Ford APIM Programming Guidelines

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Ford APIM Programming Guidelines

Battery Charging and Condition

It is recommended to install a battery charger when performing programming steps. Low/poor battery voltage during APIM programming will induce various SYNC, center display screen, or Bluetooth related concerns. Make sure the battery charger is set to maintain 12.8 to 13.5 VDC. Confirm the BCM 12V battery state of charge (SOC) percentage is greater than 80%. A lower than usual SOC will affect module programming and APIM programming. Low SOC will activate the battery management system message disabling the audio system or activate deep sleep mode.

Communications

A hard-wired internet connection is strongly recommended. If a hard-wired internet connection is not available, higher speed Wi-Fi connections are strongly recommended. Using a slower Wi-Fi source will result in programming errors. Recommend using mobile hotspot as needed when internet provider connections issues are suspected.

Effects Of Not Having An APIM Programmed Properly

  • Future map updates will cause errors and will not be complete.
  • Missing features such as climate, various settings for vehicle, and SiriusXM.
  • Inaccurate navigation or compass.
  • Connected Services may not work properly such as:
    • Incomplete software updates via Over-the-Air.
    • Connected Navigation inoperable.
    • Enhanced voice recognition failures.
  • Applink, FordPass, or Lincoln Way features may not operate properly.
  • Loss of navigation, navigation voice prompts, or SYNC voice prompts.
  • Erratic Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto operation.
  • General inability for SYNC to communicate to the Ford back-end cloud.

USB Drive Size and Formatting

For SYNC 4 vehicles, a 64GB or larger USB 3.0+ flash drive is required for APIM software update. The USB drive must be formatted to ExFAT. Using a smaller drive such as a 16GB flash drive or incorrectly formatted drive will induce SYNC programming issues potentially resulting in APIM failure.

For SYNC 3 vehicles, the recommended size for the USB drive is 32GB or larger. The USB drive must be formatted to ExFAT. Using a 16GB, 8GB, 4GB, or incorrectly formatted flash drive will induce SYNC programming issues potentially resulting in APIM failure.

For Gen 2 SYNC equipped vehicles, the recommended size for the USB drive is 16GB. The USB drive must be formatted to FAT32. Using a 4GB, 8GB, or incorrectly formatted flash drive will induce SYNC programming issues potentially resulting in APIM failure.

Summary:

  • SYNC 4 systems: USB 3.0+, ExFAT, 64GB or greater.
  • SYNC 3 systems: SYNC 3 systems: USB 2.0 or 3.0, ExFAT, 32GB or greater.
  • Gen 2 SYNC systems: USB 2.0, FAT32, 16GB or greater.

NOTE: Special thanks to @bill32399 for researching this information.

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