Sync sometimes unable to find Mobile Apps

[oxnard]

Lately when I ask for Mobile Apps, My Sync lady sometimes tells me there aren't any.  I'll argue with her but she is very stubborn.  I eventually give up and listen to the radio until I get to a long light and reboot my phone.  This sometimes helps and all is well.  This just started this week.  Any ideas?

[Riddley]

NPR is good at most times of the day. If you get an NPR station in HD, you can sometimes find a second or 3rd stream. ;)

 

OK,, but seriously, You can find support for Ford Sync here: http://support.ford.com/topics/sync-technology

 

Support options available on this page include forums, live chat, and dial-up support.  

Edited April 9, 2013 by Riddley

[MacGyver]

I was under the understanding as well that if you bought the top of the line MFT package, you were rewarded by applink being disabled, possibly as a result of some backroom deal with Sirius.

 

Anyone with an android phone ever get applink working?

 

If yours works, great for you, but that may be an anomaly- if it stops working after an update, please post that...(EDIT; went to Fords live chat and verified "Mobile Apps" SHOULD NOT be available for MFT with voice, obviously the code is in the OS that enables it, since you're able to sometimes access it, and equally obviously, this reveals Ford is LYING when they say "The feature has not been developed for MyFord Touch." <--as long as you have MFT. Do you? 2ND EDIT; I see you have the SE, which I believe means you don't have MFT with voice. I'm somewhat jealous- in retrospect, I would have been much better off getting your version, saving $5000 and just mounting a $200 android tablet on the dash.)

 

I've tried plugging in my Samsung Galaxy S2 in the usb, previously, it would say "unsupported device", (and that message, annoyingly, would repeatedly pop up on the screen, blocking everything) now it will play music directly from it, but navigating that is not worth the hassle/time, and I prefer to just play it over bluetooth.

 

Cannot find or command applink or get it to work on any of the apps that are listed on Fords website.

 

Tested; Kaliki, Pandora, Stitcher, Iheartradio, tunein radio. No go on any.

 

It's frustrating that Ford insists on their system controlling everything, wish they would take the more sensible path and let android be the brains, it's far more advanced.

 

While the MFT / Voice control is an amazing technological achievement, using it feels like going backwards in time 10-20 years vs. android or iphone. 

 

I feel for the tech geeks at ford, who probably are looked down upon by the "real men" car guys at ford, they probably are the red-headed stepchild department. 

 

But that doesn't change the fact that they're NEVER going to surpass Google or Apple at creating a usable OS for the car that compares favorably against those giants.

 

It's WELL PAST time for Ford to realize they are a CAR company, not a COMPUTER company.

 

BTW, just for the record and in the interest of developing accurate info / troubleshooting / diagnostics, my phone is "Rooted" (jailbroken in apple/iphone parlance) but with a stock OS, so that SHOULDN'T make a difference in how it interacts with Sync, but of course, there are always problems / idioSYNCrasies...

 

 

Cut and paste of my chat with live support at Fords website;

 

  #22 MacGyver Posted Today, 02:59 PM

Please wait for a SYNC Agent to respond.
Chauntay says:
  Hello Eric. My name is Chauntay how can I help you?
Eric says:
  is applink disabled on My Ford Touch with voice control?
Eric says:
  I cannot get my Samsung Galaxy S2 to work with it
Chauntay says:
  I can assist you with SYNC.
Chauntay says:
  I apologize, Applink is not available for this radio system.
Eric says:
  why not?
Chauntay says:
  The feature has not been developed for MyFord Touch.
Eric says:
  So what you're saying is that because I u bought the top of the line MFT package, Ford screwed me by disabling applink
Eric says:
  in order to force me to use sirius or whatever
Eric says:
  why is it available on the lesser package systems?
Chauntay says:
  I apologize that the feature is not available for this system at this time. Our engineers are working to develop this for the MyFord Touch system.
Eric says:
  yeah right. do they provide any kind of ETA of when they will turn this feature on?
Eric says:
  silence
Eric says:
  silence
Eric says:
  silence
Eric says:
  long pregnant pause
Eric says:
  dramatic pause
Eric says:
  looong dramatic pause
Eric says:
  hellooo
Chauntay says:
  Would you prefer to call into our center for assistance.
Eric says:
  anybody there?
Eric says:
  no, I'd just like an answer, but I think I read it in between the lines; basically go F myself you already got my money, right?
Eric says:
  if they're "working on it" there must be some kind of ETA
Chauntay says:
  I apologize, again, for your frustration. We support the functionality of the system.
Chauntay says:
  This feature is not available for the system.
Eric says:
  like maybe 2014
Chauntay says:
  We have no additional information on the future availability at this time.
Eric says:
  ah, I see you're reverted to generic non-answers
Chauntay says:
  Is there anything I can assist you with?
Eric says:
  I get it, I'll stop wasting time here then

 

Edited April 21, 2013 by MacGyver

[wab]

 

I was under the understanding as well that if you bought the top of the line MFT package, you were rewarded by applink being disabled, possibly as a result of some backroom deal with Sirius.

 

Anyone with an android phone ever get applink working?

 

If yours works, great for you, but that may be an anomaly- if it stops working after an update, please post that...(EDIT; went to Fords live chat and verified "Mobile Apps" SHOULD NOT be available for MFT with voice, obviously the code is in the OS that enables it, since you're able to sometimes access it, and equally obviously, this reveals Ford is LYING when they say "The feature has not been developed for MyFord Touch." <--as long as you have MFT. Do you?)

 

I've tried plugging in my Samsung Galaxy S2 in the usb, previously, it would say "unsupported device", (and that message, annoyingly, would repeatedly pop up on the screen, blocking everything) now it will play music directly from it, but navigating that is not worth the hassle/time, and I prefer to just play it over bluetooth.

 

Cannot find or command applink or get it to work on any of the apps that are listed on Fords website.

 

Tested; Kaliki, Pandora, Stitcher, Iheartradio, tunein radio. No go on any.

 

It's frustrating that Ford insists on their system controlling everything, wish they would take the more sensible path and let android be the brains, it's far more advanced.

 

While the MFT / Voice control is an amazing technological achievement, using it feels like going backwards in time 10-20 years vs. android or iphone. 

 

I feel for the tech geeks at ford, who probably are looked down upon by the "real men" car guys at ford, they probably are the red-headed stepchild department. 

 

But that doesn't change the fact that they're NEVER going to surpass Google or Apple at creating a usable OS for the car that compares favorably against those giants.

 

It's WELL PAST time for Ford to realize they are a CAR company, not a COMPUTER company.

 

BTW, just for the record and in the interest of developing accurate info / troubleshooting / diagnostics, my phone is "Rooted" (jailbroken in apple/iphone parlance) but with a stock OS, so that SHOULDN'T make a difference in how it interacts with Sync, but of course, there are always problems / idioSYNCrasies...

 

 

Cut and paste of my chat with live support at Fords website;

 

  #22 MacGyver Posted Today, 02:59 PM

Please wait for a SYNC Agent to respond.

Chauntay says:

  Hello Eric. My name is Chauntay how can I help you?

Eric says:

  is applink disabled on My Ford Touch with voice control?

Eric says:

  I cannot get my Samsung Galaxy S2 to work with it

Chauntay says:

  I can assist you with SYNC.

Chauntay says:

  I apologize, Applink is not available for this radio system.

Eric says:

  why not?

Chauntay says:

  The feature has not been developed for MyFord Touch.

Eric says:

  So what you're saying is that because I u bought the top of the line MFT package, Ford screwed me by disabling applink

Eric says:

  in order to force me to use sirius or whatever

Eric says:

  why is it available on the lesser package systems?

Chauntay says:

  I apologize that the feature is not available for this system at this time. Our engineers are working to develop this for the MyFord Touch system.

Eric says:

  yeah right. do they provide any kind of ETA of when they will turn this feature on?

Eric says:

  silence

Eric says:

  silence

Eric says:

  silence

Eric says:

  long pregnant pause

Eric says:

  dramatic pause

Eric says:

  looong dramatic pause

Eric says:

  hellooo

Chauntay says:

  Would you prefer to call into our center for assistance.

Eric says:

  anybody there?

Eric says:

  no, I'd just like an answer, but I think I read it in between the lines; basically go F myself you already got my money, right?

Eric says:

  if they're "working on it" there must be some kind of ETA

Chauntay says:

  I apologize, again, for your frustration. We support the functionality of the system.

Chauntay says:

  This feature is not available for the system.

Eric says:

  like maybe 2014

Chauntay says:

  We have no additional information on the future availability at this time.

Eric says:

  ah, I see you're reverted to generic non-answers

Chauntay says:

  Is there anything I can assist you with?

Eric says:

  I get it, I'll stop wasting time here then

 

 

 

Like you I'm a visual person....WOW :hi5:

 

How long did it take you to type/modify this? :worship: 

 

Did you find the missing O?

[zhackwyatt]

Ah, a very professional conversation with a customer support representative; someone who is just trying to make money to support their family.

 

Nicely done.

[MacGyver]

Like you I'm a visual person....WOW :hi5:

 

How long did it take you to type/modify this? :worship: 

 

Did you find the missing O?

 

No time, that was a straight cut-and-paste. 

 

Missing O? What do you mean?

[MacGyver]

Ah, a very professional conversation with a customer support representative; someone who is just trying to make money to support their family.

 

Nicely done.

 

Maybe you could elucidate the benefit of speaking professionally with the rep of a company that baldfacedly lied straight to my face in order to steal my money?

Edited April 22, 2013 by MacGyver

[zhackwyatt]

Maybe you could elucidate the benefit of speaking professionally with the rep of a company that baldfacedly lied straight to my face in order to steal my money?

They repeat what they are told.  They aren't the ones that make the business decisions.  Where on here does it say AppLink is available for My Ford Touch? http://www.ford.com/technology/sync/packages/

[MacGyver]

A. first time I've seen that. it would have been helpful before I bought. Now, not so much. I've seen videos that make it seem that if you have sync, you have applink. The fact that they're so vague about it is no accident.

 

B. Ford is intentionally vague about what features you LOSE when buying the highest level package.

 

C. My salesman told me I would be able to use applink.

 

D. I AM able to use my phone as a USB-connected media device, which I'm not supposed to be able to according to this grid, which leads me to believe that ALL of the OS code is the SAME regardless of what level package you select and pay for, and so applink will be enabled as soon as someone finds the hack for it. Which pisses me off, because it's basically Ford screwing with us. We shouldn't get less for paying more. And logically, the only reason to do that is either a hardware limitation or greed. Since some have reported being able to use applink despite their package technically not including it, I see that as evidence that it is a feature that has been disabled, but which sometimes despite that, will work intermittently until the cpu catches up to the line of code prohibiting it and shuts it down. We're here on this forum to figure stuff out, if anyone has knowledge of why this is not so or why it can't be so, I'm glad to hear it, means I can stop working to find the answer, even if the answer is not one I like.

 

E. You still didn't explain what benefit I might see by being polite to those who steal from me. I wasn't rude to the lady, I just called it exactly as I saw it, and gave her every opportunity to defend ford or explain when we might actually see this feature.

 

F. You act as if it is my fault for not finding this grid before I bought. Maybe it didn't exist then? Am I supposed to play twenty questions and assume they're hiding information from me? Why would I ever assume that getting the more expensive package would have LESS features? Any reasonable person would expect to get MORE.

Edited April 25, 2013 by MacGyver

[zhackwyatt]

A. first time I've seen that. it would have been helpful before I bought. Now, not so much. I've seen videos that make it seem that if you have sync, you have applink. The fact that they're so vague about it is no accident.

You do have applink if you have Sync. It's My Ford Touch that doesn't give you applink. What benefit to them would they gain by lying. I would say anyone who decides not to go to MFT because of Applink would be in the minority.

B. Ford is intentionally vague about what features you LOSE when buying the highest level package.

Again, I don't agree with this. This is a specific sub-feature of another feature. IMHO it's your responsibility to do research before you buy something. This forum would have told you, and other googling would have told you. You are speculating to motives because you feel like you got screwed.

C. My salesman told me I would be able to use applink.

Your salesman was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened. I would call your salesperson and have a chat about it. 

D. I AM able to use my phone as a USB-connected media device, which I'm not supposed to be able to according to this grid, which leads me to believe that applink will be enabled as soon as someone finds the hack for it. Which pisses me off, because it's basically Ford screwing with us.

Which row are you referring to? I'm only seeing 1 USB line and it has 4 checkmarks.

 

E. You still didn't explain what benefit I might see by being polite to those who steal from me. I wasn't rude to the lady, I just called it exactly as I saw it, and gave her every opportunity to defend ford or explain when we might actually see this feature.

The benefit isn't to you. It's called empathy. How exactly did someone steal from you?

 

F. You act as if it is my fault for not finding this grid before I bought. Maybe it didn't exist then? Am I supposed to play twenty questions and assume they're hiding information from me? Why would I ever assume that getting the more expensive package would have LESS features? Any reasonable person would expect to get MORE.

I agree it seems stupid that MFT doesn't have the feature. Maybe there was a complex technical problem. Maybe enough people don't use the feature to justify it in v1 of MFT, then there were so many complaints about stability that they switched focus. I don't know. If you want to buy a car, or any product for that matter it is up to you to learn about that product. Why didn't you just assume it had Adaptive Cruise Control? The Ford Fusion Hybrid does. Again you are assigning motive to action. Maybe they could be clearer about the feature, but it doesn't mean they are intentionally lying. Maybe they are intentionally lying. My original point was the Chauntay didn't decide to kill the Applink feature in MFT.

 

I'm not going to pursue the discussion further with you because we've (or I) have already hijacked this thread from it's original intent. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.

Edited April 23, 2013 by zhackwyatt

[oxnard]

That's true, the thread was hijacked.  But since I asked the question originally, I haven't had any solid answers anyway.  So just go on and pretend like I'm not here.  LOL!  ;)

[zhackwyatt]

That's true, the thread was hijacked.  But since I asked the question originally, I haven't had any solid answers anyway.  So just go on and pretend like I'm not here.  LOL!  ;)

Sorry.

[Laurel]

That's true, the thread was hijacked.  But since I asked the question originally, I haven't had any solid answers anyway.  So just go on and pretend like I'm not here.  LOL!  ;)

I read your question, but I don't know the answer.  We don't have the Sync lady to argue with in our C-Max. 

[MacGyver]

MOD updated - lets cut out the personal attacks. Argue the issue but no personal please. Lets all keep it cool.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[wab]

MacGyver

 

You can Ignor anyone you want to in

 

"Your Profile"

Manage Ignore Prefs

 

:rockon:

[Jus-A-CMax]

That's true, the thread was hijacked.  But since I asked the question originally, I haven't had any solid answers anyway.  So just go on and pretend like I'm not here.  LOL!  ;)

 

Oxnard, sorry about the thread jack but I wanted to see where this discussion is going since it went slightly OT - that does happen sometimes. I will leave this thread open for the time being in the hopes we can ALL get back to working out and discussing your original issue.

 

Let's contribute everyone, thats what this forum is all about. Thanks and peace  :rockon: