A Look at Tesla's New Media Player, Nav, Fan and HomeLink Updates

Tesla has added a mini player to the Model 3 and Model Y

Teslamaniacs

Tesla's holiday update, which is update 2022.44.25.1, is jammed full of goodies, many of which require a second look. There are significant changes for Model 3 and Model Y owners. In addition, some features drivers use to operate daily, have changed location, size, and functionality.

Music Player

This one may take some getting used to. There is now a new mini-player that splits the music area into two sections. A smaller module for media controls is on the bottom left of the screen. This allows the most used buttons to be closer to the driver.

Users can swipe up on the mini media player to reveal sources, including Apple Music, Spotify, Bluetooth etc. Once a source is selected, the details open up on the right-hand side of the screen for users to select songs or playlists.

The mini media player also allows users to scroll to recent and favorites, settings, and a search function can also be found in this small, reconfigured player. The mini-player will automatically collapse after a few seconds if left expanded.

In addition, Tesla has reintroduced cards that can be found by swiping on the media player in the lower left corner. Cards allow you to view your odometer, trip meter and tire pressure. You can see the new UI cards in action which we took an in-depth look at earlier this week.

Media Player in the Center

Unfortunately, the media player can not be placed back in its previous location. At least, not most of the time. If you're confused, you're not the only one. Here's a breakdown of what's possible. If the music panel is expanded to reveal your song selection, the media controls can be placed on top of that panel, but only when the mini player is hidden.

If the mini player is visible, then the song selection panel on the right will only display your songs/playlists, which does create some additional vertical room to display songs and or album art. However, there is no way to have just the media controls on the right side in a minimal sort of fashion as you could before.

Your choices for media controls are now one of three on the Model 3 and Model Y. You can have the mini player on the left side, which is essentially the new default. You can have the media controls on the right side, but only when the music selection panel is fully expanded (covering the map) and the mini player is hidden, or you can have the media controls hidden completely. If your music controls are hidden, a gray music icon appears in your launcher to bring them back up again.

This can all be a little confusing, and it'd be nice to see Tesla introduce a simple toggle to have the media controls on the left or right.

If you're viewing your tire pressure or odometer in the new UI cards, the media player will also jump back to the center area.

Navigation UI

Tesla has improved the layout of the navigation information

Teslamaniacs

Tesla has redesigned the navigation user interface (UI) layout, which improves the placement of directions, such as the next turn and other available options. Tesla has split the nav UI into two pieces. At the top of the screen will be critical information about the route, including next-turn directions.

The rest of the information, previously found at the top of the screen, is moved to the bottom. These details include travel time, destination details, and options to alter or cancel your navigation.

Both of these modules can be expanded to show more information. For example, swiping down on the top module will reveal additional turns along your route, while swiping up on the bottom module, or tapping the three dots will bring up additional route options such as adding a stop or editing your navigation preferences.

Your current location/town has also been shifted slightly. It used to be placed at the bottom center of the screen, but it's now been shifted slightly and is at the far corner of the display.

Fan Controls

You can now tap to change the fan speed and remain in Auto

Teslamaniacs

When your climate system is set to Auto, Tesla now uses a 'LO', 'MED', and 'HI' fan speed, instead of the previous 1-10 scale. The slider is now gone and replaced with buttons to decrease or increase the fan speed.

Tesla will no longer automatically turn off the Auto climate when you adjust the fan intensity. Even when the fan speed is modified, the HVAC system will remain in Auto.

Manual Mode

You can still use fan speeds 1-10 in manual mode

Walgermo/Twitter

If you turn off Auto on your climate system, you'll still have granular access to the fan speed controls with the old 1-10 scale. You now also have the option to tap or use a slider to adjust the fan speed. A new slider will appear above the climate section, or you can tap the arrows to adjust the fan speed just like you do in Auto.

HomeLink

Tesla has made improvements to the HomeLink UI

Walgermo/Twitter

Tesla has made improvements to HomeLink as well. When near your home location, the HomeLink icon will now display in the status bar at the top of the screen with an 'Activate' or 'Cancel' button.

The HomeLink dropdown will automatically disappear if you shift into reverse, but the option to activate your garage door will remain.

Furthermore, if you have auto-open or auto-close enabled, the status bar will now display the number of feet or meters before the garage door is opened or closed.

Video of UI Updates

There are many more additions and changes in the latest update, but these will impact the user the most. Tesla owners usually love to drive and are accustomed to seeing information displayed the same way in the exact location on the screen. So be sure to give yourself a little extra time to familiarize yourself with the new layout.

Tesla's Smart Summon Patent Describes How It Works and Hints at Future Abilities

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s Summon, Smart Summon, and Actually Smart Summon features have long been a source of fascination (and occasional frustration), offering FSD users a glimpse into a future where your vehicle picks you up.

While we await further improvements to Actually Smart Summon to increase reliability and range, a recently published Tesla patent (US20250068166A1) provides an inside look into the intricate AI and sensor technologies that make these complex, low-speed autonomous maneuvers possible.

Notably, the list of inventors on this patent reads like a "who's who" of Tesla's AI and Autopilot leadership, including Elon Musk and former Director of AI Andrej Karpathy, among many others.

Though the patent is a continuation of earlier work, with some dates stretching back to 2019, it lays out the core logic that powers Tesla's vision-based system.

Step-by-Step Navigation

Tesla’s patent details a sophisticated system designed to allow a vehicle to autonomously navigate from its current position to a target location specified by a remote user. The remote user can also designate themselves as the target, even while they’re moving, and have the vehicle meet them.

This process begins with destination and target acquisition. The system is designed to receive a target geographical location from a user, for example, by dropping a pin via the Tesla app. Alternatively, it can use a “Come to Me” feature, where the car navigates to the user’s dynamic GPS location. In this same section, the patent also mentions the ability to handle altitude, which is crucial for multi-story parking garages, and even handle final orientations at arrival.

Occupancy Grid

At the heart of the system is the use of sensor data to perceive the environment. This is done through Tesla Vision, which builds a representation of the surrounding environment, similar to how FSD maps and builds a 3D world in which to navigate. A neural network processes this environment to determine drivable space and generate an “occupancy grid.” This grid maps the area around the vehicle, detailing drivable paths versus obstacles.

The patent still references the use of alternative sensors, like ultrasonic sensors and radar, even though Tesla does not use them anymore. The system can also load saved occupancy grids from when the car was parked to improve initial accuracy.

Path Planner

Once the environment is understood, a Path Planner Module calculates an intelligent and optimal path to the target. This isn’t just the shortest route; the system uses cost functions to evaluate potential paths, penalizing options with sharp turns, frequent forward/reverse changes, or a higher likelihood of encountering obstacles. The path planning also considers the vehicle’s specific operating dynamics, like its turning radius. Interestingly, the Path Planner Module can also handle multi-part destinations with waypoints - a feature that isn’t available yet on today’s version of Actually Smart Summon.

Generating Commands

Once the path is determined, the Vehicle Controller takes the path and translates it into commands for the vehicle actuators, which control the steering, acceleration, and braking to navigate the vehicle along the planned route. As the vehicle moves, the Path Planner continues to recalculate and adjust the path as required.

Since Actually Smart Summon is nearly autonomous with the exception of the user having to hold the Summon button (app update hints at not having to hold the button soon), continuous safety checks are integral. This includes using the Path Planner and the occupancy grid to judge if there is a chance for a collision, and overriding navigation if necessary. The patent also mentions the possibility of users remotely controlling aspects like steering and speed but with continuous safety overrides in place. This is another cool little feature that Tesla has yet to include with today’s Actually Smart Summon - being able to control your full-size car like an RC car. This feature could be used for robotaxis if the vehicles get stuck and need to be tele-operated.

Reaching the Target

Upon reaching the destination, or the closest safe approximation (like the other side of a road), the system can trigger various actions. These include sending a notification to the user, turning on the interior or exterior lights, adjusting climate control, and unlocking or opening the doors. Another yet-to-arrive feature here is the fact that the destination triggers in the patent also include correctly orienting the vehicle for charging if the destination is a charger. This part of the patent doesn’t reference wireless charging, but we’re sure there’s more to this than it seems.

A Glimpse Into the Future

While this patent has dates stretching back to 2019, its recent publication as a continued application tells us that Tesla is still actively iterating on its Summon functionality. It details a comprehensive system that has been well thought out for complex, confined spaces, which will be key for both today’s convenience features like Actually Smart Summon - but also for Tesla’s upcoming robotaxis.

The depth of engineering described, from neural network-based perception to sophisticated path planning and safety protocols, explains the impressive capabilities of Tesla's Summon features when they work well and the inherent challenges in making them robust across an infinite variety of real-world scenarios. As Tesla continues to refine its AI, the foundational principles laid out in this patent will undoubtedly continue to evolve, actually bringing "Actually Smart Summon" to reality.

Follow

Follow

Follow

Tesla’s Impressive Sound Systems Are Missing One Thing: True Spatial Audio [Opinion]

Jack27 - Cybertruck Owner's Forum

Tesla has consistently demonstrated a commitment to high-quality audio hardware in its vehicles. The sound engineers go through a thorough design process - including integrating the subwoofer’s sound flow through the Cybertruck’s hollow body sections. Tesla offers, by and far, one of the best OEM audio experiences in its price range.

However, physical components and engineering magic aside, the current software that drives Tesla’s audio experience is sub-par when compared to higher-end audio systems on the market. It falls short of delivering truly spatial, three-dimensional audio that many audiophiles and even discerning casual listeners have come to appreciate from the likes of $100 earbuds with spatial audio support from their cell phones.

This really feels like a missed opportunity, especially when Tesla used to offer “Dolby Surround” in the past.

Immersive Sound… Kind Of

Tesla’s proprietary Immersive Sound option widens the sound stage by creating a surround-sound-like effect within the vehicle. It has evolved over the years from a simple “Off/Standard/High” to include slightly more granular control, as well as an Auto mode that intelligently adjusts the level of immersion based on the content being played.

For many, including myself, the experience often feels more like an improved stereo field rather than a genuine multi-dimensional soundscape. Even when set to High and paired with Hi-Fi downloaded music from sources like TIDAL, Immersive Sound struggles to open up the sound stage. The sense of height and precise placement of individual sound sources - hallmarks of spatial audio - are missing, leading to an audio presentation that, while clear and powerful, ultimately feels a little flat.

In reality, Immersive Sound often just turns on the A-pillar speakers and uses them for a wider set of sounds than they are normally used for, which really feels rather disappointing. 

A good example is Imagine Dragons’ song Believer. Try listening to it with Immersive Sound on, and then off. If you’ve got headphones with Spatial Sound / Dolby Atmos support, try listening to the same song there. You’ll find a world of difference.

The Gold Standard: Dolby Atmos

Technology like Dolby Atmos has become the gold standard for listening to spatial audio - and represents a substantial step above traditional “Surround Sound” and Tesla’s current Immersive Sound. Dolby Atmos does a lot to achieve that truly three-dimensional audio experience.

They use object-based audio, where sounds are treated as individual objects that can be placed and moved precisely in a 3D space rather than being confined to specific channels, like with 5.1 or 7.1 Surround Sound. They also include a vertical dimension, making the sound feel like it’s coming from above, below, or all around. This is done through dedicated processing (and sometimes dedicated down-facing speakers) to render the sound in a fully 3D space.

All that, alongside the ability to render complex mixes like 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound with exceptional clarity, means that individual instruments and vocal layers maintain their distinction.

The overall result is a refined listening experience that is genuine, more engaging, and compelling. It isn’t just better for music too - it makes video content consumption better with spatial sound matching what’s being displayed on-screen.

Amazing Hardware Deserves Amazing Software

Tesla’s investment in custom-engineered audio systems is commendable. The 17 speakers in the Cybertruck represent one of the best OEM-designed speaker arrays capable of producing detailed and dynamic sound. 

However, this amazing hardware is being asked to perform an orchestra with one hand tied behind its back. Without the extra spatial rendering capabilities of an industry standard like Dolby Atmos, we may as well only have five speakers. Tesla isn’t taking full advantage of the great hardware in these vehicles by letting the software lag behind.

Implementation

The barrier to entry for true surround sound may not be as high as some imagine; for perspective, a consumer license for Dolby Atmos on a PC is remarkably affordable - only $14.99. While commercial automotive licensing is on a different scale, this illustrates that access to the core technology isn't inherently prohibitive, suggesting it's more a matter of prioritization for Tesla.

Some might perceive the engineering effort to implement and tune true spatial audio as immense, but it's worth noting that advancements in calibration are constantly being made. For example, in a controlled home environment, initial spatial sound system tuning can sometimes be accomplished in as little as an hour. 

Naturally, the acoustic complexity and variability of a car interior demand a more involved process, but for a company with Tesla's engineering prowess, creating an exceptional in-car spatial audio experience is well within reach and arguably less of a monumental task than many might think.

This isn’t just about satisfying those with a particular ear for sound - a truly exceptional spatial sound system like Atmos, or at least a functional in-house one that genuinely matches its capabilities, would be a huge bonus for Tesla’s flagship vehicles. It would help to elevate the experience, especially as Tesla continues to narrow the premium feel between their flagship vehicles and their everyday vehicles.

Tesla builds vehicles with some of the most impressive audio hardware on the market, so there’s no reason not to match this with the most impressive audio software. Let’s bring back Dolby surround sound support.

Follow

Follow

Follow