2012 F150 Platinum Sync Interface Update/Functionality Fixes?

[sullivan1985]

Hello, All. This is my first post and I come to you with SYNC gripes...

 

I recently purchased a preowned 2012 F150 and at my own fault I didn't do much research about the Gen1 Sync/Voice Nav system built in. I'd love to replace it but since Ford thought it was a great idea to integrate the climate control system into the radio I'm pretty much boned. Don't get me wrong I love the truck but the SYNC system is a serious letdown when it's it comes to basic functionality and GUI. My system is currently running the Gen1 v4.4 update. The same update that was released with all the files improperly addressed in the update files that required a fix on the users end in order to make it work (annoying).

 

I'm reaching out to the Ford reps on this forum to see if there's any chance the 2012 F150 SYNC software will be getting any kind of major update in both functionality and interface design in the near or distant future?

 

The interface is terrible. It's clumsy, poorly laid out with a ton of wasted space. The music library doesn't even remember your previous selection and has to start from the root menu every time you select it. The buttons at the top to narrow the search alphabetically leaves a lot to be desired, too. Why are the music library options to narrow the search less narrow than that of the phone book? The phone book has nearly twice as many buttons with a much more narrow field of search. I run a 500GB hard drive with over 17,000 tracks on it so to be able to narrow the search field and remember the previously selected album would be a great fix!

 

Even better would have been if the truck was designed with a second directional pad identical to the one of the left side of the the steering wheel on the right side dedicated to controlling the SYNC system. Voice commands aren't always practical and don't always work so it would have been nice to just use a D-pad with short and long press functions. (Pipe Dream at this point.)

 

Also, can somebody actually program this thing to read the rest of the ID3 tags that virtually every MP3 player under the sun uses? It was annoying enough to convert all my music to ID3 v2.3 only to discover that SYNC doesn't recognize "DiscNumber" tags. This causes albums with multiple discs to play out of order. Yes, I could just rename the additional disc with "Disc One", "Disc Two" and such in the album titles but that's something I shouldn't have to do. While on tags, AlbumArt would be a nice treat, too.

 

Also, fix the sorting so artists or album name starting with "The" aren't all grouped together. That's just sloppy programming and adds to the clunkiness of the interface. For example, "The Beatles" should be grouped with the Bs, not the Ts.

 

If I'm going to be stuck with this system for so many years I really hope Ford doesn't just leave these obvious design flaws unaddressed.

 

I'm really hoping for a real answer from the Ford reps who post on this forum instead of a general "we're sorry" non-answer. These things I'm complaining about can't be something that some layout redesign and some additional programming can't fix. I paid good money for this truck and being that I'm stuck with SYNC I'd appreciate if it was actually functional.

 

TL;DR SYNC sucks and I wish I could replace it with an Android Auto capable head unit that plays FLACs and video.

 

-Sully

Edited September 29, 2016 by sullivan1985

[FordIVTteam]

Hey sullivan1985,

 

I regret to hear this purchased has caused so many issues for you. Ford will continue to released software updates, however, we have not been informed of a set date or time when they are released. Once they're available, you'll receive a notification in your SYNC account. We also haven't been informed of any interface updates to any of the systems because the systems and software are built into the vehicle during the time of production.

 

Your mobile media navigation system has a Jukebox which allows you to save desired tracks or CDs to the hard drive for later access. The hard drive can store up to 10 GB* (164 hours; approximately 2,472 tracks) of music. The system contains a Gracenote media database that allows for display of song title, album title, and album cover art. After saving music to the hard drive, you can access and play your music by specific tracks, artists, albums or genres. You can even choose to create and access your own playlists. The Gracenote CD can be purchased from our third party company, HERE Maps. They can be reach at www.navigation.com or at 866-462-8837.

 

To share general ideas with Ford Motor Company on how we can enhance our products and services, please visit http://social.ford.com.

 

Cara

 

[sullivan1985]

Well based on that reply I guess I'm screwed.

I shouldn't have to purchase a 3rd party software to put album art information or updated navigation maps. Google maps blows that navigation system out of the water any day. What a total waste of money. The media files I run on my portable hard drive already contain all the information I could ever need. I seriously don't understand how the interface can't be updated or additional functionality can't be added to read these standard MP3 tags. That sounds more like Ford really doesn't care about the usability of a permanent device. Why Ford decided to integrate the head unit with my climate control is beyond me. So much for the buyer being able to decide whats best for them.

Thanks I guess...

[FordIVTteam]

I understand your frustrations. If you visit the social page with the link I provided above, our engineers monitor the page for feedback. I always suggest making your voice heard so the products and services can be enhanced for the customers.

 

Cara