Ford Sync Applink Mobile app catalog and Applink 2.0 jump over the pond

Ford has announced something that European fans of the Ford vehicles will appreciate. The Ford Sync AppLink Catalog is headed to Europe. The official announcement was made during IFA 2013 with the initial launch in six different languages including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Mandarin. The new catalog of apps allows smartphone owners to discover Sync AppLink compatible applications.

The service also filters the search results based on the location of the user. That means if the apps are only for a specific geographical area, they won't show up in search results. Users can browse the app catalog by category and find information on service features, voice commands, and user ratings for the catalog.

Along with the new AppLink mobile applications catalog, Ford is also sending AppLink 2.0 across the pond to Europe. AppLink 2.0 gives developers new capabilities for the Sync AppLink system. Some of those new capabilities include in-vehicle notifications allowing developers to send push notifications to drivers using the vehicle audio system and displays.

Version 2.0 also allows voice pass-through allowing app developers to take advantage of cloud-based voice-activated services inside the apps. The updated platform also allows for apps to access vehicle data allowing developers to access data available from vehicle sensors, once approved by the driver. The first vehicle in Europe to get access to these new Ford services and features will be the EcoSport compact SUV.

SOURCE: Ford