaging, news.

stowaway

a free 4g cell data trial subscription that gave you a wifi hotspot expired. You'll use your phone's data plan from now on. If you want to turn on your phone's wifi hotspot you can, but just stream over bluetooth if that's what you want, or plug in and use AA (which will use BT to send some commands and data back to Sync). Wireless AA looks like it'll require your phone to talk over wifi (becomes a wifi hotspot) and use a lot of the phone's data and processing capabilities as they said the phone will heat up quickly and drain the battery, making you need to plug it in anyway. Until the infotainment/head unit can run Android apps natively, it'll still need the phone to do most of the heavy lifting.

And regarding the always listening, I guess I never turned that on as it's too easy for it to accidentally get activated by idiot teenagers or friends.

jlundy

I have a small data plan for 3 phones. I had the trial and used it in 26 days. Don't know how other than my phone was plugged in to the USB when I was in normally the truck nothing special to and from work couple trips on weekend.