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Ford to Introduce Wireless CarPlay in Select 2020 Vehicles With SYNC 4

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Ford today previewed its new SYNC 4 infotainment system, including support for wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. The new SYNC 4 system will be available on select Ford vehicles starting in 2020.

carplay-sync-3-ford.jpeg
CarPlay on SYNC 3​

The wireless solution works over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing an iPhone to be connected to the CarPlay system without using a Lightning to USB cable. Ford joins BMW in offering wireless CarPlay, while brands like Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, and Pioneer also offer aftermarket receivers with wireless CarPlay.

CarPlay? is Apple's in-car platform that enables iPhone users to access a range of apps from the dashboard, such as Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pandora, WhatsApp, and Downcast. Since iOS 12, third-party navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze are also supported.

SYNC 4 will also be capable of receiving over-the-air software updates.

Article Link: Ford to Introduce Wireless CarPlay in Select 2020 Vehicles With SYNC 4
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/10/30/ford-wireless-carplay-sync-4-2020/
About time this becomes the norm. Even though I basically charge my phone every time I get in the car, I would rather drop it on a wireless charger. With that said, USB is sometimes finicky with CarPlay so I can only imagine the issues with wireless.
 
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Can someone elaborate on the aftermarket receivers? I have carplay in the 2020 jeep but its only wired.. Will i be able to buy an aftermarket unit to make it wireless?
 
I have CarPlay disabled in my MY2019 car. For whatever reason (don’t know if it’s an Apple problem or car problem) it is too glitchy and clumsy to be useful.
 
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I put an iLX-107 in my car for wireless CarPlay and it is probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. The thing works flawlessly every time and it's leagues better than wired. I thought it would kill my battery but on modern iPhones they must have a lot of hardware encoding and power saving stuff in the WiFi chip so it doesn't affect it hardly at all.

The only thing I wish it could do is at least BT songs from my Watch since I don't always drive with my phone. No BT audio support though, maybe the Pioneer does but it's not compatible with my in car systems (and it looks ugly tbh).

Also a brake bypass is absolutely necessary.
 
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The thing that annoys me with Sync 3 are the three AM radio groups each with a possible 6 presets... Where in the world is there a demand for 18 AM presets for a radio? Does any market even have 18 AM stations?
 
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When I purchased my Nissan Leaf I was excited to be finally able to use CarPlay. However, I was disgusted to find out it required a USB connection :-(. Are there any after market USB dongles for such cars to make the whole CarPlay thing wireless (similar to a dongle for a wireless mouse connecting to a laptop)? Everything just should have been wireless from the start...
 
Dragunov said:
Can someone elaborate on the aftermarket receivers? I have carplay in the 2020 jeep but its only wired.. Will i be able to buy an aftermarket unit to make it wireless?
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Of course. I did in my truck. Easy peasy.
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Looking forward to this when I order a new F-350.
 
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al256 said:
Where in the world is there a demand for 18 AM presets for a radio? Does any market even have 18 AM stations?
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My 2011 Sienna has 6 preset groups with 6 presets available for each group, all of which can be set to an AM station 🤣.
 
ersan191 said:
I put an iLX-107 in my car for wireless CarPlay and it is probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. The thing works flawlessly every time and it's leagues better than wired. I thought it would kill my battery but on modern iPhones they must have a lot of hardware encoding and power saving stuff in the WiFi chip so it doesn't affect it hardly at all.

The only thing I wish it could do is at least BT songs from my Watch since I don't always drive with my phone. No BT audio support though, maybe the Pioneer does but it's not compatible with my in car systems (and it looks ugly tbh).
Click to expand...
I have the iLX-107 also, works nearly flawlessly wirelessly.
 
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jlocker said:
I have a 2019 GMC Arcadia and the Apple Car Play is great with the iPhone 11, much better that was in my 2017 GMC Arcadia.
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Our cars (I have a 2018 Cadillac XT5 -same platform as your car) has everything it needs to be able to do this. All we need is a software update. And like the new Ford system it is capable of OTA updates. Please GM give us our wireless Carplay!! But hey after the first of the year we will be getting Alexa support.
 
Is there a carplay reciever that automatically boots into the mode? I've seen some where after starting the car it takes a minute or two for the receiver to "boot" into the main OS. I haven't looked into CarPlay in ages.
 
I have wireless CarPlay on my BMW. I find it frustrating to use because of the restrictions Apple puts. The regular bluetooth integration is much better. For example, when browsing a playlist, as soon as you select a song from the list, on Carplay the list disappears and the current song takes up the whole screen. On bluetooth, it stays on the list so you can see the next song or skip back as much as you want. Stuff like that.
 
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OneBagTravel said:
Is there a carplay reciever that automatically boots into the mode? I've seen some where after starting the car it takes a minute or two for the receiver to "boot" into the main OS. I haven't looked into CarPlay in ages.
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Yes. Or they're supposed to. My pioneer sometimes does and sometimes doesn't.
 
tdar said:
Our cars (I have a 2018 Cadillac XT5 -same platform as your car) has everything it needs to be able to do this. All we need is a software update. And like the new Ford system it is capable of OTA updates. Please GM give us our wireless Carplay!! But hey after the first of the year we will be getting Alexa support.
Click to expand...

There's no money in it for them to retro these changes to older cars, even one year older. So, I would say the possiblity is zero. Same thing with older TVs and adding Airplay 2. They can...but they won't.
 
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To me the value of car play and android play was in receiving updates after purchase. That costs auto companies money as anything the adds value post sale decreases the need for buying another vehicle.
 
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