Tesla just announced that their biggest update to date has begun rolling out today. Software Version 10.0 for Tesla"s vehicles is what the automobile manufacturer is extolling as its "biggest software update" to date. And indeed, there are a plethora of new features that come bundled in with it.
Tesla has tried to bring in a bit of everything with this update. From entertainment, music, convenience, and gaming, Version 10.0 dabbles in everything.
First up, we have Tesla Theatre, whereby customers of the Model 3, Model X, and the Model S will be able to connect their central displays to global entertainment and streaming services. Integration with Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu or Hulu + Live TV accounts to stream multimedia content while the car is parked, will now be possible. Customers in China can expect to get iQiyi and Tencent Video access. Similarly, Tesla is also making a bunch of video tutorials on Tesla Theatre to help customers learn more about their cars.
Alongside video capabilities, Tesla has also introduced Spotify premium and Ximalaya integration in addition to the currently available music and podcast offerings such as Slacker Radio and TuneIn Radio. "Car-aoke" is another feature that, as the name sounds, introduces karaoke to the Teslas with support for multiple languages.
Then there"s Smart Summon. This feature does exactly what it sounds like, it summons your car from a parking lot to right in front of you. While some customers have had early access to it, Smart Summon will now be generally available to all Full-Self-Driving-enabled cars. Here"s a video by a YouTube channel named Dirty Tesla showcasing the feature:
Next up, Tesla also included a feature quite similar to Google"s "I"m feeling lucky". With “I’m Feeling Lucky” and “I’m Feeling Hungry” Tesla customers will now be navigated to a point of interest, a restaurant, national park, landmarks, etcetera. Search results for queries in the map will now be sorted according to the distance and users will be able to gain more information by tapping on them.
Furthermore, Tesla"s dash-cam footage will now be better-managed when the car is protected with Sentry Mode. Video clips will now be stored in a separate folder in the USB and older clips will now be automatically deleted if storage space starts running short.
A new "Joe Mode" has also been included to avoid waking up sleeping passengers by lowering the sound of some chimes and bells from the vehicle. Tesla"s app will now allow greater control over the car as well. Windows, temperature, defrosting, opening and closing garage doors using HomeLink will all now be doable straight from the Tesla app.
There is something for gamers too. Tesla Arcade brings the famous Cuphead to its cars in Cuphead Tesla Edition. The game"s first full level will be playable using a USB controller and single-player and co-op modes will be available.
Finally, streaming and browser support for all Model 3 variants will be included in this update. With it, streaming media access to Spotify, Slacker, and TuneIn while connected to WiFi will be available.
According to Elon Musk"s tweet, customers who have paid for the Full-Self-Driving option when purchasing their cars will be receiving the update first. However, within a week the update should be available to everyone over-the-air.