FORD EXPLORER 2017 5.G Owners Manual

Cell phone issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Make sure you allow SYNC 3 to retrieve
contacts from your phone. Refer to your
cell manual.
Limitations on your cell
phone's capability.
The system
says "Phone-
book down-
loaded" but my
SYNC 3 phone-
book is empty or
is missing
contacts. If the missing contacts are stored on your
SIM card, move them to your cell phone's
memory.
You must switch on your cell phone and
the automatic phonebook download
feature on SYNC 3.
Check your cell phone's compatibility.
This is a cell phone-
dependent feature.
I am having
trouble
connecting my
cell phone to
SYNC 3. Try switching your cell phone off, resetting
it or removing the battery, then try again.
Possible cell phone
malfunction. Try deleting your device from SYNC 3 and
deleting SYNC from your device, then trying
again.
Always check the security and auto accept
prompt settings relative to the SYNC 3
Bluetooth connection on your cell phone.
Update your cell phone's firmware.
Switch the auto download setting off.
Check your cell phone's compatibility.
This is a cell phone-
dependent feature.
Text messaging
is not working
on SYNC 3. Try switching your cell phone off, resetting
it or removing the battery, then try again.
Possible cell phone
malfunction.
iPhone
•Go to your cell phone's Settings.
• Go to the Bluetooth Menu.
• Press the blue circle to the right of the
device named SYNC enter the next
menu.
• Turn Show Notifications on.
• Disconnect then reconnect your iPhone
from the SYNC 3 system to activate this
settings update.
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Cell phone issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Your iPhone is now set up to forward
incoming text messages to SYNC 3.
Repeat these steps for every other SYNC 3
vehicle that you connect. Your iPhone will
only forward incoming text messages to
SYNC 3 if the iPhone is not unlocked in the
messaging application.
Replying to text messages using SYNC 3 is
not supported by iPhone.
Text messages from WhatsApp and Face-
book Messenger are not supported.
Your cell phone must support downloading
text messages through Bluetooth to receive
incoming text messages.
This is a cell phone-
dependent feature.
Audible text
messages do
not work on my
cell phone. Because each cell phone is different, refer
to your device's manual for the specific cell
phone you are pairing. In fact, there can be
differences between cell phones due to
brand, model, service provider and software
version.
This is a cell phone limita-
tion. USB and Bluetooth Stereo issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Disconnect the device from SYNC 3. Try
switching your device off, resetting it or
removing the battery, then reconnect it to
SYNC 3.
Possible device malfunc-
tion.
I am having
trouble
connecting my
device. Make sure you are using the manufacturer's
cable.
Make sure to correctly insert the USB cable
into the device and your vehicle's USB port.
Make sure that the device does not have
an auto-install program or active security
settings.
Make sure your device is unlocked before
connecting it to SYNC 3.
The device has a lock
screen enabled.
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USB and Bluetooth Stereo issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Make sure you are not leaving the device in
your vehicle during very hot or cold
temperatures.
This is a device limitation.
SYNC 3 does
not recognize
my device when
I start my
vehicle.
Make sure you connect the device to SYNC
3 and that you have started the media
player on your device.
This is a device-
dependent feature.
Bluetooth audio
does not
stream. The device is not
connected.
Make sure that all song details are popu-
lated.
Your music files may not
contain the correct artist,
song title, album or genre
information.
SYNC 3 does
not recognize
music that is on
my device. Try replacing the corrupt file with a new
version.
The file may be
corrupted.
Some devices require you to change the
USB settings from mass storage to media
transfer protocol class.
The song may have
copyright protection that
does not allow it to play.
Convert the file to a supported format. See
Entertainment (page 426).
The file format is not
supported by SYNC 3.
Perform a master reset. See
Settings
(page 454).
The device needs to be
re-indexed.
Make sure your device is unlocked before
connecting it to SYNC 3.
The device has a lock
screen enabled.
Disconnect the device from SYNC 3. Try
switching your device off, resetting it or
removing the battery, then connect it back
to SYNC 3.
This is a device limitation.
When I connect
my device, I
sometimes do
not hear any
sound. To listen to Apple devices through USB,
select AirPlay from the devices Control
Center, then select Dock Connector.
To listen to Apple devices through
Bluetooth Stereo, select AirPlay from the
devices Control Center, then select SYNC.
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Wi-Fi Issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Verify password.
Password error.
Failed connection.
Check for a poor Wi-Fi
signal.
Weak signal.
Use a unique name for your
SSID, don’t use the default
name unless it contains a
unique identifier, such as
part of the MAC address.
Multiple Access points
within range with the same
SSID.
Position the vehicle close to
the hotspot with the front of
the vehicle facing the
hotspot direction and
remove obstacles if
possible. Other Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, microwave and
cordless phones may cause
interference.
Weak signal probably due
to distance from the
hotspot, obstruction or high
interference.
Disconnecting after
successful connection.
If the vehicle is equipped
with heated windshield, try
positioning the vehicle so
that the windshield is not
facing the hotspot. If you
have metallic window tinting
There may be an obstruction
between SYNC 3 and the
hotspot.
Poor signal seen by SYNC 3
despite being near a
hotspot.
but not on the windshield,
position the vehicle to face
the hotspot. If all windows
are tinted, you can open the
windows in the direction of
the hotspot if that is feas-
ible.
Try to remove other
obstructions that may
impact signal quality such
as opening the garage door.
Please set the network to
visible and try again.
The hotspot was defined as
a hidden network.
A hotspot is not listed in the
list of available networks.
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Wi-Fi Issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
SYNC 3 currently does not
provide a hotspot
SYNC 3 does not currently
provide a hotspot.
SYNC 3 is not seen when
searching for Wi-Fi networks
from your phone or other
devices.
Check the signal quality
(under network details), if
SYNC 3 indicates good or
excellent, test with another
high-speed equipped
hotspot where the environ-
ment is more predictable.
Poor signal strength, too far
from the hotspot, hotspot is
supporting multiple
connections, slow Internet
connection or other prob-
lems.
Software download takes
too long.
Test the connection with
another device, if the
hotspot requires a subscrip-
tion, you may contact the
service provider.
It is possible that there is no
new software. The
connected hotspot may be
a managed one and it
requires either a subscrip-
tion or agreeing to the terms
and conditions.
SYNC 3 seems to connect
with a hotspot and the
signal strength is excellent
but the software is not being
updated. AppLink issues
Possible solution(s)
Possible cause(s)
Issue
Make sure you have a
compatible smartphone; an
Android with OS 2.3 or
higher or an iPhone 3GS or
newer with iOS 5.0 or higher.
Additionally, make sure you
You did not connect an
Applink Compatible phone
to SYNC 3.
AppLink Mobile Applica-
tions: When I select "Find
New Apps," SYNC 3 does
not find any applications.
pair and connect your phone
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AppLink issues
Possible solution(s)
Possible cause(s)
Issue
to SYNC 3 in order to find
AppLink-capable apps on
your device. iPhone users
must also connect to a USB
port with an Apple USB
cable.
Make sure you have down-
loaded and installed the
latest version of the app
from your phone's app store.
Make sure the app is running
on your phone. Some apps
AppLink-enabled apps are
not installed and running on
your mobile device.
My phone is connected, but
I still cannot find any apps.
require you to register or
login to the app on the
phone before using them
with AppLink. Also, some
may have a "Ford SYNC"
setting, so check the app's
settings menu on the phone.
Closing and restarting apps
may help SYNC 3 find the
application if you cannot
discover it inside the vehicle.
On an Android device, if
apps have an 'Exit' or 'Quit'
Sometimes apps do not
properly close and re-open
their connection to SYNC 3,
over ignition cycles, for
example.
My phone is connected, my
app(s) are running, but I still
cannot find any apps.
option, then select it and
restart the app. If the app
does not have that option,
select the phone's settings
menu and select 'Apps',
then find the particular app
and choose 'Force stop.' Do
not forget to restart the app
afterward, then select "Find
New Apps" on SYNC 3.
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AppLink issues
Possible solution(s)
Possible cause(s)
Issue
On an iPhone with iOS7+, to
force close an app, double
tap the home button then
swipe up on the app to close
it. Tap the home button
again, then select the app
again to restart it. After a
few seconds, the app should
then appear in SYNC 3's
Mobile App's Menu.
Switch Bluetooth off and
then on to reset it on your
phone. If you are in your
vehicle, SYNC 3 should be
able to automatically re-
connect to your phone if you
press the "Phone" button.
There is a Bluetooth issue
on some older versions of
the Android operating
system that may cause apps
that were found on your
previous vehicle drive to not
be found again if you did not
switch Bluetooth off.
My Android phone is
connected, my app(s) are
running, I restarted them,
but I still cannot find any
apps.
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Explorer (TUB) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2016, First Printing SYNC™ 3

AppLink issues
Possible solution(s)
Possible cause(s)
Issue
Unplug the USB cable from
the phone, wait a moment,
and plug the USB cable
back in to the phone. After a
few seconds, the app should
appear in SYNC 3's Mobile
Apps Menu. If not, "Force
Close" the application and
restart it.
You may need to reset the
USB connection to SYNC 3.
My iPhone is connected, my
app is running, I restarted
the app but I still cannot find
it on SYNC 3.
Increase the Bluetooth
volume of the device by
using the device's volume
control buttons which are
most often found on the
side of the device.
The Bluetooth volume on
the phone may be low.
I have an Android phone. I
found and started my media
app on SYNC 3, but there is
no sound or the sound is
very low.
Force close or uninstall the
apps you do not want SYNC
3 to find. If the app has a
"Ford SYNC" setting, disable
that setting in the app's
settings menu on the phone.
Some Android devices have
a limited number of
Bluetooth ports that apps
can use to connect. If you
have more AppLink apps on
your phone than the number
of available Bluetooth ports,
you will not see all of your
apps listed in the SYNC 3
mobile apps menu.
I can only see some of the
AppLink apps running on my
phone listed in the SYNC 3
Mobile Apps Menu. Voice command issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Review the cell phone voice commands
and the media voice commands at the
beginning of their respective sections.
You may be using the
wrong voice commands.
SYNC 3 does
not understand
what I am
saying. Refer to the audio display during an active
voice session to find a list of voice
commands there.
Wait for the system to prompt you before
you state your command.
You may be speaking too
soon or at the wrong
time.
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Voice command issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
Review the media voice commands at the
beginning of the media section.
You may be using the
wrong voice commands.
SYNC 3 does
not understand
the name of a
song or artist. Say the song or artist name exactly as it is
displayed on your device. For example, say
"Play Artist Prince" or "Play song Purple
Rain".
You may not be saying
the name exactly as it
appears on your device. Make sure you are saying the complete title
such as "California remix featuring Jennifer
Nettles".
If there are any abbreviations in the name,
like ESPN or CNN, you have to spell those:
"E-S-P-N" or "C-N-N".
Make sure that song titles, artists, album,
and playlists names do not have any special
characters like *, - or +.
The song or artist name
may have some special
characters that are not
being recognized by
SYNC 3.
Make sure that you are saying the name
exactly as it appears on your phone. For
example, if your contact is "Joe Wilson",
say "Call Joe Wilson". If your contact name
is "Mom", say "Call Mom".
You may not be saying
the name exactly as it
appears on your phone-
book.
SYNC 3 does
not understand
or is calling the
wrong contact
when I want to
make a call.
Make sure that your contact names do not
have any special characters like *, - or +.
The contact name may
contain special charac-
ters.
SYNC 3 applies the phonetic pronunciation
rules of the selected language to the
contact names stored on your cell phone.
You may not be saying
the name exactly as it
appears on your phone-
book.
The SYNC 3
voice control
system is having
trouble recog-
nizing foreign
names stored
on my cell
phone.
Helpful Hint: You can select your contact
manually. Press PHONE. Select the option
for phonebook and then contact name.
Press the soft-key option to hear it. SYNC
3 will read the contact name to you, giving
you some idea of the pronunciation it is
expecting.
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Explorer (TUB) Canada/United States of America, enUSA, Edition date: 03/2016, First Printing SYNC™ 3

Voice command issues
Possible solution
Possible cause
Issue
SYNC 3 applies the phonetic pronunciation
rules of the selected language to the names
stored on your media player or USB flash
drive. It is able to make some exceptions
for very popular artist names (for example,
U2) such that you can always use the
English pronunciation for these artists.
You may be saying the
foreign names using the
currently selected
language for SYNC 3.
The SYNC 3
voice control
system is having
trouble recog-
nizing foreign
tracks, artists,
albums, genres
and playlist
names from my
media player or
USB flash drive.
SYNC 3 uses a synthetically generated
voice rather than pre-recorded human
voice.
SYNC 3 uses text-to-
speech voice prompt
technology.
The system
generates voice
prompts and
the pronunci-
ation of some
words may not
be accurate for
my language. SYNC 3 offers several new voice control
features for a wide range of languages.
Dialing a contact name directly from the
phonebook without pre-recording (for
example,
“call John Smith ”) or selecting a
track, artist, album, genre or playlist directly
from your media player (for example, "play
artist Madonna").
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