Cannot download phone directory

[propwash]

I hope this is not a duplicate post--I did a search for "cannot download phone directory" and came up with nothing. 

 

I got a different phone and wanted to pair it with my car's Sync system. (2012 Fusion SEL with basic Sync functions.) I followed the steps in the owner's manual, and everything seemed to go as the manual said it should.  However, when I tried to make a call to a number in my directory, I got a message saying "no entries."  I tried again with the same results.  I then followed the manual's steps for downloading a directory and got "downloading directory" and "download complete."  I thought that would take care of the problem, but when I tried to make a call I got the "no entries" message on the screen.  I tried three or four more times to download the directory with the same results.  The phone seems to be paired OK.  I get the little Bluetooth symbol on the screen, and I can use make calls by saying "dial xxx-xxx-xxxx."  However, if I say "call xyz" I get an audio message saying no numbers in the directory. 

 

I tried calling Ford's sync customer help line but I can't get through.  I get either a busy signal or else the three-tone chimes followed by "your call did not go through.  Please try again."  Is there a chance that the help line is no longer in existence, considering that the car is now 9 years old?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?  I thought that maybe I would first have to delete the phone directory from the old phone, but I don't want to do that because I might want to re-pair the older phone in the near future.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions anyone might offer.

[bbf2530]

32 minutes ago, propwash said:

I hope this is not a duplicate post--I did a search for "cannot download phone directory" and came up with nothing. 

 

I got a different phone and wanted to pair it with my car's Sync system. (2012 Fusion SEL with basic Sync functions.) I followed the steps in the owner's manual, and everything seemed to go as the manual said it should.  However, when I tried to make a call to a number in my directory, I got a message saying "no entries."  I tried again with the same results.  I then followed the manual's steps for downloading a directory and got "downloading directory" and "download complete."  I thought that would take care of the problem, but when I tried to make a call I got the "no entries" message on the screen.  I tried three or four more times to download the directory with the same results.  The phone seems to be paired OK.  I get the little Bluetooth symbol on the screen, and I can use make calls by saying "dial xxx-xxx-xxxx."  However, if I say "call xyz" I get an audio message saying no numbers in the directory. 

 

I tried calling Ford's sync customer help line but I can't get through.  I get either a busy signal or else the three-tone chimes followed by "your call did not go through.  Please try again."  Is there a chance that the help line is no longer in existence, considering that the car is now 9 years old?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?  I thought that maybe I would first have to delete the phone directory from the old phone, but I don't want to do that because I might want to re-pair the older phone in the near future.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions anyone might offer.

 

Hi propwash. Do not take this as the last word, but I have a feeling your new phone is not supported by that older version of SYNC.

 

Will your old phone still display your contact list via SYNC? If it will , I think that is your answer.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by bbf2530

[alcohenusa]

Hi propwash.

 

What kind of phone/OS version do you have?  Also, do you know what version of Sync you are running?  The last time they updated this older sync was probably about 4 years ago or so.  You might check the Ford owner site to see what is out there.

 

I have a 2011 Mariner where the Sync is pretty much the same as what should be in your Fusion.  I have 4.4 on it.  The latest is 4.6 and that version restricts the use of Siri and possibly other digital assistants while connected via bluetooth.  I actually rolled back from 4.6 to 4.4 to get the functionality back. It works great with multiple iPhones using the latest iOS.  Though there is a small quirk with text messages.

 

You may also need to check to see if there is anything set in the phone OS to be sure there is not anything preventing the contacts from being downloaded

Edited May 19, 2021 by alcohenusa

[propwash]

I took my car in this morning for the driver's air bag recall.  I mentioned this problem to the service advisor, and he told me they had a guy who is a real expert on the nine-year-old Sync systems.  He was able to clear out all traces of the phone directory from the original phone, and then he successfully downloaded the directory from phone #2.  This appeared to correct the problem. All my contacts seem to be stored properly.

 

As to which Sync version I have, all  I can remember from my last update is that it is version 2.something.  I'm pretty sure they haven't released any updates for the last few years.  I know there is a sequence of keys you can press to get the version number displayed on the screen, but I don't remember what it is.

 

Anyway, for now at least, I seem to have full functionality between my phone and my car, so it's all good for the time being.  I'll keep you posted if anything changes.