Watching YouTube while connected to WiFi without Ford Streaming subscription?

[starrtech2000]

Hey team. My ford streaming trial is expiring. If I connect the truck to my phone’s hotspot, will the streaming apps work or are they using this as an extortion scam and keeping you from using the streaming apps without paying them for the data plan?

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[3121]

You can connect the truck to your phone's WiFi hotspot or any other WiFi as long as you are in park. All the Youtube and NBC apps will work without a ford/at&t subscription

FYI WiFi only connects when you are in Park. As soon as you start moving the truck disables the wifi connection. It won't let you watch Youtube in motion anyways so no real loss there.

 

[starrtech2000]

You can connect the truck to your phone's WiFi hotspot or any other WiFi as long as you are in park. All the Youtube and NBC apps will work without a ford/at&t subscription

FYI WiFi only connects when you are in Park. As soon as you start moving the truck disables the wifi connection. It won't let you watch Youtube in motion anyways so no real loss there.

Awesome. Yes, this is only something I do while charging and bored.

 

[invertedspear]

WiFi only connects when you are in Park

Is that for real? Like even for Alexa? I can see a short-sighted manager thinking WiFi is stationary, and totally forget about hotspots and phones, so coming up with the idea for that, but I would think an engineer would point out it's way easier just to leave it on and disable the apps that shouldn't be used in drive.

 

[flypony53]

Anyone else have issues getting their truck to connect to their hotspot on the phone? I have been struggling with this off and on for a while.

The Lighting is the only device I have every had issues connecting to my hotspot. Everything else just connects.

 

[hikinbengal]

I

Anyone else have issues getting their truck to connect to their hotspot on the phone? I have been struggling with this off and on for a while.

The Lighting is the only device I have every had issues connecting to my hotspot. Everything else just connects.

If you have wireless Carplay on, you need to disconnect from the SYNC system on the truck. If I don't do this, the truck keeps connecting to my phone's Carplay and disconnects my hotspot.

 

[flypony53]

I

If you have wireless Carplay on, you need to disconnect from the SYNC system on the truck. If I don't do this, the truck keeps connecting to my phone's Carplay and disconnects my hotspot.

Yep, I disconnect it, but still struggle to connect. I might just completely disconnect carplay from my phone and start over.

 

[roddiaz1]

I have a related question. When you order the AT&T cellular service that powers the truck’s own hotspot (actually turns the truck into a hotspot). How do you then get Synch to use said cellular service to access YouTube and the other entertainment apps? (Does my question make sense?).
I ask because I have failed to make that work. Is that because Ford doesn’t want AT&Ts broadband to compete with their own streaming service? Thanks!

 

[TaxmanHog]

Yep, I disconnect it, but still struggle to connect. I might just completely disconnect carplay from my phone and start over.

See if you have the ability on your phone to disable AUTO RECONNECT for the Lightnings PROJECTION ssid, doing so might impede SYNC / CARPLAY / ANDROID AUTO reliability but improve your experience broadcasting the phone hotspot to the truck and connecting to use Youtube.

I ended up buying the $10 a month entertainment service so the AT&T telematics channel is active for my Youtube and News apps on Sync, this makes the work around being discussed in this thread moot.

I did not buy the AT&T truck bound hot spot, I don't have much need for it and my wife would never use it and ironically doesn't enable the entertainment functionality, they want another few dollars out of your pocket, maddening I say..................

 

[TaxmanHog]

I have a related question. When you order the AT&T cellular service that powers the truck’s own hotspot (actually turns the truck into a hotspot). How do you then get Synch to use said cellular service to access YouTube and the other entertainment apps? (Does my question make sense?).

Yes it makes sense, they don't work together, they want more dollars from your pocket for the other service that enables YouTube, etal

 

[invertedspear]

Anyone else have issues getting their truck to connect to their hotspot on the phone? I have been struggling with this off and on for a while.

The Lighting is the only device I have every had issues connecting to my hotspot. Everything else just connects.

I periodically have an issue using an iPhone as a hotspot with some device or another. I change the name of the phone (which changes the SSID of the hotspot) and then it works. I have no idea why. Give it a try and see if it helps.

 

[starrtech2000]

I have a related question. When you order the AT&T cellular service that powers the truck’s own hotspot (actually turns the truck into a hotspot). How do you then get Synch to use said cellular service to access YouTube and the other entertainment apps? (Does my question make sense?).
I ask because I have failed to make that work. Is that because Ford doesn’t want AT&Ts broadband to compete with their own streaming service? Thanks!

I would guess that you can’t use the att hotspot for streaming because that would make no one get the streaming service.

 

[davehu]

this is an old thread but I have the same problem. I don't do many trips requiring a DCFC stop but when I did so in fall '23 I impressed my wife when using my pixel 5 as a hot spot she could watch a couple of videos while we charged. Went a long time without any trips but now that I have my Tesla adaptor it's opened up a couple of destination possibilities. that said, I have been unable to make the youtube app work using my phone as a hot spot. It works fine in my driveway over my house wifi but multiple times It fails to work, even though the truck shows connected to my phone with an "excellent" signal. I can pull up youtube on my laptop just fine. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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