If you have both an iPhone and a Ford vehicle and are a fan of Google’s Waze navigation app, you’ve been out of luck when it comes to integrating it into your car. While Ford’s SYNC connectivity system supports Apple CarPlay, Apple itself does not allow users to use Waze through CarPlay. There is a way around this now, as Ford announced that SYNC 3 equipped vehicles can project the Waze app from an iPhone directly onto the touch screen via SYNC AppLink. This follows Ford’s announcement of the integration at CES, which was followed by beta demonstrations.
You need to have Waze downloaded onto your iPhone, and the phone must be plugged into a USB port in your Ford. You can then open Waze through SYNC. Once Waze is on the big screen, you can control the app thorough voice command and hear the voice guidance through the vehicle speakers.
This brings Waze’s real-time traffic and navigation directly into your vehicle, along with the most efficient traffic routes, cheapest fuel prices, and traffic accident alerts. You can be routed to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and get accurate arrival times. You can even keep an eye out for the police.
“Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to access the smartphone features, apps and services they care about most in the car, without having to pick up their device,” Don Butler, executive director, connected vehicle platform and product at Ford, said. “With Waze, our customers get the benefits they’re accustomed to with the added luxury of experiencing them on a bigger screen.”
Waze uses crowdsourcing to deliver real-time information about everything from road hazards and conditions to route changes and fuel prices. You can connect with friends to share data such as arrival time.
“We’re excited drivers of Ford SYNC 3-enabled vehicles will now be able to use Waze for iOS right from their dashboard, getting access to features like planned drives, alternative routes, talk to Waze voice commands and more,” Jens Baron, product lead, in-car applications at Waze, said. “They’ll also benefit from the best routes and most accurate ETAs, thanks to our global community of drivers on the go who update the map in real-time — helping our mission to one day eliminate traffic.”
To use Waze on Ford’s AppLink, you’ll need SYNC 3 version 3.0 or greater, and your iOS running 11.3 or later. It’s worth the effort, as we found Waze to be among the most useful apps you can have on your iPhone.
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