LarryQW

Occasionally, maybe once a month, my Droid looses BT and cannot pair with SYNC. In all cases, I've resolved it by turning off and on my Droid phone to reboot. It then pairs immediate.

Go into the SYNC settings menu on your phone screen. Lots of settings and options there. One of them is to manually download the phonebook now. Another is to turn off the automatic downloads.

I had a similar problem with my LG phone. Turns out the phone wants you to hit "Yes" to approve download of the phone book soon after connecting. If you don't, it disconnects after a minute. I fixed it by telling SYNC to only do manual downloads, which I do manually once a month or whenever I made a change to my phone book. Otherwise it automatically doesn't try to download and disconnect on pairing.

Verizon generally does not support text messaging via Bluetooth. However, a couple of the newer phones are able to text via Sync according to reports. I think one is the HTC. Not sure about Droid 2. You can read more over at the Owner to Owner forums at syncmyride.com, the official sync site. There's a new BT protocal that allows text to work if your phone supports it.

I previoiusly had that phone and it worked fine. The only issue was it knocking me off the SYNC after one minute if I didn't physicall press OK on my phone to accept the automatic Phone Address book update. I finally told SYNC to only do Manual updates and fixed that problem. Check your Phone's Bluetooth menu and check if it has everything enabled properly. Not sure what else.

OK, first the radio was already controlled by Pioneer's Nav system in the past, so MS SYNC worried about the other things. They made a hand-off to MS voice control when you go to the User Device or Phone sub-menu. You can tell because the sound level suddenly starts blasting. As for customized voice recognition, you can indeed set voice profiles for Pioneer's commands. You say a few phrases and it trains to understand your voice as you suggested. You can set profiles for different people and call them up. (To learn how, say Help.) I found the voice training helps considerably for Pioneer's commands, raising accuracy from say 75% to 95%. The MS voice commands don't have custom voice profiles, but don't need it . It's already 98% accurate for many different voices. Customizable buttons would be good. But what if someone else drove your car? You'd need some sort of default settings. I could be confusing to a driver and distraction if not done right. SYNC is now working on opening up their system to independently developed "Apps". But unlike a cell phone, the Apps have to be helpful and not distract from driving in their operation. As such, there will always be a very careful selection process much more stringent than anything Apple does. Many GPS and other systems allow changing of the navigator voice. At some point Ford may do this as well. (I want a voice to make my wife jealous of my car...) But for now the Navigation systems in the Fords are way out of date. My cheap hand held Garmin GPS has 6 Million Points of Interest. My Pioneer/Ford Nav system only has maybe 2.3 Million POIs. I can't even find local stores like an REI on Ford's system. So I look up the store on my handheld GPS, or now days, my Droid smart phone and punch the street address into the Ford Nav. The big advantage of the Ford/Pioneer Nav system is better integration, bigger screen, and all sorts of side advantages of the Nav Control, like being able to see Phone information and control the rear DVD from the front. It also will keep navigating based on wheels and steering wheel position when there's no satellite reception, like in big cities, tunnels and parking decks. It also nicely lowers the radio sound only on the front speakers when giving Nav commands. An external GPS would need to blast to be heard over the radio.

I was saying the rear screen is very dangerous if you only watch that screen and don't look around. The rear screen is maybe good for a brief glance to check behind you before starting out. But similarly, you can look behind the car before getting in. Backing out, you need to be looking around out the windows so you can see everything else that is happening - like a car coming from the side or a kid running to get behind your car, which your camera may not see until too late In contrast to the rear screen, the sensors will always work to your advantage to prevent accidents, rather than make them. They can audibly alert you to obstacles when you're not looking at the screen, which you shouldn't be while moving backwards. So again, I think it's far better and safer to disable the screen and keep the sensors working, rather than the other way around. And like you say - Yes, that's what I do.

It's a Verizon thing. Verizon disables text via Bluetooth on all their phones. I think it's to prevent "tethering" your laptop to the web through your phone, or maybe to force you to use their special web services rather than transfer content from your computer. I heard one phone model (Eclipse?) from Verizon was able to text with SYNC, but that was an anomaly.

Hi Brandy New! Verizon disables text over Bluetooth on all their phones. It's a Verizon policy, maybe to eliminate people tethering their phone to their laptop? As such, if you're with Verizon, none of their phones will do text over SYNC.

There's been a lot of discussion on this on www.syncmyride.com Owner-to-Owner forum. You need to type the password very quickly on the Droid before it times out. Using the hard keyboard helps to give more time and type faster. Some have found it's easier to start the pairing from the Droid, and then discover it on the SYNC menu.

Satellite Radio is about all I listen to while driving, unless it's my USB drive. Sirius made my 40 minute morning commute in traffic bearable as I can listen to all the news and financial stations that I I'd be reading at the computer anyway. It's also great on long family trips through nowhere. I didn't get the lifetime subscription until the second year, so I wasted a year of payments. I should have done it sooner. But I was worried about the Sirius going bankrupt. Then it was saved at the last minute and also merged with XM. Now I figure whoever owns Sirius will keep it going for the marginal cost with all the paying customers out there. Anyway, my point is that you should get the lifetime subscription as soon as you decide you want to keep the service. Over 10 years life of the car, it works out to maybe only $4/month.

I had a similar experience with my Taurus X at the dealer, and worse. The new microphone helped tremendously. But at first the interior lights and many other little things weren't working so I had to take three extra trips to the dealer to fix all the little problems they caused when fixing the microphone. After a couple of visits, they found a (24-pin?) connector wasn't inserted back correctly. But still other little things stopped working. Then they kept finding other little fixes like blown fuses and such. They finally got it fixed after way too many visits. It might have been easy if they knew exactly what they were doing. But I think this install was new to them.

Try the "SYNC My Phone" app to load from a USB drive programmed by your PC or Mac. See here: http://boards.synccommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=fordsyncmb&tid=1646

There's been so much confusion on this data usage issue that many of the Droid forums have a special sticky note at the top. Unlimited truly means unlimited. Grab all the data you can get for the $30/month. Verizon has NO cap on data usage for the Droid phone. Really! The 5 GB you describe is for other types of data plans (such as tethering your phone to a computer).

What's even more crazy, while looking through my SYNC music list of artists on my Nav screen recently, I noted the ABC key will list all of the ABCs (like you would expect), not just A or B or C. And this is within the same SYNC interface! Some engineers somewhere needs some schooling.

I find the bluetooth audio is not the greatest, but surprisingly good (with my poor hearing). Of course the best is to use the USB interface. For better audio with Bluetooth, you need to turn your phone volume up near the max.

Oh what optimism! On my Taurus X 2008 Nav system, I hoped for new POI lists as well. Ford/Pioneer only has about 2 Million POIs, versus the 6 Million on my cheap little Garmin handheld, and I feel it. For instance, I can't even find the local REI sports store with Ford Nav,. In contrast, the Garmin has every little 2- man shop. I paid senselessly for several upgrades to Navteq with little improvement to the data, but $100s less in my wallet. I complained to Navteq once, and the responded they supply to both Garmin and Ford, but Ford actually requests less POIs in their database!!! I now use my Motoroloa Droid and Google voice search to find anything. For driving convenience, I then enter the address into my Ford Nav system. It seems to be fairly good on addresses, even if a year or two out of date on the most recent DVD. I still like the Nav screen for other purposes - phone, radio, USB selection, controlling the rear Family Entertainment System and all the headphone options....

Yes, I have been able to pair my phone for phone calls, while my daughter uses her paired phone for Bluetooth music fed into the SYNC system. (Not at the same time.) The SYNC system starts by selecting the "favorite" phone, and moves down the list of available paired phones. With my Nav system, I can also select on the screen which phone to use out of the ones available in the car.

Being on the approved list means the phone will work and be supported. Some phones not on the list indeed have problems in various forms. But most phones not on the list work well. (For instance, I found that my new Droid works fine, you just need to type the code very fast in order to pair. That might be a problem with your phone too. ) You need to search the forums and see other people's experience with your phone. See my response to another person recently also having the Samsun u450. http://fordsyncforum.com/index.php?/topic/723-new-car-and-new-cell-cant-pair-them/page__gopid__3557&

Seems to be a problem with the u450, also see this recent thread: http://fordsyncforum.com/index.php?/topic/719-verizon-samsung-u450/ For additional help search Ford SYNC's Owner to Owner forum over on the official www.syncmyride.com web site: http://boards.synccommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=fordsyncmb&listMode=0 Some Ford SYNC engineers monitor that formun and often respond on their own time. You can also contact the SYNC support via the Contact form there: http://www.syncmyride.com/Own/Modules/PageTools/ContactUs.aspx On a link on that page, you can find hours and numbers for phone support as well. If all else fails, take the car to your dealer for help.

When you try using SYNC to manually download the phonebook, do you actually open your phone and hit the "Yes" button to allow the phonebook to be downloaded? If you do nothing, that is, if you don't hit Yes or No, then the phone will disconnect as you say. If you're still having problems, it's time to take it to the dealer or SYNC help. You've suffered enough.

I can hear your frustration. I've been there with my LG VX8350. I have SYNC 2.1, which I understand is the same as 3.1, but for the older cars with the older hardware. I only had a problem with the Auto Phonebook download disconnecting the phone about one minute after starting up the car. That was fixed by turning off the Auto download, which you say you did. Does your phone indicate anything when you loose connection? For instance, I got the clue when it said something like "Approve PB download?, Yes or No". And then it disconnected if I did nothing. I suggest you visit your dealer and let them look at it. Or you can also try SYNC's email and phone support, listed on the Ford's official www.syncmyride.com Owner to Owner forum. One of the SYNC sofltware engineers, Mike, also regularly helps people on that forum. A list of tested compatible phones is also available on syncmyride.com. Incidentally, I just got a Droid now, which works just fine with SYNC. But still no text reading feature, since I have Verizon.

Your cell phone must connect directly to your cell phone provider using the appropriate transmission format which varies from manufacturer and provider (GSM for AT&T, CDMA for Verizon, etc..), which makes sure it's your phone based on the cell phone ID. Sync then connects to your cell phone with Bluetooth, which most all phones have today. Sync's only wireless connection is this Bluetooth. When SYNC connects through your phone, you are charged by your cell phone provider just like you dialed the numbers yourself. Bluetooth is really just like a remote for your phone. The Bluetooth antennae is very small and embedded in your phone, and another is buried in the car somewhere for SYNC to talk to your phone. So yes, SYNC has its own antennae, a Bluetooth antennae that talks to your phone. And your phone talks to your cell provider. Your car also has an antennae for FM, satellite radio, GPS, etc.. But this antennae is for the dedicated radio or satellite signals to those devices, and separate from SYNC, even though SYNC may control these devices. In contrast, GM's OnStar indeed has a separate independent cell phone connection in each car. But it's nothing to do with your personal cell phone or your cell phone account.

Don't feel dumb, it gets everyone. The method is very different from most interfaces and not at all intuitive until you know the trick. It's also funny in that you'd automatically figure it out if you ever hit the same button a second time, but oddly, nobody ever does.

HaHaHaHa..... You'll laugh too when you hear the answer. OK, this has happened before several times to many on the forums. It also got me at first too. Your phone numbers are probably transferring just fine. It's just that the phone list interface in the SYNC system is pretty screwy. Here's the magic secret on how you get from the "A"s to the "B"s. Hit the ABC key one more time. Now, guess how you get to the "C"s?