May 17, 2018 Ford did not say when Waze would be available to Android users through Sync AppLink, but many Sync 3-equipped Fords support Android Auto, so in theory users can access it that way. Ford's decision. Jan 3, 2016 - Ford adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to Sync 3, enhances its own AppLink. Choice is good, and when it comes to in-car smartphone.
The App of the Month feature allows you to receive notifications for brand new and exciting apps while in your vehicle, right on the SYNC screen! Discover new apps from your dashboard and save them to your Wish List for later download and set up.
No more searching through thousands of titles to find which apps are compatible with your Ford or Lincoln vehicle. This intuitive experience removes the clutter around app discovery by only displaying those apps which are AppLink approved and available for use in your particular vehicle model, country, and language.
AppLink allows Ford and Lincoln owners to use many of the app features you are already familiar with such as “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down”, “Play Favorites”, and many more by using simple SYNC voice commands. Steering wheel, radio and touch screen buttons replace the need to pick up your mobile device while the vehicle is in motion. This means you can keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, while enjoying all of the most popular local, regional, and global apps!
Several years ago, Ford saw the writing on the wall: Tech companies like Google and Apple were bringing new services, enabled by mobile app ecosystems, into vehicles. And unless auto manufacturers responded in kind, Silicon Valley would effectively hijack an entirely new source of revenue from the auto industry.
The industry, according to Scott Burnell, head of the Ford Developer program, needs to tap into the data economy.
Also: Porsche and Hyundai behind AR hologram company's $80M raise
'We don't want to be a rolling piece of hardware anymore,' Burnell said last week at Mobile World Congress Americas in Los Angeles. 'We want to monetize on content and services and mobility, and show we're doing good things with our users' data.'
So far, the story hasn't changed much. Google and Apple have made significant inroads connecting their devices, their services and their app ecosystems to cars.
Apple's CarPlay, for instance, is by far and away the most popular system for connecting your smartphone to your car's infotainment system. It's found in more than 350 vehicle models globally, from 30 different automakers and spanning 57 different brands, according to tech analyst firm IHS Markit. Google has a similar app for Android users called Android Auto.
Google and Apple have made progress on this front because for years, 'we didn't know what else to do,' Burnell said. He argues that the existing, Silicon Valley-driven integrations not only rob the auto industry of opportunity but also put the consumer in a strange spot.
'You're going to make a decision on a $80,000 or $90,000 vehicle based off of a $700 phone? That's a little backwards,' he said.
To counter Google and Apple, Ford decided in 2013 to open source its own AppLink software to create an industry-wide technology platform called SmartDeviceLink. In Ford cars, it connects mobile applications to Ford's SYNC in-vehicle software. Any other automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier can also use it connect third-party enabled apps to vehicle infotainment systems.
It can be deployed to Linux, Android, QNX, or other popular embedded operating systems and can communicate with both iOS or Android devices. (For this reason, Google's newly-announced multi-year deal with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance doesn't necessarily impact SDL adoption -- the deal is about installing Android-powered infotainment systems in vehicles, not about using Android Auto.)
Transportation is about to get a technology-driven reboot. The details are still taking shape, but future transport systems will certainly be connected, Burnell said last week. Developers are 'coming in droves,' he said, and automakers are finally launching commercially-available consoles with SDL. Along with Ford's SYNC, SDL now connects phones to Toyota's Entune. Other manufacturers, Subaru and Suzuki, are committed to launching their own SDL-enabled units within another year or so. Mazda, as well as brands from the PSA Group, also plan to integrate with SDL.
![Applink Applink](https://videos.winfuture.de/18040.jpg)
Meanwhile, after actively nurturing an SDL community, Ford says there are more than 25,000 registered SDL developers building in-vehicle services.
'The next year is finally the culmination of the behind-the-scenes work,' Burnell said to ZDNet. 'Now the rubber's going to hit the road.'
According to IHS senior analyst Colin Bird-Martinez, SDL should gain traction in the next decade but will still lag behind Apple CarPlay: By 2024, IHS expects about 50 million vehicles on the road to have SDL, Bird-Martinez told ZDNet. By comparison, around 300 million will have CarPlay. CarPlay dominates Android Auto, Bird-Martinez said, in part because new car buyers are more likely to have iPhones than Android phones.
Transportation is about to get a technology-driven reboot. The details are still taking shape, but future transport systems will certainly be connected,