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Toyota, Ford Explore Collaboration To Bring More Apps To The Dashboard

This article is more than 8 years old.

We keep hearing that cars are becoming smartphones on wheels. But most automotive infotainment systems don't yet have the range of apps and effortless updatability associated with portable devices. And that there's no single standard for smartphone integration currently on the market makes in-vehicle connectivity confusing for consumers, while automotive infotainment interfaces are among car buyers' most frequent complaints.

Now Apple and Google have stepped into the Wild West of automotive infotainment with their own device-integration platforms. But both are initially bringing along just a handful of apps, and only if a compatible iPhone or Android smartphone is connected to the car via USB. While this will include a large swath of drivers, it leaves out many others. And the delays that the tech giants have faced getting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto into vehicles indicates that the car is a different beast – and not simply a smartphone on wheels.

Ford has pushed an alternative and standardized approach to device integration and app development with its SecureDeviceLink (SDL), and not just for its own cars. Ford made available the open source version of its proprietary AppLink platform to other car companies at the beginning of 2013, which allows control of smartphone apps through virtually any vehicle's infotainment interface.

In conjunction with this open-source approach, the automaker also unveiled its Ford Developer Program that it says "facilitates scale and speed-to-market for developers since apps only need to be integrated once to work across multiple automotive platforms." Ford also acquired Livio, a Detroit start-up that developed middleware that can work with almost any hardware and software to bring order to the jumble of automakers' proprietary infotainment systems and the multitude of smartphones that drivers integrate within the automobile.

More than two years after Ford first offered SDL to other automakers – and on the heels of the initial rollout of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – Toyota announced last week that it has reached an agreement with Ford to "explore collaboration with Livio … for the implementation of SmartDeviceLink technology in future Toyota and Lexus vehicles." It's the first step towards Ford gaining traction with SDL, and possibly for portable device integration coalescing around a common standard in cars and the creation of a new range of vehicle-specific apps.

SDL offers automakers advantages over existing proprietary systems, as well as over Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Chief among these is the ability to use the platform to create a device/OS-agnostic and scalable infotainment system that retains key branding components since SDL is designed to work with a vehicle's existing command and control architecture, including voice recognition.

Ford also noted that, unlike CarPlay and Android Auto, SDL-developed systems don't need a cellular connection for all functions. And with the recent emphasis on connected car data privacy and security, Ford says SDL "empowers consumers by providing technology which clearly communicates and requests permission for sharing of personal and vehicle data to apps."

According to Julius Marchwiki, connected services product manager for Ford, SDL doesn't compete with CarPlay and Android Auto. "We look at those solutions as complementary," he told me. "The solutions all offer a unique experience and we think they can all coexist in our vehicles and ecosystem."

But while Android Auto and Car Play replicate their respective OS in the dash in a limited, driver-friendly way, unlike SDL and other automaker platforms they don't tap into car data that can allow developers to create a whole new category of apps. "Using SDL and AppLink in our vehicles will potentially deliver use cases that CarPlay and Android Auto can't," Marchwicki said.

He added that Ford has signed up around 12,000 developers, with the appeal of being able to create a single app through SDL that can be used across multiple platforms instead of having to develop an app for each individual mobile OS. "The developer program continues to grow," he added. "And we're working with a lot of companies that are interested in getting vehicle data from our APIs."

Another benefit to automakers and developers is that SDL can be rolled out globally. "With the reach and footprint that we currently have with Sync, we think we can scale SDL very well," Marchwicki said. "As long as we find the appropriate partners, we can explore any region around the world. Obviously, a car company like Toyota has a global footprint, and exploring how to collaborate in this space will be beneficial for ourselves and developers. We've already had many developer partners come though on a global scale."

While Ford and Toyota are two of the world's largest automakers, many other competing car companies will have to be convinced to collaborate for SDL to make an impact. "It's really the first step in growing the ecosystem," Marchwicki said. "We've talked with a number of automakers, but Toyota is the first to come out to say that they are exploring working with SDL. We think that’s great for other [automakers] that may have been exploring privately or not as openly as they would like to. We are definitely encouraged by the announcement from Toyota, and hope it encourages others to join."