Tesla Rolls Out Its 2022 Holiday Update, Packed With New Features

Tesla has started its rollout of this year's Holiday Update

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It’s the most wonderful time of year for Tesla owners around the world.

Tesla has started the wide rollout of its “holiday update,” with Apple Music integration, Steam, interior camera viewing while in Sentry or Dog Mode, MyQ, and much more.

Similar to Apple, every year Tesla releases a facelift update to overhaul its operating system and add a number of exciting features. These updates typically range from quirky light shows to helpful features like auto turn signals. It’s usually the most anticipated update Tesla releases every year.

The Austin-based automotive company took to Twitter this afternoon to announce the rollout has begun. It followed with a string of videos showcasing the new additions in the update.

“Holiday Update rolling out now,” writes Tesla.

Below are a couple of the biggest features in Tesla's Holiday Update.

Apple Music

Tesla

One of the most highly requested additions to Tesla’s software is Apple Music. Prior to this addition, Slacker, Spotify, TIDAL, TuneIn, and SiriusXM were the only music streaming services. If you wanted to use another service you’d have to connect your phone via Bluetooth and stream that way. Spotify and TIDAL are big competitors of Apple Music, but Apple’s streaming service boasts a catalog of 100 million songs and industry-leading audio quality.

The addition of Apple Music into Tesla’s vehicles could mean that Dolby Atmos support is just around the corner, as reported by BGR.

Apple Music is available in most markets, although there are some exclusions such as Israel and UAE.

View Cabin Camera

When Dog Mode or Sentry Mode is enabled, you'll now be able to view the live video feed of the cabin camera through your Tesla app.

When either of these modes is enabled, you'll see a button to view live video in the app. Keep in mind that when remote viewing is enabled, Tesla will display a message on the center display letting users know that the camera in the vehicle is being actively used.

Steam

Tesla

Although currently in Beta, Tesla has been teasing the Steam integration since early 2022. The bulking up of gaming in Tesla’s vehicles is one Musk has said is important due to Full Self-Driving becoming more of a reality. The Steam integration is only available on newer refreshed Model S and Model X vehicles, as they have the compute power to play the games smoothly.

We're hopeful that Tesla will continue to improve its software and hardware so that other MCU3 vehicles such as the Model 3 and Model Y can play Steam games in the future.

Steam currently requires the powerful GPU that's available in these vehicles. This GPU is only available on the Model S and Model X and is not included in the MCU3-equipped versions of the Model 3 and Model Y.

Steam also currently requires 16GB of ram, which means that earlier 2021 versions of the Model S and Model X vehicles are excluded for now. It's possible that Tesla is rolling this out in stages and will reduce the requirements for Steam in later revisions, however, the game catalog could be reduced as well.

“Entertainment will be critical when cars drive themselves,” Musk said on Twitter in December 2020.

Bluetooth Controller Support

Tesla

In order to go along with Tesla's Steam integration, Tesla is also supporting Bluetooth controllers with this update, however, it is also limited to new Model S and Model X. It'd make sense for this feature to eventually roll out to other vehicles, but it's not clear whether it's coupled with the Steam client.

Media Controls

The media controls are now closer to the driver for easier access. Users can now swipe up to access “Recents & Favorites” and “Sources.” Swiping left or right will also access trips and tire pressure information. We covered the updated UI cards at length if you'd like to see what they look like and how they function.

Climate Control Fan Speed

In this update, Tesla has removed the scroll bar to set the fan speed. The new speeds are low, medium, and high. This is a welcomed improvement, as the 1-10 sliding scale wasn’t entirely intuitive or easy to use.

MyQ Integration

Tesla

MyQ is a branded technology that enables users to control supported garage doors, gates and lights over WiFi. Until now, users could only control MyQ devices from their smartphones, but Tesla is adding support to their vehicles. Tesla will let users open and close MyQ-supported garage doors in a similar way to how HomeLink works.

HomeLink is included with the Model S and Model X, but it's a $350 USD add-on for the Model 3 and Y.

However, MyQ integration does not appear to be free. MyQ charges $179 for a 5-year subscription for vehicle use. You also need a smart garage door opener. Most openers can be made smart by adding a MyQ device available at various retailers for approximately $20.

Auto Turn Signals

Your vehicle’s turn signals will now turn off once the driver has completed a lane change, fork, or merge. This feature is available worldwide to Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with hardware 3. To turn it on, tap Controls > Lights > Auto Turn Signals.

Scheduled Light Show

Last year Tesla added a fun “dancing” light show to all vehicles. 2022's update enhances these features. With this year’s update owners will be able to schedule a light show for up to 10 minutes in advance or watch a multi-car orchestra by setting them to start at the same time. Tesla has also included a new song and light show included with this update.

This is Tesla's biggest update of the year, so look out for version 2022.44.25.1 in your Tesla app to enjoy these great new features. Tesla is rolling it out slowly and we believe everyone will receive it in the next couple of weeks.

There's a lot packed into this update, including big and small features. You can read about all the features by viewing the release notes for the Holiday Update.

Tesla Starts Offering Enhanced Autopilot Subscription in China, FSD Coming Soon?

Tesla has started offering Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) in China via a subscription starting at 699 yuan per month — equivalent to about $98.5 USD. It’s the first time Tesla owners in the country will have access to features such as auto lane change, Autopark, Smart Summon, and others.

It’s not clear whether Tesla will begin to offer EAP as a subscription in other regions as well.

The move is seen as the first step towards the expansion of Tesla’s full self driving to China as other markets outside North America wait for the arrival of the FSD software. Yesterday, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the version 12 is “ready for supervised FSD in LHD countries” while RHD countries such as Australia, UK or Japan “will take a bit longer”.

FSD in China

China giant Baidu announced last Monday that it will provide all Tesla vehicles in China its latest version of Baidu Maps starting in May.

This week, Tesla celebrated its 10th anniversary in the Chinese Market where it has a total of 1.7 million owners — Tesla’s second largest market. Elon Musk recently tweeted that Tesla may soon offer full self-driving in China by saying “It may be possible very soon”.

FSD in Europe

On Friday, the Senior Advisor of the Swedish Transport Transportation, Rikard Fredriksson, shared on LinkedIn that he had been demoed the FSD technology in Germany with a Tesla employee. The moment marks the first official use of the assisted driving software in Europe. 

Impressive smooth and natural driving

LinkedIn Post by Rikard Fredriksson after the FSD Demo in Germany

In the recent earnings call, Elon Musk said Tesla has over 300 million miles that has been driven with FSD v12 since it was launched just last month. He added that it's becoming “very clear that the vision-based approach with end-to-end neural networks is the right solution for scalable autonomy”.

Tesla said it has been investing in the hardware and software ecosystems necessary to achieve vehicle autonomy and a ride-hailing service. The company is confident that it can establish a scalable and profitable autonomous driving business by employing a vision-only architecture.

Tesla has recently reduced the pricing of its “Full Self-Driving” software in the US, from $12,000 to $8,000, and in Canada from CA$16,000 to $11,000. This price reduction follows a 50% cut in the subscription fee announced earlier this month.

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Rivian Follows Suit, Will Open Up Charging Network to Teslas

Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive has announced that it will open up its Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) chargers to Teslas and other EVs later this year.

The Rivian Adventure Network is a comprehensive network of fast-charging sites very similar to Tesla’s own Superchargers. According to Rivian, the Rivian Adventure Network is powered by 100% renewable energy.

New Rivian Chargers

In a post on X, Rivian added that it would introduce new chargers with a tap-to-pay experience to support “a wide range of EVs across a variety of battery voltages.”

Expanding RAN chargers and introducing new tap-to-pay chargers is a clear indication that Rivian is trying to increase customer convenience while ratcheting up its brand value.

All Rivian vehicles and most other EVs still use the CCS connector until they transition to NACS in the next few years. These new chargers will likely include a combination of NACS and CCS connectors to support Rivian’s current and future vehicles that will come equipped with an NACS port.

Charging a Tesla at a Rivian Charge

With over 50,000 Supercharger stalls, Tesla operates the biggest fast-charging network in the world. And 25,000 of these are located in the United States alone. The simplicity of charging at a Supercharger is part of the appeal. Tesla takes care of everything from initiating charging to billing. It ends up being no different than charging at home.

Tesla’s Supercharger network has a stellar reputation, mostly due to its high charging speed and reliability, which Tesla closely monitors in real-time. Major electric vehicle makers will start switching to NACS in the next few years and considering that the Supercharger network is highly trusted, one can see more non-Tesla EVs lining up at Superchargers soon. Giving Tesla owners more choice of where to charge may be crucial to combat congestion.

Rivian currently has over 400 charging stalls across 22 states but plans to expand to more than 600 chargers.

Making Rivian Chargers Just as Simple

While Rivian plans to add a tap-to-pay terminal to its new chargers, it’ll be difficult to beat the convenience of Superchargers for Tesla owners. After Rivian opens up its chargers to other EVs, Tesla owners would need to buy and use CCS to NACS adapters to charge at these networks, although not every Tesla supports the adapter. You can check if your vehicle supports the Tesla adapter.

To simplify the process for Tesla owners, Tesla would also need to interface with Rivian’s chargers to make billing as seamless as it is on its own Supercharger network.

Rivians Charging at Superchargers

Rivian has already begun shipping its customers NACS-to-CCS adapters to charge their vehicles at Tesla Supercharger.

Rivian officially got access to Tesla’s Supercharger network in March 2024. For now, only two companies–Ford and Rivian–have received access to charge at more than 15,000 Tesla Supercharger stalls. More companies like GM, Polestar, and Volvo will get access the following spring.

But Rivian is not stopping at NACS-to-CCS connectors. The Tesla rival plans to switch completely to the NACS port in 2025, at which point they’ll provide their owners a CCS to NACS adapter.

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