Venting Over Sync4 Instability

[Trainmaster]

Okay, I really love Sync4 on my 2023 SSV. But maybe it tries to do too much. I like Ford's navigation app. But I like CarPlay too and its navigation and map apps and the way it handles phones.

What drives me nuts is the instability of this whole box of magic. Damn, every time I get in this car I have no idea what's going to open, what's going to load and what I have to fiddle with to get to what I want. Yea, it could be my phone's problem, or it could be BlueTooth. But I absolutely loathe fiddling with my phone settings and the stupid touch screen at 35 miles per hour every other time I get into this truck.

Where in a modern automobile would we be comfortable with any device that kinda worked most of the time but sometimes worked like crap and sometimes didn't do what we wanted it to do? Push this, touch that, try again and see what happens?

Okay, thanks for listening. Just had to get that off my mind. I'd gladly trade half of these choices for a stable computer that did exactly what I wanted every time, without fail like the Sync1 navigation on my 2010.

Oh, but wait; Maybe there's hope:
Special Service Message 52574 - Vehicles Equipped with SYNC4 - Intermittent Symptoms - Awareness of Solutions Being Developed

I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Tripoli]

I have Sync4a on my 2022 SPP, and it's the same. Constantly juggling built-in apps with CarPlay. Never knowing what app will decide to load up each time the truck is started. Nav disappears. Facebook/Insta video clips interrupt the music. Spotify starts sometimes, not others. Voice control won't be available for like the first 2 minutes, and even then is nearly useless at getting any command right. Occasionally insane screeching sound on startup then no audio. I had it at the dealer twice for it all, and they said nothing they can do. Now warranty is over, so I'm on my own. They did tell me an update was coming but delayed, which is supposed to improve overall system performance, which has been notoriously sluggish. That's all we can hope for is that Ford continues to improve the software. That'll be the way of things until carmakers decide to go back to buttons and switches, which some are.

 

[NoNameTed]

Dude, I feel your pain. I pulled over for ten minutes one time trying to get android auto to connect. I gave up and drove down the road 5 minutes and then ****, connected. I tried so many things when pulled over. The lesson I learned is I don't really get a choice as to if I'll have access to my phone through this vehicle or not.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

its wierd, but Android Auto works absolutely rock solid reliable on my wife's 2016 Mercedes where it wasn't yet a factory option, but I got the option enabled via coding. Mercedes introduced it with the new version of the E that came out the next year, but they upgraded the stereo on the 2016's to what they put in the 2017+ models. AA is pretty flakey with random startup on my 2019 Chevy Bolt EV. It worked quite well on a 202? BMW renta-car in Greece. It worked well enough on a 20?? Chevy Equinox (non EV) rental in Denver. It works -most- of the time on my 2019 Expedition, but music from Spotify periodically glitches, maybe once every 10 or 15 minutes, and once in awhile it doesn't come up.

On the Bolt, about half the time I have to find the menu options to display AA as it comes up on one or another of the cars native displays like EV charge status, or FM radio, etc.

 

[bb37]

I use android auto all the time and never bother with the Ford apps. No problems.

 

[jjscsix]

Our synch four has been really bad for two and a half years now. It is not related to CarPlay. I won’t go into the list of glitches, but I have told my wife it is our last Ford with a full touchscreen interface and almost no hard buttons.

It’s a shame because other than that I really like it. But I cuss it just about every time I drive it. Fortunately it is primarily my wife’s daily driver.

 

[JDV Senior]

My 2025 Expedition InfoTainment system is far from stable. Biggest problem is voice quality of phone transmission to my callers. In car reception is fine. On the receiving end, people complain of static, skipping, constant wind noise. Dealer "soft" reboots everything and tests and declares it OK. Within a day, back to same problems. Anyone else?
Also have radio presets shifting, unable to voice command calls and few others. And I am very unsatisfied with the ergonomics of operating the touchscreen. Tiny icon targets difficult to see and pinpoint while driving. Frequent adjustment menus are 3 screens deep. Designers weren't car guys.

 

[rugedraw]

Whether you use Android or Apple, Sync will play nicer with it if your turn off wireless app projection and just use the cable.

 

[SLPR]

After my first week with the Sync4, I realized it would never work predictably and simply turned off Android Auto. If I want music or audiobooks I use bluetooth wirelessly, and if I want navigation I either use Google Maps on my phone or Ford's Navigation. No call quality issues at all. This is the zero-surprises zero-stress set-up.