Which do you use or prefer and why?
I prefer Sync 4 because I can have my text messages and phone calls show up in sperate screens as well as getting notifications of text messages right on the screen when using AA it seems I don't get notifications or text messages. When my 3 years of navigation run out though I will likely start using AA. This leads me to a couple questions. Is there anyway to still get texts and calls through Sync while using AA for navigation? Are there any other ways to get navigation without using AA or paying for it from Ford? Is there a way to change the navigation tab once my included navigation sub runs out?

 

The main thing i liked about it over AA is that you could full-screen it. Aside from that AA is better. No way I'd pay for Sync 4 nav.

 

The best thing GM done is integrate Google maps into the infotainment system, Android auto isn't that bad but it pushes my phone so hard it become hot even if I'm using maps and music only..!! so I always put my phone in front of AC vent to prevent it from heating up. Even though, after a little use it will freeze and make me miss turns...!!! did any one notice similar problem with android auto too? what type of phone do you use ? (I'm using a Samsung Note 20 ultra).

 

I'm currently using a loaner S9 and it also gets really hot on AA. I thought it was strange, but apparently it's a thing. My regular phone is an S21 Ultra and that one ran fine.

I run AA more than Sync because the voice commands are so much better and the CarStream to watch YouTube on screen is great. It's also easy to silence notifications that interrupt my music on AA because you can just mute them when they pop in instead of going through the settings menu to turn them off. I am an Team Android all the way, but if there is one thing that the Apple product has a clear win over Android is with CarPlay. It is sooooooooo much better than AA.

 

S20+, had it for about 2ish years. Have never had an issue with it heating using AA stand alone. Only time it has gotten hot is while inductive charging AND using AA.

But to answer the poll, I have only used AA. Ford wants $80 a year for SYNC, and for some reason I do not get the trial version. Guess because Im the 2nd owner?

 

Im using a Z Flip 3 and it too gets very hot! Another thing I really dislike about AA. Do you get on screen notifications when you get a text? I was not getting notified on the screen only on my watch so I did not like that. It would also be nice if I could replace the Nav screen with something else if I am using AA. I guess Im going to have to dig into AA more and see how I can improve my experience.

 

I've had my phone get hot while using it to stream music for a couple hours.

Are you all sure your phone is hot because it is using AA or is it because the phone is being used continually?

An experiment would be to set your destination for your phone maps to navigate you and see if it is warm an hour later (not tied to your vehicle). Turn on your favorite music app as well and just put the phone aside for the hour. Test #2 -can you put your phone aside for 1 hour. haha

 

I am a second owner but my truck came with the 3 years of connected sync so I get nav for about 2 more years. Thats why Im searching now so Im prepared when the connected sync runs out.

 

Turn off the quick charge option on the phone because that's when it uses the full 45W to recharge, it gets hot as a 40W light bulb.

Using a quality USB-C cable also gets the phone hot. My phone didn't get hot when I switched over to cheap USB-A cable.

My new truck will have wireless charger that goes up to 5W, I believe, so it won't get hot. However, it may lose power if I keep using AA since the AA uses more than 5W.

 

It should have been a voting option, I use Apple car play.
Just got a new phone, the new iPhone SE 3. It is exactly what I wanted out of a phone. Small, but powerful. Dont need 3 cameras. The same physical dimensions as my previous iPhone 7.

When I had the 7, Carplay was glitchy. And that shouldnt be too surprising, the 7 is a 6 year old design. Carplay, or AA both require good phones to work well. You need a lot of processing power, and the iPhone SE 3 comes with the A15 Bionic processor, the most powerful available and the same processor as the iPhone 13.
If you have an older phone, you are asking a lot of it to handle that workload. My new SE 3 handles it flawlessly.

I hate AA over carplay. I find it annoying in many ways. The text to talk on carplay is more pleasing to use. The icons on the screen are bigger. Its just an overall better platform.

Whether I had an android(never again) or an iPhone, I would definitely use it over factory nav. The Sync 4 works well for what it is, but navigation through the iPhone is better.

As far as getting texts and calls through sync while useing AA for nav, I dont see a reason to do that. I see when texts and calls pop up, and I simply switch to them. The nav through the phone is still running, and I can switch back the nav map while the call is still on.