Tesla is now tucking FSD Beta into its regular software updates. Updates like 2023.12.11 and 2023.20.6, and several others, now carry FSD Beta 11.3.6. But it's not for everyone - like many other Tesla features; it depends on your location and the Tesla you drive.
So far, if you were an FSD Beta user, you often had to wait weeks or months for new non-FSD features. That's because Tesla usually launched FSD Beta updates separately from their main production releases. But now that FSD Beta is beginning to be bundled into regular updates, the wait for new features might be shorter.
FSD Beta is Now Just Another Feature
The same update behaves differently depending on where you are. We chatted with Tesla owners in the U.S. and other countries. A user in the U.S. who downloaded the 2023.12.11 update kept their access to FSD Beta. But a driver outside the U.S. who got the same update didn't get FSD Beta access. Tesla is now packing FSD Beta into some regular updates, and it may only be a matter of time before every update has FSD Beta baked right in. However, like most Tesla features, FSD Beta will be limited by region and hardware.
Update Version, FSD Version
Versions numbers have often caused some confusion with Tesla using different version numbers for software, individual updates, FSD and navigation updates.
With these new updates, Tesla will now make it a little easier to understand which FSD Beta version you have by listing the FSD version separately from the update version.
Changes to the Autopilot Menu
With FSD Beta v11, Tesla made changes to the Autopilot menu, making it easier to choose the Autopilot capabilities you wanted to use. Interestingly, if a user without Beta access receives a build with FSD Beta, their Autopilot menu will remain the same as non-beta builds, instead of the newer version that offers a simplified choice where the user can select from TACC, Auto Steer or FSD Beta.
Bringing Everyone Up to Speed
One downside to the old system was that FSD Beta users were often a step behind when it came to new features. For example, while most Tesla users are now on updates 2023.12 or even 2023.20, FSD Beta users are still on 2023.7, which only has 2023.6 features. By incorporating FSD Beta into regular updates, Tesla might help more users stay up-to-date, and you'll no longer have to pick between testing FSD Beta or having the latest features.
By incorporating FSD Beta into regular updates, Tesla also makes it easier for new owners to receive FSD Beta builds. New subscribers often needed to wait weeks or even months after subscribing to FSD Beta in order to receive FSD BEta. This was caused by Tesla not allowing users to roll back software versions. If someone was already on 2023.12 and subscribed to FSD Beta, then they'd need to wait until FSD Beta was available on a 2023.12 branch before their vehicle was eligible for the update.
With FSD Beta becoming just another feature, FSD Beta may soon just be a flag that is enabled or disabled on an owner's vehicle instead of needing a separate update.
One thing to remember is that these updates don't have the latest FSD Beta. They include FSD Beta 11.3.6, not the freshest 11.4.4 version. But Tesla might have more surprises up its sleeve.
