The Ultimate Guide to Tesla Shortcuts and Tips You May Not Know (Updated)

By Kevin Armstrong
You can jump to any section of a song by tapping anywhere on the progress bar
You can jump to any section of a song by tapping anywhere on the progress bar
Not a Tesla App

Tesla vehicles are known for their cutting-edge technology, making the driving experience enjoyable and efficient. In this article, we will delve into Tesla tips and tricks that can further enhance your experience. While some of these tips may be specific to the Model 3 and Model Y, many are applicable across the Tesla lineup.

Automatically Start FSD With Full-Screen Visualizations

You can choose to automatically start visualizations in full screen
You can choose to automatically start visualizations in full screen
Not a Tesla App

If you love the Tesla's full-screen visualizations, you can choose to automatically go to full-screen every time you start Autopilot. Although the option isn't obvious, it's available in settings. Simply go to Controls > Autopilot and enable 'Expanded Full -Self-Driving Visualization.'

Now every time you start FSD, visualizations will automatically shift into full-screen mode. Likewise, if you've enabled this option before and didn't understand why visualizations were always full-screen, you can simply disable it.

To exit the full-screen visualizations, you can similarly swipe left near the top of the screen. Even a small swipe near the driver will suffice.

Easily Close an App

You can quickly swipe down from the very top of the screen to close an app
YYou can quickly swipe down from the very top of the screen to close an app
Not a Tesla App

There are various ways to close an open app, however, one of the easiest allows you to close an app without taking your eyes off the road. Everyone knows that you can swipe down on most apps to close them, however, what some owners don't realize is that you don't have to swipe down from exactly the top of the app.

Instead, your finger can actually start off screen -- so you can touch the very top of the monitor, and start a swiping motion downward. The app will still register it as a downward swipe and close, letting you keep your eyes on the road.

The only gotcha with this method is that there can't be any status icons in the between your finger and the open app. For example, you can't swipe your finger downward and go over the current time or temperature. It has to be an empty space. This has replaced my favorite method of closing an app.

Use the Maps Icon for Two Features

The new maps icons has two features
The new maps icons has two features
Not a Tesla App

As of update 2024.14, you can now add a new Maps icon to the dock through the all apps menu. The purpose of the nav icon is to give you a consistent, one-tap access to get back to the vehicle's navigation screen. While it's useful, it also has an addition purpose. If you're already viewing maps, you can tap the icon to essentially hide the maps and enable full-screen visualizations.

Reveal a Dropdown of Audio Sources

Jump to another audio source by tapping the app's icon
Jump to another audio source by tapping the app's icon
Not a Tesla App

This is a nice little hidden feature in Tesla's audio apps. From within any audio app, you can jump to any other audio source by tapping the app's icon. Tapping the icon will reveal a dropdown of all audio sources that haven't been hidden in audio settings.

Jump to Section in Song

When playing audio and you want to jump to a specific part of a song or podcast, you don't need to drag the progress bar. Instead, you can just tap anywhere on the progress bar to jump to that part.

Display Alternate Routes

You can tap the next turn display to show alternate routes
You can tap the next turn display to show alternate routes
Not a Tesla App

When navigating to a location, you can tap the next turn module near the top of the screen to have the vehicle display any alternate routes to your destination.

The alternate routes view is similar to the ones displayed at the beginning of your drive, however, they're determined by your current location. This could be useful to circumvent construction or blocked roads.

As an alternative, you can also tap the compass icon at the top right of the display, which will also bring up alternate routes.

Set Cruise Control to Current Speed

You can tap the speedometer or speed limit sign to set your Autopilot speed
You can tap the speedometer or speed limit sign to set your Autopilot speed
Not a Tesla App

While on Autopilot, you can tap the speedometer to set the maximum Autopilot speed to your current speed. This is useful if you want to maintain your current speed without manually adjusting it.

Auto Set Cruise Control to Speed Limit

Similarly, you can tap the speed limit sign to set the maximum speed to the speed limit plus your preferred offset. Again, this helps maintain a safe and legal speed while using Autopilot.

Open Music Selection

Tap the album art to open or close the large music panel, making it easy to access and control your music while driving.

Jump to Audio Settings

You can adjust audio settings by volume control in the launcher
You can adjust audio settings by volume control in the launcher
Not a Tesla App

To quickly adjust audio settings, such as balance and equalizer, tap the volume button in the bottom right corner of the screen, then tap the levels icon.

Quickly Close Open Apps

Many apps can be swiped down to be closed, however, you don't have to swipe down from the very top of the app. If the app is already scrolled to the top, you can swipe down on any non-interactive part of the app, or white space to close the app.

You can also simply close all apps or menus by using a simple voice command such as "show map" or by tapping the icon for the open app.

One-Touch Access to Calendar

Tap the clock to quickly open your calendar, keeping your schedule at your fingertips.

Quickly Navigate Home

Swipe down on the navigate button to quickly navigate to your home or work, making your daily commute seamless.

Jump Back to Maps

In a Model 3 or Model Y, if your map is covered either with an app or menu, you can tap the navigation box that appears next to your speedometer to quickly jump back to the map screen and minimize any open apps.

Turn Off Climate

To turn off the climate system, hold down the climate temperature button.

Quickly Open Climate Screen

Swipe from anywhere in the launcher to open the climate window, giving you quick access to climate controls.

Unsync Passenger Temperature

Sync cabin temperature for the driver and passenger by pressing the climate arrows and choosing "split." Alternatively, use the voice command "sync climate" or "unsync climate" to control temperature settings.

Charging Menu

Tap the battery icon to jump to the charging menu, allowing you to monitor and adjust charging settings.

Switch Between Miles and Percentage

Tap the range to switch between displaying miles and percentages, providing a customizable view of your remaining charge.

Details on Indicator Lights

Indicator lights that appear on the left can also be tapped to access the appropriate menu. For example, tapping the headlights icon brings up light settings, while the low tire pressure icon opens the tire pressure menu.

You can tap on the indicator lights to go to the appropriate menu
You can tap on the indicator lights to go to the appropriate menu
Tesla

Adjust Wiper Speed

Pressing the button on the left stalk will wipe the windshield once and bring up wiper settings so you can easily adjust them. As of update 2023.12, you'll also be able to use the left scroll wheel once the wiper settings are on the screen to easily adjust between wiper settings.

Disable Auto Highbeams

Flicking your high beams stalk also brings up light settings, giving you quick access to headlight controls.

Temporarily Enable Blind Spot Monitor

Whether or not you use Tesla's blind spot cameras when your turn signal is enabled, you can tap the turn signal icon on the screen to either temporarily enable or disable the blind spot camera. This is especially useful for drivers who choose not to use the blind spot camera, but would occasionally like to view what's beside them.

Heated Mirrors

If your mirrors are fogged up or have snow or frost on them, you can turn on your heated mirrors by enabling the rear window defroster.

Voice Commands

To open the glovebox, use the voice command "open glovebox" or tap the car icon on the touchscreen, followed by the glovebox icon.

Many more useful voice commands are available on our voice commands page.

These Tesla shortcuts and tips can enhance your driving experience by providing quick access to essential functions and settings.

Tesla Plans Massive 10x Robotaxi Expansion: A Look at the Potential New Area

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

With Tesla’s first major expansion of the Robotaxi Geofence now complete and operational, they’ve been hard at work with validation in new locations - and some are quite the drive from the current Austin Geofence.

Validation fleet vehicles have been spotted operating in a wider perimeter around the city, from rural roads in the west end to the more complex area closer to the airport. Tesla mentioned during their earnings call that the Robotaxi has already completed 7,000 miles in Austin, and it will expand its area of operation to roughly 10 times what it is now. This lines up with the validation vehicles we’ve been tracking around Austin.

Based on the spread of the new sightings, the potential next geofence could cover a staggering 450 square miles - a tenfold increase from the current service area of roughly 42 square miles. You can check this out in our map below with the sightings we’re tracking.

If Tesla decides to expand into these new areas, it would represent a tenfold increase over their current geofence, matching Tesla’s statement. The new area would cover approximately 10% of the 4,500-square-mile Austin metropolitan area. If Tesla can offer Robotaxi services in that entire area, it would prove they can tackle just about any city in the United States.

From Urban Core to Rural Roads

The locations of the validation vehicles show a clear intent to move beyond the initial urban and suburban core and prepare the Robotaxi service for a much wider range of uses.

In the west, validation fleet vehicles have been spotted as far as Marble Falls - a much more rural environment that features different road types, higher speed limits, and potentially different challenges. 

In the south, Tesla has been expanding towards Kyle, which is part of the growing Austin-San Antonio suburban corridor spanning Highway 35. San Antonio is only 80 miles (roughly a 90-minute drive) away, and could easily become part of the existing Robotaxi area if Tesla obtains regulatory approval there.

In the East, we haven’t spotted any new validation vehicles. This is likely because Tesla’s validation vehicles originate from Giga Texas, which is located East of Austin. We won’t really know if Tesla is expanding in this direction until they start pushing past Giga Texas and toward Houston.

Finally, there have been some validation vehicles spotted just North of the new expanded boundaries, meaning that Tesla isn’t done in that direction either. This direction consists of the largest suburban areas of Austin, which have so far not been serviced by any form of autonomous vehicle.

Rapid Scaling

This new, widespread validation effort confirms what we already know. Tesla is pushing for an intensive period of public data gathering and system testing in a new area, right before conducting geofence expansions. The sheer scale of this new validation zone tells us that Tesla isn’t taking this slowly - the next step is going to be a great leap instead, and they essentially confirmed this during this Q&A session on the recent call. The goal is clearly to bring the entire Austin Metropolitan area into the Robotaxi Network.

While the previous expansion showed off just how Tesla can scale the network, this new phase of validation testing is a demonstration of just how fast they can validate and expand their network. The move to validate across rural, suburban, and urban areas simultaneously shows their confidence in these new Robotaxi FSD builds.

Eventually, all these improvements from Robotaxi will make their way to customer FSD builds sometime in Q3 2025, so there is a lot to look forward to.

Caught on Video: Tesla FSD Tackles a Toll Booth — Here’s How It Pulled It Off

By Karan Singh
@DirtyTesLa on X

For years, the progress of Tesla’s FSD has been measured by smoother turns, better lane centering, and more confident unprotected left turns. But as the system matures, a new, more subtle form of intelligence is emerging - one that shifts its attention to the human nuances of navigating roads. A new video posted to X shows the most recent FSD build, V13.2.9, demonstrating this in a remarkable real-world scenario.

Toll Booth Magic

In the video, a Model Y running FSD pulls up to a toll booth and smoothly comes to a stop, allowing the driver to handle payment. The car waits patiently as the driver interacts with the attendant. Then, at the precise moment the toll booth operator finishes the transaction and says “Have a great day”, the vehicle starts moving, proceeding through the booth - all without any input from the driver.

If you notice, there’s no gate here at this toll booth. This interaction all happened naturally with FSD.

How It Really Works

While the timing was perfect, the FSD wasn’t listening to the conversation for clues (maybe one day, with Grok?) The reality, as explained by Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI, is even more impressive.

FSD is simply using the cameras on the side of the vehicle to watch the exchange between the driver and attendant. The neural network has been trained on enough data that it can visually recognize the conclusion of a transaction - the exchange of money or a card and the hands pulling away - and understands that this is the trigger to proceed.

The Bigger Picture

This capability is far more significant than just a simple party trick. FSD is gaining the ability to perceive and navigate a world built for humans in the most human-like fashion possible.

If FSD can learn what a completed toll transaction looks like, it’s an example of the countless other complex scenarios it’ll be able to handle in the future. This same visual understanding could be applied to navigating a fast-food drive-thru, interacting with a parking garage attendant, passing through a security checkpoint, or boarding a ferry or vehicle train — all things we thought that would come much later.

These human-focused interactions will eventually become even more useful, as FSD becomes ever more confident in responding to humans on the road, like when a police officer tells a vehicle to go a certain direction, or a construction worker flags you through a site. These are real-world events that happen every day, and it isn’t surprising to see FSD picking up on the subtleties and nuances of human interaction.

This isn’t a pre-programmed feature for a specific toll booth. It is an emergent capability of the end-to-end AI neural nets. By learning from millions of videos across billions of miles, FSD is beginning to build a true contextual understanding of the world. The best part - with a 10x context increase on its way, this understanding will grow rapidly and become far more powerful.

These small, subtle moments of intelligence are the necessary steps to a truly robust autonomous system that can handle the messy, unpredictable nature of human society.

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