Sync3 v3.0 Available in AU

Zigman · 25-04-2018, 04:26 PM

The Ford AU owners site is showing that Sync3 v3.0 is available but when I go to download it, the site crashes or hangs.

Anyone else having this trouble with the Ford site?

Cralis · 02-05-2018, 01:56 PM

Same issue... Background process indicates 404, File not found, and if you try navigate to the page for download, you get 'The page was removed'. :(

naddis01 · 02-05-2018, 03:10 PM

From what I have read on the Ranger forum, most people that have updated to v3.0 regret doing it.

Zigman · 03-05-2018, 09:43 PM

The main reason I want to upgrade to v3.0 is for the Waze app support ... a GPS that doesn't insist on navigating you off toll roads and actually shows suburb names!

I called Ford Australia customer support about the download problem the other day and one of the questions I was asked was by the Ford support specialist was "... and what server are you using?". The person clearly didn't know the difference between a server and a browser. Arrrr, restores you faith in the quality of Ford techsupport!

thebigd · 06-05-2018, 12:47 PM

My Mondeo is supposed to be able to download updates via wifi. Current Sync 3 version is 2.3. When I go to check updates, it just sits there and spins and does nothing. My owners club page says version 3 is available.

thebigd · 06-05-2018, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebigd

My Mondeo is supposed to be able to download updates via wifi. Current Sync 3 version is 2.3. When I go to check updates, it just sits there and spins and does nothing. My owners club page says version 3 is available.

Have just found this on an American forum from earlier in the year. Maybe the same out here ?

"Ford is telling us that the update via wifi is not available yet. There is no set time as to when the update will be available for wifi, but Ford mentioned it will be soon. You can do the update with a USB stick or flash drive."

Zigman · 06-05-2018, 09:18 PM

Have just now managed to download Sync3 v3.0 from the Ford AU Owners website. The file name for me is "JR3T-14G381-AL-PKS.zip" and is around 2.2MB in size.

I suggest clearing your browser's cache and history and trying again. Last week when it wasn't working for me I think I noticed part of the URL for the button "Update New Version" on my profile page read "/en-in/" whereas tonight it was "/en-au/" ...

https://www.ford.com.au/owners/owner...your-sync.html

I could be wrong, but if my aging memory is correct in that recollection, then maybe there was a coding error that Ford have now fixed.

Zigman · 06-05-2018, 09:37 PM

From the Waze website ...

"More Waze on your Car's Big Screen with Ford and SmartDeviceLink"

See -> https://blog.waze.com/2018/01/

Womble99 · 11-05-2018, 04:44 PM

How is the upgraded version going? Any feedback on whether it is worth upgrading or not?

Zigman · 12-05-2018, 03:23 PM

The actual upgrade from Sync3 v2.3 to v3.0 was very painless. It took around 15 minutes or so to perform the upgrade on the way to the office one morning. The build being provided by Ford AU is 18025. I later upgraded to build 18093 (see http://www.focusrs.org/forum/30-focu...update-15.html) in the hope the patch from April would fix some annoyances (see below).

Differences in Sync3 ... not a lot on the surface. The nav icon changed to an pointy triangle thing. The connection of apps to Sync3 seems to be more reliable. I haven't tried Apple CarPlay or Android Auto yet. Sync3 found Waze on my iPhone. On the radio the icons for AM, FM & DAB are gone, now replaced with letters AM, FM & DAB. Really annoyingly they have changed the font used for the station name to a larger font. Now stations with longer names like "ABC MELBOURNE" or "ABCRadioNational" get chopped on the right. Did I say this is really annoying.

Waze on Sync3 ... I would regard this implementation of Waze with Sync3 as a "version 1.0" attempt. The display is washed out. The buttons are slow to respond. One of the buttons (forget which) says "this function not available" or words to that effect. On the iPhone the Waze display is backed out with a logo of SDL instead. The iPhone screen is therefore lit up and the iPhone runs hot. If you turn off the iPhones display, then Waze on Sync3 stops (kinda defeats the purpose wouldn't you think). If you go to another app on the iPhone, then Waze on Sync3 is replaced with a message saying Waze is unavailable or some such message. As I said version 1.0 software. Nice experiment, but I have gone back to the awful NAV on Sync3.

Maps ... as expected, no change I have noticed yet. Putting aside the question of a map update which appears to be only available via the dealership, the actual nav app itself is still broken. Every suburb in Melbourne is Melbourne, regardless of the suburb you are actually in. You can be 40 km away from the Melbourne CBD and yet, guess what, the suburb is still Melbourne. My old TomTom from 10 years ago didn't have this problem. Google maps doesn't have this problem. Even Apple maps gets this part right. Why can't a large global car maker get it right? I haven't tried toll roads yet, but don't expect this to have been fixed either. As every Sync3 owner knows, Sync3 NAV is hell bent on getting you off toll roads even if you tell it to use the toll road.

Is it worth doing the upgrade ...

If you are the type that lives in hope that a large, global, automotive company one day is able to fix their software, then yes, why not give it a shot. It may not fix the bugs that have been there since the get go, but at least it hasn't introduced new bugs (fingers crossed).

BTW, did I say the radio font size is very, very annoying. Just saying!

Womble99 · 12-05-2018, 03:35 PM

Lol so it sounds like leave it alone and don't live in Melbourne. I can handle that

Suburbs seem to work fine over here in SA?

thebigd · 12-05-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zigman

As every Sync3 owner knows, Sync3 NAV is hell bent on getting you off toll roads even if you tell it to use the toll road.

Hi Zigman.
Have to disagree with this. I regularly navigate from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Sync always takes me via the Logan Motorway (Toll Road), and this is the quickest route for me. It takes me through the tunnels to get to Brisbane Airport. These are also tolled. Have you checked the GPS settings ? There is an option for toll roads there.
Any chance you could take a pic showing the new radio text size and GPS change ? Wouldn't mind seeing it. I haven't upgraded to V3 yet.

asteele-xr6 · 16-05-2018, 07:18 AM

I have been running build 18093 for the past few days, and am finding it to be brilliant with Android Auto - it certainly seems to respond faster and Android Auto runs really well, starts quicker and I haven't needed to unplug/replug the phone in to correct where Android Auto hasn't launched properly - which I was having to doing regularly with 18025.

This is the build they should have made the public release instead of 18025 for sure!

asteele-xr6 · 17-05-2018, 05:00 AM

If you use Google to search for "sync 3 18093" - then you will see it come up multiple times, or browse to this forum for it http://www.focusrs.org/forum/30-focu...update-15.html

Zigman · 20-05-2018, 10:48 AM

DAB Station Name Text - Sync3 v3.0 build 18093

Zigman · 20-05-2018, 10:49 AM

thebigd · 20-05-2018, 07:13 PM

Did it also change the text size in the home view ? (gps/phone/radio)

Zigman · 20-05-2018, 08:53 PM

Not that I noticed, or recall.

Cralis · 26-07-2018, 01:54 PM

If you following this link, mentioned above:
https://www.focusrs.org/forum/30-foc...update-15.html

... it provides a download link for Sync 3 build 3.0.18093

Would that be safe to run on a Sept 2017 Mondeo?

asteele-xr6 · 26-07-2018, 02:12 PM

Yes, I believe it is fine to use. I installed this build back on 14th May - and it has been very good. I use Android Auto regularly, and found it to be faster and more reliable than the official build 18025.

That update is just the core operating system, which is what you want... where you have to watch out is with updates that update everything in the Sync3 system, such as voice commands etc - which will end up breaking things if the download is not for your region. I install a North America build on my Australian system and lost voice command control of navigation. I have since installed a UK version, and that is working great.

Zigman · 26-07-2018, 07:07 PM

Hi Cralis,

I concur with astelle-xr6. I installed the official AU update to 3.0.18025 and then applied the 18093 update. No problems found so far.

Go for it :-)