Ford to update its Sync software

Ford Motor Co. is preparing to launch its latest software update for its Sync voice recognition and MyFord Touch infotainment systems in an effort to streamline both systems and improve customer satisfaction.

The free update should be available by next week for all Ford and Lincoln customers via Internet download. It will allow customers to more quickly pair a smartphone with both systems, will simplify some voice recognition commands and will make touchscreen buttons easier to press.

For instance, one of the chief complaints of MyFord Touch has centered on how a person selects functions on the touchscreen. Using the current software, a driver or passenger must touch the upper or lower portion of one of four quadrants — for phone, navigation, audio or climate.

The new software will allow a customer to touch anywhere inside a quadrant to select and change the associated features.

The update will also allow for more streamlined voice commands that skip many of the laborious commands of past software versions.

Ford’s software upgrades are the latest in a series of fixes to the company’s tech systems. Third-party reviewers have panned MyFord Touch since its debut in 2010. Frustrated users have caused Ford's quality rankings to suffer in many surveys.

But despite complaints, consumers have still bought into Ford's infotainment system. Ford says nearly 80 percent of U.S. buyers opt for Ford models with Sync or MyFord Touch.