Waze users around the world can now use the app's real-time traffic and navigation service via the touch screen in Ford vehicles via SYNC AppLink and control it by voice command.
For owners of SYNC 3-equipped vehicles, this allows easier access to features including finding efficient traffic routes, locating cheaper fuel prices and reporting traffic accidents.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
To use, customers simply connect their Waze-equipped iPhone to the USB port of their Ford vehicle and view the service as it is projected onto the vehicle touch screen. With AppLink, users can now access the app's features on a larger display and have voice guidance through their own vehicle speakers and microphone system.
"Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to access the smartphone features, apps and services they care about most in the car, without having to pick up their device," said Don Butler, head of connected vehicle platform and product at Ford. "With Waze, our customers get the benefits they're accustomed to with the added luxury of experiencing them on a bigger screen."
In addition to the ability to report on heavy traffic, accidents and fuel prices, Ford's integration of Waze includes recent app updates such as talk to Waze, which allows control of the app via voice command. Features also include route support for high-occupancy vehicle lanes (carpool lanes), providing additional navigation options and more accurate arrival times.
To deliver optimal driving directions and traffic updates, Waze uses crowdsourcing to gather information about road conditions from all of its users. People simply type in their destination and drive with the app open to contribute data to the user community. At the same time, people can take a more active role by sharing reports from the road, including notifying the community of accidents, hazards or route changes that were previously unknown.
By working together, the aim is for people to help each other improve the quality of their commute. Waze can help commuters avoid congested roads in favour of other routes, or see when their friends are expected to arrive at their destination. Users can even help each other save a few dollars by sharing fuel prices as they travel, allowing people to navigate to the cheapest nearby station.
