[TusharK]

The infotainment system in the Trend, Thunder, Titanium and Titanium+ variants of the Ford EcoSport will now run on Android 4.2.2 operating system.



The Android OS replaces the old WINCE operating system. Ford claims that the new operating system has significantly improved the performance of the head-unit.

Being Android based, the infotainment unit will now support Wi-Fi features like Over the Air (OTA) updates, enabling customers to upgrade the system software on their own. It will also provide live traffic updates for Offline MMI maps.

The infotainment system will now have conference call functionality. Users will be able to speak with up to 3 individuals at a time.

The VIN cut off for the aforementioned variants is LE46288, which suggests that cars manufactured in August 2020 onwards will get this upgrade.

Thanks to Akshat Awasti for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Link to Team-BHP News

[CEF_Beasts]

Ford India we want Apple CarPlay and Android Auto not a Android unit with some additional features over the Wince unit. Hope Ford reads this and does the needful because with the C-SUV segment becoming hotter the EcoSport also needs to keep up with the competition.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The infotainment system in the Trend, Thunder, Titanium and Titanium+ variants of the Ford EcoSport will now run on Android 4.2.2 operating system.

The Android OS replaces the old WINCE operating system. Ford claims that the new operating system has significantly improved the performance of the head-unit.

So, what about the Sport variant. If this OS is good enough shouldn't the top variant receive it too?

Or is sync system still the best Ford can offer and this is just a replacement for the Flyaudio system?

[srinath34]

Looks like only the FlyAudio units will now be ported with the Android base OS instead of WinCE.

Hope its not cheap like the one on the Rapid Onyx edition.

S versions with SYNC3 may still be the only one for those who want Apple Car Play connectivity.

[Funny]

This is not enough Ford. Competition is offering better HU with Android Auto and Apple Car Play even in mid level variants. The Sync system is something which is very desirable for Ford owners, I do not understand why Ford would keep it only for the top-most variant alone. At-least give us the option to upgrade to Sync 3 for a price, that's the least you could do for your customers. I do not expect this new Android based HU to be as good as the Sync system. Just hope that it is better than the existing FlyAudio system at-least.

[ashlil]

Ford is mindbogglingly tone-deaf. Where is android auto and apple car play? Let's agree that somehow sync 3 is so premium that people paying a mere 14 Lakhs on road do not deserve it. But, why cannot you provide apple car play and android auto with the Fly-audio? People buying the Ecosport now are getting a far worse deal than those bought it in 2018.

[Vibhav-Van]

Though this might be a move in the right direction, it is the Sync-3 unit which the need of the hour.

What is Ford's excuse to not bring it back, for the Titanium/Plus variants at least? My 2018 model had it, and it played a good role in swaying my purchase decision away from the Nexon.

With the Sonet well positioned to take over this segment by storm, Ford needs to up their game to stay relevant. Sync-3 is a great differentiator, and they need to capitalize on it. Instead, they're continuously making the lower variants more bare-bones year after year.

[Cessna182]

Perhaps OT, but does anyone know why these units only run older versions of Android? Almost every aftermarket audio unit with a touchscreen runs an OS based on an android version that's many years old. If a 6k phone can get the latest android version, why do car units run older software?

Also, is it time for manufacturers to show the actual specs of the audio unit? Most infotainment systems have a 1 or 2 GB RAM, which doesn't work even in smartphones these days. Yet these systems become the main interface for many people while interacting with the car.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by Cessna182

Perhaps OT, but does anyone know why these units only run older versions of Android? Almost every aftermarket audio unit with a touchscreen runs an OS based on an android version that's many years old. If a 6k phone can get the latest android version, why do car units run older software?

Cars are becoming "connected" platforms and the value of "software and IP" probably already exceeds the value of material + labour in many modern global cars. Users running these prehistoric versions with gazillion vulnerabilities are well set up for nasty surprises soon enough

[digitalnirvana]

Based on Android 4.2.2? That's 7 years old! Even aftermarket cheap Android units are more up to date. This is really terrible from Ford.

This might just have been acceptable at Kwid or SPresso price points but not for an Ecosport that costs a million rupees.

[octane_100]

The EcoSport till date remains the best designed sub 4m SUV in terms of proportions and looks and is still the benchmark when it comes to ride and handling. They have a choice of good engines and transmissions. They also have sunroof. It is baffling to note why it is that Ford can't take care of a trivial issue like offering a proper infotainment system in 2020 and gives us half baked stuff!

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to the ICE forum!

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Funny

This is not enough Ford. Competition is offering better HU with Android Auto and Apple Car Play even in mid level variants.

The latest kid on the block Sonet has even wireless AA and Apple car play in their 8" HU. Manufacturers like Maruti, Renault, Ford, Toyota, Mahindra et al are yet to up the connectivity/infotainment game in a big way, it's a big differentiator for many car buyers. They all need to take a leaf out of Kia's book at least on this front. I remember a friend of mine who opted for Hyundai i20 over Maruti Swift just because it's HU had bluetooth connectivity back then. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then but the likes I mentioned above are still caught napping.

[Reinhard]

I still feel its far better to have an Android head unit compared to some stock touch screen unit which while good, lacks android auto or apple car play. Android head unit works quite well with a hotspot & more or less does everything that Android auto does. There are simple mods generally possible to also integrate apple car play with it.
(Of course - for the privacy conscious ones who also don't trust Android Auto / Apple Car play - an Android head unit is a big downer!)

Its just a matter of time before this becomes a norm. It helps mass production & lower cost for all. Inevitable future - especially in the mango-people car segments for us. VW-Skoda already has these android units in the new Rapid etc. The floodgates will open soon.

[SansGT]

What about Freestyle/Aspire/Figo? Will they get this update too?
I for one is happy. Though it may not be Sync3, something's better than nothing. The major use of Android Auto is Google Maps (90%). This system will provide all the necessary features (maps with traffic, music apps, whatsapp notifications, calling). Regarding version, it may be ancient, but we are neither using it to play games, load advanced apps or watch videos. It serves the above mentioned basic functionalities and the version being provided is okay to do those. Unlike smartphones, we use car HUs more from an assistance purpose.