A new app from Ford allows users to safely stay connected to their social media accounts when driving. Meople.Connector lets drivers listen to, answer and skip updates by voice command. It runs on Ford's SYNC AppLink, allowing users to access and control apps on their smartphone.
Meople is an existing a social media aggregator service that was launched in 2012. It can be used to pull together content from sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Foursquare, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+ into one stream for more efficient consumption. Although SYNC AppLink already allows drivers to control a number of smartphone apps using voice activation, Meople.Connector is the first social media app to cater for this.
"For many people today, social media is fundamental to staying up-to-date and informed," says executive director of Ford's Connected Vehicle and Services arm Don Butler. "From a reminder that it’s a friend's birthday, to hearing the minute your football team scores a goal, to breaking news, social media is part of the fabric of modern life. By adding further news and personal communications, we are helping to ensure customers can stay seamlessly connected throughout their day in a safe and stress-free way."
Meople.Connector alerts drivers to new messages, who can then use voice commands to instruct the app to "Read," "Answer," or "Skip," the messages. They will also be able to respond to messages using pre-determined responses that can be customized in advanced and send their current location to friends, family and colleagues.
Meople.Connector is available for iOS and Android.