Hey guy,

New here. Just traded in my Navigator and back to a truck again. 2013 F150 Plat 5.0. Found a gem with 21k miles on it.

Anyway..."downgrading" my choice of car has sent me back in time a bit with technology. Coming from Sync 3, MFT is obviously a little underwhelming. But I'm trying to remedy that as best as I can. Already bought my Scosche iPad dash mount (a must as built in Nav is a joke). Love that. But I have a good number of questions regarding MFT.

First, I've seen conflicting information on new versions of MFT software. Per most things I've read, there is availability of software clear up to 3.10. Confirmed software up to 3.8. Issue is when I go to ford owner website to request an update it says I am "Up to date" with 3.5 software. Makes no sense to me. Maybe I have to go to a dealer but that seems a bit obnoxious as I've read all the people that have successfully updated themselves.

Second. Pertaining to my iPad situation. The built in USB ports won't even charge the iPad (not enough juice), which is fine, except that I need the iPad connected for mapping purposes for my business, as well as video conferencing and the such on the road. In my previous vehicle I was able to plug the iPad in via USB, charge it, and play streaming music over USB. This allowed me to keep my phone connected via bluetooth for phone calls and they existed separately. When I plug my iPad into USB here, I (as stated before), get no power, as well as it stating that I have no media files on my iPad so it won't play anything at all. 2 questions. Can USB be updated in some way to support iPad charging? Also, is there any way to play streaming content over USB and not bluetooth?

Sorry for the length. Just trying to get my concerns all out there.

Thanks everyone

Kevin

 

Welcome! You could use one of these for charging:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-Charger...r=521803033353

 

The whole Sync2 system is annoying. The upgrade system is broken, sometimes you can get it to work. 3.8 or higher is something you should want if you are using an Apple phone. 3.10 should be fine, it is the top version, but it is not easily available. Some dealers will install it seems, others claim it doesn't exist. There is a thread here somewhere about loading 3.10 from a file shared on the net.

Use an external charger to charge the ipad, the system doesn't provide enough power. You can actually connect 2 devices via bluetooth, one for audio and one for phone. But, that is a pain, one has to be done manually every time you turn on the truck. USB works ok with a disk drive, I forget if I ever tried using it with an Apple product.

 

Of course....but then I'm not connected to the system anymore via USB.

 

How do you go about connecting multiple products over bluetooth? Even if its a pain my truck is typically on all day (especially in deep summer) and doing it once when I start the day would get me through. These full Sync 3 packages are getting more and more attractive the more I try and tackle this stuff. $1500 is a bit steep though for my liking.

 

Just an aside- is everyone OK with just throwing some cheap *** 99 cent Chicom charger in their vehicle? There's no chance I'm using something like that. I've seen the insides of those things.

I don't use cheap chargers in my house either. I always keep and use the chargers that come with the phones, as those are known good quality. If I buy any aftermarket charging stuff, it has to be a known name brand with something to lose if they sell junk- Belkin, Anker etc.

 

MFT works perfect with all of our Android phones. I have it in a 13 F150 and a 15 SHO. No problems whatsoever. I don't use the USB ports to charge with though.

 

Then buy a brand name more expensive one, if it makes you feel better or:

 

I do buy name brand chargers.

My question is- do other people here trust those no name,dollar store type Chicom power supplies in their cars/houses?

 

I use Scosche in the vehicles, and still haven't run out of manufacturer chargers in the house. (hint: they all work semi-well for all brands) Cords are another story, I've gone up and down on brands and cost. But I'm not paying Apple prices (for example) for the women that abuse the cords in my house.

About MFT, my Moto Android does not like it at all since getting Oreo. But the Nexus on Oreo seem to work well.

To hook up two devices, pair both. Then go into the phone device settings in the truck and turn off bluetooth audio. Set the ipad as the favorite device in the truck settings. It should pair when the truck turns on. Then go into bluetooth settings in the truck and Connect the phone. It will connect only as phone, leaving the ipad as music player. But, you must manually reconnect each time to get both. At least, that is what I have discovered with various troubleshooting.