The Blue Oval has renamed its app, and performed some minor updates, but the change has largely flown under the radar and not all owners are happy.
Ford has quietly changed the name of its connected services app, as well as updated its look to make it cleaner and more modern.
The change happened in mid-October this year, but the brand didn’t announce the change, with owners discovering it had switched its name from FordPass to simply Ford app.
On the Apple App Store, Ford describes the updated app as “everything you need to elevate your Ford journey – all in one place.”
While the design is new, most features remain the same, with users able to check their vehicle’s fuel levels or state of charge (EV), schedule a service, lock/unlock doors, remote start, and other basic functions.
At the launch event for the MY25 Mustang Mach-E, while presenting the new model to the media, including Drive, Ford glossed over the change.
The more significant update, according to Ford Authority, came back in May when the app gained software scheduling, allowing over-the-air updates and fixes without having to take your vehicle to the dealer.
On Ford forums, such as F150 Lightning Forum, some users have criticised the update as “nothing new” or a “letdown”, while others said they liked the new design, and “information that used to be buried is now more up front”.
On the Ranger 6G Forum, users lamented that the zone lighting feature, which allows the headlights to be remotely turned on from the app, has been axed, which was useful for camping.
Since 2020, according to Ford Authority, the number of people using the Ford app on a daily basis has grown substantially, from 1.3 million to 12 million globally.
In addition to the features listed above, the new Ford app enables owners to use their phone as a key, check their vehicle’s health, preset the climate controls, track their vehicle’s location, and access Ford Rewards.
A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
