Tesla has announced that owners of its vehicles across North America are receiving the firm"s “most substantial update yet” in their Model S, Model X, and Model 3 vehicles. The new update comes with a refined and simplified user interface, as well as new features in-vehicle and on the Tesla mobile app, giving you more remote control over the car.
With Version 9.0, you’ll get several new features in the mobile app, for example, you can initiate car updates remotely, you can now use your phone to set a destination in the car using the share feature in several map apps, and lastly, passengers can access media controls from their mobile devices. Drivers can enable and disable media controls by going to Media Settings > Allow Mobile Control.
Anyone with Dash Cam Hardware 2.5, which was introduced in August 2017, can now record video from the forward-facing camera while the car is in use. You can store this to a flash drive with 1.8GB of free space after you insert it into a front row USB port. Additionally, Tesla says you can tap the Dash Cam icon to save 10-minute video clips and press and hold to pause a recording.
Those with a Model S, Model X, or Model 3 all receive a new application launcher which brings your apps together. The launcher has been designed so that you can access your last-used app by swiping upward on the app launcher and dismiss the current app by swiping downward. The Model 3 also receives three new apps that allow for web browsing, calendar integration with mobile devices, and the ability to monitor energy consumption in real-time and get a projected view for an upcoming trip.
The update also includes more climate controls, that allow you to turn climate on and off without needing to open the full climate menu. On the Model 3 you can also get a 3D visualization of the dashboard to see where the air is flowing and you can also direct the channels of air.
With this update, vehicle owners should also look for the Full 360-degree viewing feature that gives more awareness on the road, the enhanced navigation routing, obstacle-aware acceleration which can help drivers maintain low speeds, and hidden games for the times you’re parked up and bored – a word of warning though, these games are Easter Eggs so you’ll have to find them to play.