How do I use Voice Assistants with Ford Digital Experience

Overview

Ford Digital Experience^* lets you bring your preferred voice assistant with you for the ride. “Hey Google,” “Alexa,” even “Hey Siri” through Apple CarPlay^® — we’ll show you how it works.

What You Can Do with Voice Assistance

Use your voice to call/text friends, listen to music, set reminders, check the weather, even change the temperature in the vehicle. Use your voice assistant to get the assistance you’re looking for and even control certain vehicle functions or compatible smart home devices.

Setting and Changing Your Default Voice Assistant

Google Assistant is the default voice assistant. You can change your default voice assistant to Amazon Alexa through your vehicle’s touchscreen. Here’s how:

1. Open the App Drawer on the Home screen
2. Select Settings
3. Scroll down on the left side of the screen and select Assistant and Voice
4. Select Digital Assistant App
5. Select Amazon Alexa
6. Press the Get Started button
7. Connect your Amazon account to the vehicle
8. Accept permissions
9. Change default assistant and enable Wake Word

You’re now ready to use Amazon Alexa.

Siri can be used while Apple CarPlay^® is enabled in-vehicle and can control features within the Apple CarPlay experience.^**

How to Activate the Different Voice Assistants

Depending on the voice assistant you have selected, there are different ways each voice assistant can be activated. In order to talk to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, that voice assistant must be selected as your preferred voice assistant.

Google Assistant can be activated in three ways:

1. Say “Hey Google”
2. Press the voice command button on the steering wheel (Google Assistant must be selected as preferred voice assistant)
3. Or, from the App Drawer, select the Google Assistant icon button

Amazon Alexa can be activated in three ways:

1. Say “Alexa”
2. Press the voice command button on the steering wheel (Alexa must be selected as preferred voice assistant)
3. Or, from the App Drawer, select the Alexa icon button, then the “tap-to-talk” button in the app to issue a command

Siri can be activated in two ways while Apple CarPlay^® is enabled:

1. Say “Hey, Siri” (Note: This command will be received by the phone’s microphone and could be unreliable depending on where the phone is located)
2. Select and hold the voice command button on the steering wheel

Ensure You’re Connected

While some functionality exists even without a data connection, your best experience is when you’re connected.

We help with that by providing a year of complimentary Ford Premium Connectivity with the purchase of your 2025 Ford Explorer^® SUV. You’ll also receive three-year complimentary trial of Alexa Built-in.³¹

You also have the ability to connect via other methods, such as Wi-Fi^®.

Switching between Apple CarPlay^®161 and the Ford Digital Experience

It’s easy to switch from Apple CarPlay to the Ford Digital Experience. You can use any controls in the left menu bar or bottom climate control bar.

To get back to Apple CarPlay from the Ford Digital Experience, select the icon shown on the lower section of the left menu bar. You can also access Apple CarPlay from:

• The home screen by selecting Phone Details when Apple CarPlay is connected
• The home screen by selecting Apple CarPlay as the audio source
• The App Drawer by selecting the Apple CarPlay App or Phone App

Ford Digital Experience Voice Assistant FAQs