Ford Launching CarPlay and Android Auto in 2017 Vehicles With SYNC 3 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Ford Launching CarPlay and Android Auto in 2017 Vehicles With SYNC 3

Ford has announced it is adding CarPlay and Android Auto to all 2017 vehicles in North America equipped with BlackBerry's QNX-based SYNC 3 platform, starting with the new Ford Escape. CarPlay and Android Auto will also be available in 2016 vehicles with SYNC 3 as an upgrade later this year.

CarPlay-Ford'
Ford is also adding new SYNC AppLink apps for AAA/CAA member services, Concur expense report tracking, Eventseeker for nearby events and Cityseeker for nearby restaurants. New 4G LTE SYNC Connect technology will allow drivers to remote start, unlock doors, check fuel levels or locate a parked vehicle via their smartphone.

In December, Ford retroactively added Siri Eyes Free support to 5 million 2011-2016 vehicles through a SYNC 3.8 software update. The U.S. says more than 15 million SYNC-equipped vehicles are on the road worldwide today, although that figure likely includes older SYNC platforms incompatible with CarPlay and Android Auto.

Ford has been added to our list of 2016 U.S. CarPlay vehicles and CarPlay roundup.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 pastel

iOS 26.4: Top 10 New Features Coming to Your iPhone

Friday March 20, 2026 2:44 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 isn't the major update with new Siri features that we hoped for, but there are some useful quality of life improvements, and a little bit of fun with an AI playlist generator and new emoji characters. Playlist Playground - Apple Music has a Playlist Playground option that lets you generate playlists from text-based descriptions. You can include moods, feelings, activities, or...

Top Rated Comments

Mac Fly (film) Avatar
133 months ago
Car makers are in a tough position. If they don't add it they'll lose potential buyers—if they do it shows that people want and in most case prefer Google's or Apple's solution. The computer companies going forward over the next 10 years are in a super position to take a huge chunk of the car industry.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Frosties Avatar
133 months ago
Picture say more than words. Carplay and other iPad styled controls in a car is very pretty design but not functional due to no tactile feel. But it will not stop the avalanche, my next car will have it. I just hope the steering wheel and voice controls in all languages will keep up in the development cycle.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
133 months ago
I've been using the Apple CarPlay touch interface for about four months, and it is highly overrated. Here's some real world feedback:

The functionality is great, but forcing me to extend my arm to find a touch target while navigating traffic is not easy to do. Better solution: integrate with the various selector pads (like the big BMW joystick/wheel or the Mercedes touch pad) combined with tactile feedback when you hover over one of the icons would be much better.

Another problem with the interface is bad usage of the screen. The initial array of icons can't be rearranged, forcing me to keep app icons on the home screen I don't want, and relegating a couple of my favorites to a second screen.

Once you enter an app, the only interface option for selecting content is a scrolling list, which can only show three or four items. Instead of a scrolling list, I'd really prefer a grid of icons for the content, which could show many more choices on the screen. At least fifty year old AM radios gave you a row of five or six presets — only one click needed!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
133 months ago
Picture say more than words. Carplay and other iPad styled controls in a car is very pretty design but not functional due to no tactile feel. But it will not stop the avalanche, my next car will have it. I just hope the steering wheel and voice controls in all languages will keep up in the development cycle.
The best thing is even if CP/AA are installed, their use is optional. You aren't forced to use it. Personally, I'm happy with the way they're currently implemented. It's basically an app. I hope this will always be the case. The last thing we need is an update interfering with the operation of the car. That means never integrating with the critical functionality of the car. As long as it's like that, the choice of AA/CP is a good one. People can use it when they want to, and ignore it when they don't.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iArch Avatar
133 months ago
Well damn. I guess I did. Disregard ! Lol
Your '15 model has MyFord Touch, so this update won't apply to you. (Sync 3 didn't appear in the F-150 till the 2016 MY.) You can, however, thanks to a recent software update, add Siri Eyes Free to your MFT system via USB. It works great. Click here to get that done ('https://owner.ford.com/how-tos/sync-technology/myford-touch/software-updates.html/?sync=my-ford-touch&model=E-350&year=2004').
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
133 months ago
I'm happy enough with proclip mounted iphone til this stuff improves. Carplay looks limited.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Iphone | Lifestyle | World News | Ipad | Reviews