We mentioned it was already available in the BlackBerry App World, and now Ford confirmed the SYNC-enabled iHeartRadio app is now available for download from the iTunes App Store and it’s coming soon to the Android Market.
iHeartRadio is the sixth app for SYNC AppLink that Ford is launching at CES Las Vegas. iHeartRadio is also one of the first broadcast radio apps to connect listeners through a native in-car system to Facebook Timeline. Drivers will have easy in-car access to the iHeartRadio app using voice control through Ford SYNC AppLink.
“Smartphones now account for half of all new mobile phones and people increasingly expect to take control of when and where they listen to their media,” said Julius Marchwicki, SYNC product manager. “With the AppLink-enabled version of iHeartRadio, Ford drivers can listen to their favorite stations even if they aren’t local, get recommendations and share what they listen to through Facebook.”
The iHeartRadio app, which can be accessed using steering wheel-mounted controls or SYNC’s voice commands, has features that tailor the listening experience. With the app, the driver can create a custom station and stopping or starting a song to playing local iHeartRadio stations and finding traffic reports based on location through the phone’s GPS using voice commands or the buttons on the steering wheel.
The app lets drivers use voice commands to what they want to listen to by saying “genre,” “city” or “personality” to search by type of music and location of station or host – saving time and energy that would normally be used repeatedly turning the dials.
iHeartRadio also connects users, hands-free through SYNC AppLink, to their Facebook Timelines, which enables users to share music with friends. Drivers who want to hear other stations similar to one they are already listening to can just say “recommend stations” or use the “my stations” command to listen to custom stations they have created or their favorite stations. While listening to custom stations, the “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” commands can be used to like or skip songs. The content of custom stations can be further adjusted by saying “more discovery” or “less discovery” to restrict the playlist to more familiar tracks or expose drivers to new music.
