Ford has announced that community navigation app Waze will be available to all vehicles fitted with the Sync3 media system from April this year.
With more than 100 million users worldwide, Waze is a platform for drivers to help other road users navigate around traffic by warning them of obstacles and heavy levels of congestion.
After first being announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last November, the app has been fully unveiled at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Initially only available for Apple iPhone users, the Waze application will be projected from the smartphone onto the central touchscreen, and joins the Sygic navigation app that performs in the same way. Waze is also available on Android phones, but the platform currently doesn’t function with Sync3 yet.
Product leader for in-car applications at Waze, Jens Baron, said: “Waze works as a personal heads-up from 100 million of your friends on the road – and now that will include the many Ford drivers who will be able to safely access our app while on the move through the car display.
“Waze is more than just red lines on the map – it reflects a huge community of drivers on the go, outsmarting traffic together all around the world.”
Don Butler, executive director of connected vehicles and services at Ford, said: “We know that people enjoy a range of navigation apps to help them reach their destination safely and more efficiently and have worked closely with partners to make this happen.
“With the SYNC 3 AppLink platform, drivers can access their favourite apps safely and seamlessly while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.”
Podcast applications Acast and RadioPlayer, fuel company BP and business communication brand Cisco also announced platforms to work alongside the Sync3 system, with all of those to be available with the Ford infotainment system in due course.
