Ford Sync

Ford has released new emulator software designed to encourage developers to create and test apps for compatibility with its latest infotainment system Sync 3 - including Australians. The new Sync 3 AppLink emulator is free to download, and allows software creators to test how an app will look and work on the Sync 3 interface using their own computers - rather than having to get their hands on a suitably-equipped Ford car.

The list of carmakers offering connectivity with the new Apple CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment platforms has grown again, with Ford and Fiat Chrysler both making major announcements at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. For Ford, the move marks an anticipated upgrade to its new Sync 3 system, which was revealed last year and is locked in for an Australian launch sometime next year.

Ford says its new-generation infotainment system software is better suited to driving than interfaces offered by the likes of Google Auto (Android) and Apple CarPlay (iOS). Speaking with CarAdvice at the Ford GT innovation forum in Detroit today, the company’s senior technical leader for Human Machine Interface (HMI), Jeff Greenberg, noted that smartphone manufacturers do not have the equivalent experience to develop interfaces for drivers.