We’ve had a ton of experience with the T-Style radios and have gathered our knowledge together in this FAQ that hopefully will answer a lot of your questions regarding the features, operation, installation and troubleshooting of the system. We highly recommend reading through this whole section both before your purchase and prior to installation so you can gain a better understanding of the capabilities of the unit, the idiosyncrasies of the various installations and some tips and tricks that will help your install and setup of the system go much smoother.

We will be adding to this section as time goes on, and are happy to take feedback from owners in order to make this FAQ as definitive as possible. Feel free to contact us with your feedback on our Contact Form.

APPLICATIONS & FEATURES:

• Will the system work on my truck?

  • The F-Series XL-Style radio works on these models:
    • 2015-2020 F150 with Base, Sony or Bang & Olufsen audio systems. Base & SONY systems are fully compatible with the harnesses included in the box. B&O systems may require additional adapters at additional cost.
    • 2017-2022 F250/F350/F450/F550 with Base, Sony or Bang & Olufsen audio systems. Base & SONY systems are fully compatible with the harnesses included in the box. 2017-2019 B&O systems may require additional adapters at additional cost. (Work truck trim level with the standard radio is not compatible) NOTE: 2020 Base, Sony & B&O systems require optional adapters to operate.

• My truck has the B&O audio system – do I need the B&O adapter?

  • The Bang & Olufsen system can be identified by the B&O logo on the center dashboard speaker. Most 2015-19 F-150/F-250/F-350 with the B&O system will require the purchase and use of the B&O adapter, but there are some cases where this will not be necessary. This can ONLY be determined at the time of installation.
  • All 2020 Super Duty trucks with the B&O system will require the B&O adapter.
  • We recommend purchasing the B&O adapter if your truck has the B&O system. In the INSTALLATION section below, we outline how to tell if the B&O adapter will be needed in your particular system, and we will refund for UNUSED B&O adapters ONLY.
    • NOTE: WE CANNOT REFUND THE B&O ADAPTER IF IT IS HAS BEEN INSTALLED, BUT WAS NOT NEEDED FOR YOUR INSTALLATION – SEE THE B&O SECTION IN THE INSTALL  SECTION

• Will I lose Ford SYNC when I install the XL radio?

  • Yes.  The XL radio is a complete aftermarket radio replacement so it will replace all the factory Ford Sync parts.
    • This includes the SYNC phone app and tracking

• Can I keep the factory CD player with the XL radio?

  • No.  The factory CD player is removed when installing the XL radio.

• Can I keep the factory satellite radio tuner with the XL radio?

  • No.  The factory satellite tuner contained in the factory radio and is removed when installing the XL radio.

• Will my radio & navigation info still display in the Driver Information Center in the cluster?

  • No. The hardware for those features is in the factory radio & SYNC modules, and is removed when installing the XL radio.

• Will the factory remote start still work with the XL radio?

  • Yes.  The system will activate the climate control in remote start.  It is only able currently to support the “last position” setting and not the auto setting.

• Will the system work the massage/heated/cooled seats on my F-Series truck?

  • Yes.  There is an application in the Apps list that will give you the control of the factory massage seats. Heating and cooling functions are maintained in the HVAC interface.

• Will my Heated Steering Wheel still function?

  • Yes.  The steering wheel heater functions are maintained in the HVAC interface.

• Will the T-Style system make my manual climate controls into the dual and or Automatic controls?

  • No.  The system will turn your manual controls into touch screen controls but it will not add the functions of the Automatic temp control or dual climate control.

• Will my Ambient Lighting controls still work?

  • Yes. There is an app that controls the Ambient Lighting.

• Will my factory camera still work?

  • Yes.  The radio will retain your factory back up camera and retain the factory parking and dynamic (moving) lines.
    • It will also retain the default view of the factory 360 camera system.  If you control the 360 camera views FROM THE TOUCHSCREEN OF THE RADIO, you should consider buying the 360 camera module to retain those views. If you control the cameras by toggling the camera switch above the radio screen, no additional adapters are required.

• Can I add an aftermarket camera to the XL radio?

  • • Yes.  The system comes with 3 dedicated camera inputs, front, right and rear, as well as an A/V input that can also be used for a camera input.
      • If your truck does not have a factory rear camera, one can be added and will trigger by default in reverse.
      • The right turn signal input is triggered from the right turn signal. The front camera input is accessible manually.
      • All camera inputs will need to be turned on in the Settings Menu in order to be used.

• Can I add more than three cameras to this system?

  • Yes. The FDPUCMADPT multi-cam adapter allows for the addition of up to 6 cameras and allows access to all cameras from the touchscreen, just like the factory 360 camera system adapter! This can include a front camera, left and right side cameras, 3rd brakelight camera, rear camera and a trailer camera, or just about any combination of cameras you want to add.

• Will my factory Steering Wheel Controls work?

  • Yes.  It will retain the all the functions of the steering wheel controls except the voice control button due to our system not having any voice control functions

• Will I need to purchase any other parts to install a vehicle specific XL into my car?

  • Possibly. Our system comes 100% complete with everything needed for a standard installation in Base Audio or SONY systems.
    • If your vehicle is equipped with the B&O Audio System it may require the purchase of our B&O adaptor.
    • If you want full onscreen controls of the factory 360 camera system you will need to purchase the 360 camera interface.

• Does the XL radio retain the factory Bluetooth microphone?

  • No.  Bluetooth functions require the use of the supplied microphone.

• How many USB inputs does the XL System have?

  • XL systems come with 3 USB inputs.  One will retain the factory USB inputs and there are 2 additional universal input

• What can I use the USB’s for?

  • Music & Video Play back.  The T-Style systems supports the major audio and video formats.
    • Audio: MP1, MP2, MP3, APE, WMA, WAV, OGG, OGA, FLAC, ACC, M4A
    • Video: MPG, TS, DAT, VOB, MP4, MOV, 3GP, AVI, MKV, TS, FLV, RMVB,RM, WEB, WMA, ASF
  • Data transfer.  You use the USB inputs to run firmware updates as well you can use them to download music/video files or 3rd party Android applications.
  • PhoneLink System.  See following questions for more info on the PhoneLink System.

• Can I use a mouse/keyboard on the XL radio?

  • Yes.  Since the Android tablet that runs the system has USB inputs, any USB keyboard or mouse should work, including wireless devices that use USB receivers.

• Will the XL radio work with an iPhone and Android phones?

  • Yes.  The system will work with both Android and Apple phones.  You can connect either through Bluetooth to do hands-free calling and music streaming.  You can also use wireless CarPlay on iPhones and wireless Android Auto on Android phones.

• How long does it take for the XL radios to fully boot up?

  • Within seconds.  The XL has a quick boot feature that will boot up the radio almost instantly.

• What navigation system does the radio come with?

  • The system comes with Google Maps already installed, but any navigation app you can download from the Google Play Store can be used in its place. NOTE: All app-based navigation systems will require the use of a internet hotspot (either with a SIM card and data plan or your phone hotspot) for their data.

• What version of Android does the XL radio system run?

  • Android 11

• Can you upgrade the Android version?

  • No. 

• How big is the built-in hard drive on the XL radio?

  • 128GB w/8GB of RAM.  A note of caution: the more memory you use for applications and media, the more likely to affect the speed of the system.

• Can I go online with the XL radio?

  • Yes.  The XL radios are Android tablets, and so are able to do the majority of the same things a standard tablet can do – things like access to the Google Play store for apps, a web browser for internet exploring, etc.  The system will require an internet hotspot of some sort, either from your home’s Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi built into the vehicle, a SIM card or your cell phone’s hotspot.

• Does the XL have a built SIM Card slot that I can activate with my cell phone provider?

  • Yes, it does have a 4G SIM card slot, but it is not yet officially supported.
• What do I need to do to add a SIM card to the system?
  • Depending on your provider, you may have to request a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) SIM card if the IMEI number of this unit is not allowed to be entered into your provider’s database. When we attempted to get a SIM card from Verizon, the IMEI would not work, so we asked for a BYOD SIM card, popped it into the radio and rebooted, then the data plan was active on the radio.

• Can I connect an XL radio to aftermarket amplifiers?

  • Yes.  Front, Rear and Sub RCA 5 volt outputs allow you to connect to your aftermarket amplifiers. It also includes an optical output.

• Can I connect SiriusXM to an XL radio?

  • No.  There is no capability of adding the outboard tuner to the XL radio, but it can run the SiriusXM app.

• How do I update my system to the latest firmware?

  • All updates are done over the air.

• How long is the warranty?

  • 2 Years.  All Linkswell “XL” products have a 2 year replacement warranty from time of purchase.

• Is this system the same as the other brands out there?

  • NO!  Linkswell is not related to any of the other brands selling a similar-looking product.  Linkswell has their own product development team and software engineers that do product development out of their Southern California office. Others, notably the Phoenix Android Radio, are based out of China and have little to no North American presence or support. ADC Mobile will not sell other brands, as we have not determined that their commitment to quality is the equal of Linkswell.

Installation:

• Can I do the installation myself? How difficult is it and how long should it take?

  • YES! However, it depends entirely on your skill level and your willingness to approach the installation with care and caution.  You should be familiar with hand tools and be able to follow instructions IN THE ORDER GIVEN. You will absolutely need to take your time, read the instructions, watch our videos and do a methodical, step by step install. Fully 80% of our customers do it themselves, with guidance from the paperwork included with the unit and by watching the installation and demonstration videos. We will try as much as possible to assist you in attempting the installation yourself, with phone support from installers with decades of experience.
  • We categorize this install at a 2-3 on a 10 scale of difficulty (again, provided you read the instructions and watch the videos), as there no operations that require anything more than basic hand tools and reasonable care to complete. On a base or SONY system, most people will do the installation start to finish in under 4 hours. The B&O installation (see more answers below) may add another 30-45 minutes.