Newly Designed: FordPass 5.0 App®: What to Know

[Ford Motor Company]

Hi F-150 Lightning owners! If you recently updated your FordPass® app, you may have noticed it looks a little different. We are pleased to share that we have rolled out a newly designed app that is easy to use and efficient to help you better manage your vehicle remotely.
Here is what is new:

• Simplified Experience: We have reduced the number of steps it takes to access functions and made it easier to find them. As an EV owner, you can enjoy a simplified slider for target charge. Also, instead of having to press and hold to turn the vehicle ‘on’, it is now a simple tap.
• Remote Climate Control: As a Lightning owner you will be able to control your truck's climate control and windshield defrost, as well as heated seats and steering wheel (if equipped), all from the app. Similar to the Remote Start feature, Remote Climate Control helps you conveniently prepare your truck before getting in to drive.
• Apple Watch Integration: If you have an Apple Watch, in addition to lock/unlock and remote start/stop you will also be able to use the following features from your wrist:
  • View battery level and range
  • View charging status, including: Charging speed, Next departure time based on when desired charge is reached, Current preferred charging window
  • View vehicle location
  • Activate horn and lights remotely

We are also continuing to improve in-app experience with this latest version. If you notice a feature you previously used before is no longer there, don’t worry, the feature can still be accessed via your in-vehicle touchscreen.

We love to hear from our owners so let us know what you think and if you have any questions about FordPass!

EDIT (5/28/24):
Many of you had additional questions, so we wanted to provide some supplemental information about the newly designed FordPass app. Some of your exact features may vary depending on your vehicle model.

• Remote climate: To access your remote climate settings, just turn on climate via the central fan icon. You can control your vehicle temperature as well as heated or cooled surfaces (defrost, seats, steering) to condition your cabin before you start your vehicle.
• All about service: To reach the service dashboard, click the tool icon on the bottom right of your screen. You will find a vehicle health status list that includes the odometer reading and tire pressure. If you’d like to add your vehicle service history, this can be done via Ford.com.
• Trip Planning: While there’s no trip planning feature in FordPass right now, you can still use your in-vehicle touchscreen to access this feature. We’re exploring a simpler, more reliable version of this feature for FordPass.
• Google Maps: To turn your Google Maps consent on or off, go to your Account settings, then Legal & Privacy, then Privacy.
• Beep Beep: To reach the horn and lights feature, go to the location section right on the front screen.
• Lock from anywhere: To tell if the vehicle is locked or unlocked, just click on your desired lock/ unlock state. The vehicle will then confirm “locked” or “unlocked” with a green check.
• Tailgate party: Depending on your vehicle’s capability, Phone As A Key™ Bluetooth controls for the windows, trunk/frunk, and tailgate are found in the "Bluetooth Controls" menu right alongside all your other primary controls.
• Add a friend: If your Ford vehicle is already connected in FordPass, you can find and manage any new vehicle user access requests by selecting your vehicle in the app, then selecting Vehicle Details. From there, you can approve or deny any new user access requests.

Please note: FordPass® App, compatible with select smartphone platforms, is available via a download. Message and data rates may apply. 

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[SmoothJ]

Thank you for the update… however we noticed certain features not available any longer. This includes remote zone lighting control, trailer light check, and etc. Do you plan on putting those back anytime soon?

 

[16cards]

The only feedback I'd give is that the new app is missing the ability to toggle the size of the truck image on the home screen. This is a critical feature in my daily usage of the app and wish there was a way to revert to a previous app version on iOS.

If you do decide to bring truck image resizing forward to the new app, if you could also enhance this home screen feature to be able to place custom backdrops so I can visualize my truck against a variety of locations.

For instance, although I won't be taking my truck with me to my family's vacation to Hawaii in a few weeks, I would love to be able to snap a photo of a picturesque roadside view while on locale and, in the app, place the truck image over it. If I can't take my truck with me on vacation, at least enable the app allow me to to emulate it.

 

[The Weatherman]

It is an improvement. Thanks.

 

[stickyfingers]

@Ford Motor Company is there a way to tell whether the truck is locked or unlocked from the app? If not, that should be added. It's pretty basic.

Also, digging through various controls to get to the Frunk/tailgate is a pain. It should be presented right on the main screen. Don't need that bluetooth button to see those 2 controls.

Otherwise, the app is fast which is a huge improvement.

 

[Nolander]

Thank you for the update… however we noticed certain features not available any longer. This includes remote zone lighting control, trailer light check, and etc. Do you plan on putting those back anytime soon?

At the bottom of the screen on the new app, there’s a button that allows you to revert to the old app if you want.

 

[16cards]

At the bottom of the screen on the new app, there’s a button that allows you to revert to the old app if you want.

This has been removed in yesterday's App and Play Store updates.

 

[jhawkbear]

My first impressions of things that are missing that I use all the time...

• Trip Planning - I used this often. Any time I went somewhere new, I would use this feature to plan the tip and send directions to the truck.
• Climate Controls - I don't have the ability to turn on/off the heated steering wheel from the app. I see others that have the button, but it doesn't show up for me.

Maybe we should all work on a comprehensive list of things that are missing that need to be addressed.

 

[Pioneer74]

Why does Apple watch have integration but Android doesn't?

 

[Pod]

Please bring back Zone Lighting Control to the app

 

[F150ROD]

Took none of the feedback given and still put this out smh…

 

[CyclopsThere]

It is a much-simplified app! It looks great.

It was very nice to have some of the extra functions available via the app. I see no commitments to adding anything else in the announcement, but I'd like to register an ask for some really nice features that were removed:

1) The exterior worksite lighting controls
2) Pro power
3) Trip planner - This was nice, but I saw a message flash on the screen that Google Maps would be integrating somehow? If we could trip plan via google maps which included live truck charge level and fordpass compatible charge stations on the route, that would be ideal. I was wondering why Ford was in the mapping software game as opposed to a tight google maps integration.

 

[htobin]

Wish there was a “dog mode” to leave climate control on for extended prriof

 

[16cards]

Maybe others? But I'm not insulted.

The FordPass app product managers and developers aren't stupid. They've got app analytics (they use Amplitude) and know exactly how frequently people use each distinct feature. Prioritization and feature turn-down are the death and taxes of software development. And when a specific feature requires a disproportionate amount time and effort (money) in relation to observed usage, and especially when there are exist third-party alternatives, pruning features is almost certain.

My guess is the FordPass team is gauging customer sensitivity and figuring out what to prioritize next based on community response and feedback. They know what people use objectively through analytics and metrics. What they don't know is how people subjectively feel about cut features.

For instance, trip planning was cut in the new app. But that is a feature that, on average, is not used frequently given most people travel within a known commute near their home with infrequent travel events away from their "home base". Analytics might indicate this as a not-so-valued feature in the old app, but when used was high impact to the owner. Difficult to capture that impact without getting feedback.

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