Ford today confirmed plans to put CarPlay and Android Auto into all of its 2017 cars, SUVs, electric vehicles, and light trucks. The platforms will become part of the company’s own Sync 3 system, allowing drivers to connect their iPhone or Android device.

Kia is offering free CarPlay or Android Auto upgrades for some of its latest vehicles, allowing drivers to get their hands on the smartest in-car platforms. Cars equipped with the AVN 4.0 navigation system or the UVO3 dash interface are eligible.

Ford is bringing CarPlay and Android Auto to its new vehicles. Photo: Ford

Ford has announced that both Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto are set to be available for all its 2017 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3, beginning with the new Ford Escape.

We’re going to see a lot of automotive electronics at CES this year, and we fully expect Android to be running on a few of these next gen infotainment systems. Parrot, who isn’t a stranger to Android powered automotive electronics, had a few of their latest on display. Their lineup of Android infotainment systems included the compact Asteroid CK, a 3.2-inch device that can be mounted to your windshield or dashboard; the Asteroid NAV, with a 5-inch display; and the Asteroid 2DIN, a 6.2″ in-dash multitouch-capable infotainment system.

Auto Backup for Apps is baked into Android M. Photo: Google.

As an Android user who’s always switching devices, one of my biggest complaints is the lack of a built-in app backup feature. Lollipop and previous versions of Android don’t carry any of your app data over to your new device, so you have to start from scratch.

Fortunately, that’s going to change this fall when Google rolls out Android M, which has a new Auto Backup for Apps feature. The search giant explains it all in the video below.