the big deal with android auto versus built in gps navigation

[Snakebitten]

I've got Alexa on my phone, and i cannot get them to work together. I don't pay for Ford streaming, but it would be cool if talking to Alexa Built in would control my phone. How did you make them work together? Right now, i connect my phone with Bluetooth. I start Amazon Music and ask Alexa to play the song. My phone starts playing it, but Alexa Built in stops it to tell me I'm not connected to streaming, then goes back to playing Bluetooth music.... Started by Alexa. Not sure what hoop I'm not jumping through.

Without the Ford streaming subscription, the truck is sandboxed. So you can ask Alexa to do things that she will fail at without a gateway out.
This is THE one "connected service" that is ALL Ford. It's their revenue stream, as far as I can tell.

Without that connected service, there are ways for Alexa to offload the request to your phone and its gateway, based on your description.

Oh, and there's one other "connected service" with a usage cost that is not reflected in the FordPass account information. It's your agreement for cellular data with AT&T. I don't think that Ford Streaming would work without it?

Which is further proof that Ford Streaming is truly Ford inserting itself as a middle man and creating a revenue stream, pun intended. Afterall, why couldn't Alexa perform her task using AT&T cellular as the gateway withOUT Ford playing proxy?

If I sound bitter.... I ain't. This IS the way the world works now. I just don't want anyone to think I'm a sucker unknowingly. I'm not.
Instead, I'm a willing and knowing sucker! ?

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[mrtull]

This IS the way the world works now. I just don't want anyone to think I'm a sucker unknowingly. I'm not.
Instead, I'm a willing and knowing sucker! ?

I'm willing to be a sucker right there with you.

But somethings DO work. I use Alexa in the truck to unlock my smart lock on the front door. I can also operate my Wyze lights and switches. I can even ask questions and run other skills. So there are some things that are being allowed out, I just haven't played with it enough to figure it out {full disclosure... I postyed the question to try to cheat off the smart kid}

Part of my issue is I have a 0.97 mi commute in a town of less than 10,000 so I have never been on the Waze bandwagon. I've flip flopped back and forth between Google and Alexa for smart devices and decided on Alexa primarily because I have music included with Prime. So Alexa built in and Sync 4 are actually right up my alley.

I totally get that Ford is trying to be the middle man; I'm sure that's why they stopped utilizing Sirius. My wife's Bronco Sport has Sirius so we maintain a subscription.... and I can use the app to stream via blue tooth in the car. I have Sirus linked to my echo in the house, so I'm pretty sure I could get Alexa on my phone to start the sirius app... so then I'm back to getting Alexa Built In to talk to Alexa On the Go. Or am I causing her identity crisis?!?

 

[Snakebitten]

Love the attitude.
Sounds like you are having a good time too.

I doubt I can answer every question because I swear there are so many choices and ways to get that song to play. And as soon as I think I have it figured out, I wake up to discover they've invented yet another option!

As long as Alexa knows what she's doing, I figure I just gotta live with not always understanding how myself.

 

[roadPilot]

Long time AA and Waze user, occasionally use Google Maps just for the helluvit.

Tried to stomach the built-in navigation for the drive to work today (~53 miles). While there was the same usual traffic and the same usual backups in certain places, the built-in nav did NOT show it (yes, traffic is enabled). But both Waze and Google Maps showed the slowdowns.

I much prefer the real-time traffic incident reporting by Waze users.

Oh, yea, and was messing around with Alexa on the way in just for fun (Alexa user at home). It's useless without either a phone w/data plan attached or a Ford WiFi subscription for the vehicle.

 

[Snakebitten]

Alexa is useless at home without a data plan.
Alexa needs to breath. Her lungs are in a cloud.

Traffic is an urban phenom. Millions of F150's are rural and/or rarely involved.

But Waze IS amazing for navigating the hoards.

 

[DANJENS]

Have used both Alexa and AA google maps. I have done both real time while driving with my wife and always found Google maps to be more accurate with time estimates and traffic updates. Her apple is sometimes better than google maps. It is a tossup. Google maps has saved me and hour and a half wait in a construction zone on a 9 hour trip cross country that Sync navigation tried to keep re routing me back into. Yes traffic was on and I had the free trial for ATT and Ford at the time. I am sure someone has had a very different experience and I know this is anecdotal evidence but it is enough for me. Good luck all.

 

[MikeA]

I must be dense or not catching the vibe
but, in layman's terms, what is the big deal with android auto, versus the built in navigation and sync?

i like my nav system and the sync. but it seems of late everyone is over the moon about android auto, its loaded on my truck and my samsung constantly tries to use it vice the trucks built in nav.

what am i missing by not using android auto? and of course googles new drive assistant????

thanks from the old guy

The big issue for Me and why I made sure to get the connected "Builtin" Nav is that
1. the Android Auto wont Nav full screen like the Ford sys
2. If you get Connected "Builtin" when the 3 year updated subscription expires, you can still enter a route, just get no updates.....If connected Nav is Not "Builtin" then in 3 mos you wind up with just a moving map of where you are and cant enter a route.
Thats the way it was explained to me. Well see in 3 years hahaha.

 

[vinnie175]

For me, I find the built-in nav better because it also puts the turns on the dash, between the speedometer and tach. I like that feature. I love AA because I can do the speech to text and reply to text messages that come in. To my knowledge, I don't think that Sync natively does that. If it does, can someone point me to how to get this to work? Music can be streamed via bluetooth, so that is a moot point for me. I also haven't done Waze yet. I have noticed that the phone gets super hot when using AA and the phone is sitting on the wireless charger, so I try no to use AA if I don't have to.

 

[STM]

Why some people are so paranoid is beyond me. They can track every time you use just about anything. Like you @Snakebitten , It is too late for me to start looking over my shoulder and I don't real care what they track. Hell, if I knew I was being watched, I would give them something to talk about....LMAO

All the tech companies track us for everything.. The thing is.. They track 10 of millions of people if not a lot more.. So what are the chances that they will single me out to do anything?
I take solace in the ridiculously large numbers theory...
The benefits far outweigh any issues...

 

[powerboatr]

All the tech companies track us for everything.. The thing is.. They track 10 of millions of people if not a lot more.. So what are the chances that they will single me out to do anything?
I take solace in the ridiculously large numbers theory...
The benefits far outweigh any issues...

and just this morning i opened google on my phone and it took me to websites my wife was looking at on the laptop... so i asked her about the grocery store she was looking at (commissary ) for sales and prices so she can plan the 3 hr trip
she was not amused... guess the laptop was logged into my google account ? ? ?

 

[Old Bear]

Can someone explain Ford Streaming, and why I should care? How is this better than simply streaming via AA? What am I missing? And it's like $10 and some change a month? But that still doesn't provide a hotspot for phones and tablets inside, does it?

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