Tesla adds new features in app update 4.3

By Nuno Cristovao

Tesla has updated their iOS app to version 4.3. Tesla has been on a roll with its app updates lately, recently introducing Sentry Mode Live Access, adjust scheduled charging, widgets and more.

This update continues Tesla's recent trend and introduces various new features.

You can now customize the Quick Action buttons
You can now customize the Quick Action buttons

New Notifications

You can now choose to turn on notifications when Cabin Overheat Protection is activated. You can also choose to turn on or off notifications when your car is done preconditioning.

Tesla App 4.3 gives you more control over notifications
Tesla App 4.3 gives you more control over notificationss

Customizable Quick Actions

You'll now be able to customize the quick action buttons that show up underneath the car.

The app still limits you to four buttons, but it allows you to swap out any of the existing buttons for just about any function the app can control. You can set a quick action button for the trunk, defrost, Sentry Mode and many more.

If you'd like to make room for an additional quick action button, you can remove the Charge button and replace it with a button of your chosing. You can then access the charging section by tapping the battery icon instead.

Adjust Cabin Overheat Protection

Another new feature is the ability to adjust your Cabin Overheat Protection. Cabin Overheat Protection allows your car to try to keep the interior temperature under 105° F by either using the HVAC fan or air conditioner.

The three options are to turn off Cabin Overheat Protection, try to cool using only the fan, or cool using the air conditioner.

You can now customize the Quick Action buttons
You can now customize the Quick Action buttons

Using the air conditioner option will do the best job in keeping the cabin cooler, but could result in significant battery usage on hot summer days.

Many users are unable to access the ability to adjust the Cabin Overheat Protection setting. It looks like this feature may require your car to have update 2021.40.5 or later in order to function.

It looks like the Cabin Overheat Protection options will appear in the Climate section of the app. They should appear within the slide up drawer, next to the Defrost and Bioweapon Defense Mode buttons.

Widget Improvements

The app widgets have also been improved and now feature the same quick action buttons that you define within the app.

Pressing on a quick action button within the widget will open the app and execute the function automatically. Some functions have confirmations, such as defrost. Once the app is opened, you'll need to confirm that you want to turn on the defrost function.

Tesla releases version 4.3 of its iOS app
Tesla releases version 4.3 of its iOS app

Sentry Mode Live Access

Sentry Mode Live Access enables you to view live video feeds from the car's cameras directly on your phone. The feature has been available in previous iOS app updates, but Tesla is calling out it's functionality in this update as well.

Sentry Mode Live Access doesn't appear to contain any new features with this update.

Ability to Unlock Supercharger Floor Locks

In China Tesla uses floor locks on Supercharger parking spots to prevent other vehicles from parking in those spots. Up until today, it required a Tesla owner to scan a QR code on the lock in order to lower the lock and allow you to charge. With this app update, Tesla is now allowing you to unlock the Supercharger spot within the app.

Superchargers in China have floor locks
Superchargers in China have floor locks

It's a great update for individuals living in China, but these floor locks are unlikely to be expanded to other regions as Tesla starts allowing non-Teslas to charge at Supercharger locations.

If you're an iPhone user, you can update your Tesla app to 4.3 by visiting the App Store.

The app is not on the official Play Store for Android yet, but it should be released soon.

It will finally include Sentry Mode Live Access and the updates to quick actions and more described above.

You'll be able to download the updated Tesla app from the Google Play Store when it becomes available soon.

You Can Now Track Tesla’s Robotaxi Deployment

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Thanks to Tesla Yoda on X, we have found out that Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet is registered on the Texas Department of Transportation’s public-facing Automated Vehicle Deployment website. This makes the fleet’s movements publicly viewable and trackable, and marks a first for Tesla.

This isn’t just any old FSD test - this is the first officially acknowledged, government-tracked, and sanctioned deployment of a Tesla Model Y operating as a ride-share vehicle. But that’s not all - Texas DOT’s tracker notes that the Tesla does not have a safety driver.

View on the Map

Visitors to the Texas DOT website can filter for “Tesla”, and see, currently, a single active vehicle operating in the Austin Metro area. According to the state’s official data, here’s what we know:

Company: Tesla

Description: Ride-share service

Status in Texas: Testing

Safety Driver: No

The final point is definitely the most significant here. While Tesla has been testing FSD with safety drivers for some time in Austin and LA for employee-only testing, this is the first time that a vehicle has been officially registered and deployed on public roads without a human behind the wheel for safety. 

The fact that there is no safety driver officially shifts the liability from the occupant of the driver’s seat to Tesla, for the first time in a public setting. That’s already pretty significant - we previously dove into how Tesla plans to insure its own vehicles, and potentially owner vehicles in the Robotaxi fleets. 

The status currently lists Tesla as “Testing,” confirming that the service isn’t available to the public, but this is expected to change in the coming weeks.

This testing phase is likely part of a short but crucial period that lets Tesla capture data on the safety levels of its current iteration of Unsupervised FSD without a driver supervising. Tesla already stated that they’d be avoiding difficult areas, so this testing can also expose additional areas Tesla may want to avoid, such as school zones or blind driveways.

Tesla will need to prove, both internally and externally, that FSD Unsupervised has the necessary performance to safely navigate the streets without any incidents.

Regulatory Milestone

For years, the concept of a Tesla Robotaxi has been a future promise. Now, it's a present-day reality, albeit in a testing capacity.

Having an official government body list a Tesla as an active, driverless vehicle shows that they’ve been able to clear regulatory hurdles, which Tesla has often pointed to as the issue. It demonstrates a level of confidence from both Tesla and Texas regulators in the system's capabilities.

While it's just a single vehicle for today, we’ll likely see this list slowly expand over time. Alongside being able to track Robotaxi incidents at the City of Austin’s website, we’ll be able to closely watch Tesla’s progress with its first Robotaxi deployments.

Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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