One of the most pleasant surprises we’ve had with the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat that we bought is the frequency of over the air (OTA) updates the truck’s gotten. While most of the updates have been relatively minor software tweaks, other days its like waking up to a whole new electric pickup truck, with new added features, new apps, and even new ways to interact with the truck.
Given the increasing frequency that our F-150 Lightning has gotten OTA updates lately, we thought it best to organize all its major updates for you in one place. We’ll endeavor to keep this post continually updated as big changes hit our truck, but in the meantime between software updates, you can catch up with what it’s like living with our F-150 Lightning long-term tester here.
Update 4.1.3, 2/4/23
- Video streaming added with new YouTube, NBC News, and NBC Today apps.
- New games, “Bridge Battle,” and “Parking Lot” added
- Added ability to connect to public Wi-Fi networks
- Unspecified tweaks to improve connectivity with Apple CarPlay
What We Think: We’re not so sure we needed another way to watch YouTube while charging (our phones or laptops connected to the F-150’s Wi-Fi hotspot worked just fine, thanks), but we suppose it’s neat to be able to watch videos on our Lightning’s 15.0-inch tablet and listen through its B&O stereo system instead of a tinny iPhone speaker. YouTube work just like the website does on your web browser, though it does seem a bit slow to respond to inputs. The NBC news apps app, meanwhile, seems to auto play the “Watch Now” feeds on the company’s respective websites.
Interestingly, in order to use the YouTube, NBC News, and NBC Today apps, we had to subscribe to Ford’s Steaming Connected Service plan, which will cost us $10 per month going forwards. That’s on top of the $10 per month we were already paying to use the truck’s mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature—why one can’t watch the former while on the latter is beyond us, but it’s safe to safe to say that the era of subscription services for your car is upon us.
Update 4.1.2, 1/24/23
- The volume knob now functions as a multi-purpose dial; it’s now also capable of adjusting HVAC settings, and the front heated and cooled seats
- Reskin and reorganization of the infotainment suite, including the addition of a camera button on the display’s header.
What We Think: We covered our Lightning’s first major software update in detail here, but suffice it to say, the knob tweaks and the new camera button have made living with the truck even easier.
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