Ford announced at Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, that the Acast mobile app would be made available to drivers via Ford SYNC 3 AppLink.

Ford SYNC AppLink enables drivers to use supported smartphone apps on their vehicle’s integrated touchscreen; with advanced voice and steering controls. AppLink is powered by SmartDeviceLink (SDL) an open source software solution promoted by a number of auto makers. SDL provides a common interface between apps and vehicles.

Acast is a curated platform for podcasts. They connect listeners, podcast creators, and advertisers in a fully integrated, one-stop shop. Acast helps listeners discover new content by suggesting new voices and popular shows, as well as fully curated lists.

Acast also provides podcasters with a simple publishing service for their content. Acast+ is a marketplace for podcasts. Acast describes Acast+ this way: “We created a destination where you can sell your premium content directly to your loyal audience for a price you set yourself”.

Ford announced that the mobile app from audio-on-demand podcast Acast would be made available to drivers. This offers online downloads and an intelligent recommendation engine analyses commute times to suggest podcasts which best fit journey length.

Acast was one of the winners of Ford’s 2017 “Make it Drivable” Paris AppLink Challenge, a start-up focused event to help companies develop ideas that make journeys better.