Tesla's v11 update was received with mixed feelings. It's split about 50/50 whether you love the update or hate it. There doesn't seem to be much in between.
The UI is cleaner and better organized, but it comes at the expense of quick access to many settings.
Tesla's v11 UI
Some things we'll all just need to get used to. For example, checking your tire pressure in a card-like view will likely not be something that Tesla adds back.
While in other areas we'll certainly see Tesla make some needed updates.
Until the next update, there are a few tips that could make v11 a little easier to use.
Climate
You don't need to tap the temperature to access the climate controls. You can access them at any time by swiping up anywhere from the app launcher.
Once you have the climate open, you can close it by waiting for it to timeout, or by swiping down anywhere in the screen except the vent area, which would aim the direction of the vent instead.
Minimizing Apps
Unfortunately in version 11, Tesla replaced a lot of buttons with sliders, which are less than ideal to use while driving.
Each app used to have a close button, but they have mostly been removed. Apps are now closed by swiping downward in the app.
However, if you prefer you can still close an app with a single tap. It's not as obvious as a close button, but you can tap the app's icon to close it. The music app which has multiple states may require multiple taps on the app icon as the app cycles through its various sizes.
Dismissing Alerts
Tesla now displays various alerts on the bottom left of the screen for the Model 3 and Model Y. This is used for HomeLink, blind spot camera, seat belt warnings, phone calls, and more.
If you receive multiple alerts at once, they can sometimes hide other information you'd like to interact with such as your phone or HomeLink.
Any of these alerts that show up on the bottom left corner can be dismissed by swiping downward. This lets you dismiss HomeLink or another alert if you're trying to interact with another alert that is underneath.
HomeLink
HomeLink is contextually aware and the controls will show up based on the location you have set for your garage door or gate. However, if you use Auto-Open, it's not very obvious how to cancel it if the garage door is already open.
Underneath the HomeLink buttons, you'll see a word named Activate or Cancel. That will be the action performed when you tap the garage door button.
So when pulling up to your garage, you'll initially see Cancel underneath the garage door button, with the number of feet before the garage door will auto-open. Tapping on the button will cancel the automatic opening of your garage.
This solution isn't very intuitive and we hope Tesla will revisit this.
Customizable Launcher
The customizable launcher in v11 is a welcome addition, although it shouldn't remove options that owners had access to before.
We believe Tesla will be adding more options to the app launcher, including seat heaters and window defrost in the future, however for now we have to deal with what we have.
The app launcher will always contain shortcuts to Controls, Volume, and cabin temperature.
Five additional apps will be shown before the driver and passenger temperatures. If you customize 2, then the other 3 will automatically show recently used apps.
You can customize up to 4, as one will always be reserved for a recently used app.
This also means that regardless of which app you're using, the icon for the app will always be the launcher. This lets you quickly close the app by tapping on the app's icon.
Quick Access to Wipers and Headlights
Some of the actionable alerts that can show up on the bottom left portion include windshield wipers and headlights.
In a Model 3 or Model Y, you can quickly adjust these without having to navigate into Controls.
You can tap the end of the left stalk to have the wipers' speed come up on the display.
Similarly, you can flick your high beams to get light controls to come up on the display, which will then let you adjust your fog lights, auto high beams, and regular headlights.
Music
The music app was one of the few apps that received a visual overhaul with the v11 update.
But did you know that it also includes a new Up Next feature that lets you view upcoming songs when you're playing a playlist?
If you tap the button to the left of the search icon, your player will take up about half the screen and it'll show some additional information. You can pick from Up Next, Recents and Favorites and Sources. Recents/Favorites and Sources are now only accessible in this view.
Save Dashcam
The Dashcam icon has been removed from the top of the screen, leaving us without a quick way of saving any Dashcam footage.
However, you can still easily save Dashcam footage by using the "Save Dashcam" voice command. There are many voice commands you can use to make it easier to access features you used before.
Keep the Seat Heater On
Since the seat heaters are now part of the climate view, it makes it more difficult to use them in certain scenarios.
You can still keep your seat heater on and the climate system off. This could be useful if you're running on an extremely low state of charge.
To do so, open the climate system and choose your seat heater temperature. Auto seat heaters will need to be turned off.
You can then power off the climate system and your seat heater will remain on. You can also use the app to turn on just your seat heater if you prefer.
Version 11 of Tesla's UI is a step forward in some cases and a step back in others. It's reassuring to know that Tesla is working on updates to overcome the shortcomings in v11.
You shouldn't expect the UI to go back to the way it was in v10, but you should expect to regain some lost functionality, such as the ability to keep seat heaters in the app launcher or quickly save Dashcam footage.
Tesla appears to be preparing to expand its Robotaxi geofence in Austin, Texas, with numerous engineering vehicles taking to the road. One of the most interesting sights, between the short and tall LiDAR rigs, was a Cybertruck validation vehicle, which we don’t often see.
Tesla’s expansion is moving the Robotaxi Network into downtown Austin, a dense urban environment that is currently outside the geofence. It appears Tesla is content with the latest builds of Robotaxi FSD and is ready to take on urban traffic.
The inclusion of a Cybertruck in the validation fleet is noteworthy, as the rest of the vehicles are Model Ys. This suggests that Tesla may be addressing two challenges simultaneously: expanding its service area while also addressing the FSD gap between the Cybertruck and other HW4 Tesla vehicles.
Tesla Validating Downtown Austin before expanding the Robotaxi geo-fence area. pic.twitter.com/ylFATtjcDi
Recent sightings have shown a fleet of Tesla vehicles, equipped with rooftop validation sensor rigs, running routes throughout downtown Austin and across the South Congress Bridge. While these rigs include LiDAR, it’s not a sign that Tesla is abandoning its vision-only approach.
Instead, Tesla uses the high-fidelity data from the LiDAR as a ground truth measurement to validate and improve the performance of its cameras. In short, it essentially uses the LiDAR measurements as the actual distances and then compares the distances determined in vision-only to the LiDAR measurements. This allows Tesla to tweak and improve its vision system without needing LiDAR.
This data collection in a new, complex environment right outside the Robotaxi geofence is an indicator that plans to expand the geofence. Tesla has previously indicated that they intend to roll out more vehicles and expand the geofence slowly. Given that their operational envelope includes the entire Austin Metro Area, we can expect more locations to open up gradually.
Once they expand the operational radius to include downtown Austin, they will likely also have to considerably increase the number of Robotaxis active in the fleet at any given time. Early-access riders are already saying that the wait time for a Robotaxi is too long, with them sometimes having to wait 15 minutes to be picked up.
With a larger service area, we expect Tesla to also increase the number of vehicles and the number of invited riders to try out the service.
After all, Tesla’s goal is to expand the Robotaxi Network to multiple cities within the United States by the end of 2025. Tesla has already been running an employees-only program in California, and we’ve seen validation vehicles as far away as Boston and New Jersey, on the other side of the country.
Cyber FSD Lagging Behind
One of the most significant details from these recent sightings is the presence of a Cybertruck. Cybertruck’s FSD builds have famously lagged behind the builds available on the rest of Tesla’s HW4 fleet. Key features that were expected never fully materialized for the Cybertruck, and the list of missing features is quite extensive.
Start FSD from Park
Improved Controller
Reverse on FSD
Actually Smart Summon
It may not look like a lot, but if you drive a Cybertruck on FSD and then hop in any of the rest of Tesla’s HW4 vehicles, you’ll notice a distinct difference. This is especially evident on highways, where the Cybertruck tends to drift out of the lane, often crossing over the lane markings.
Tesla was testing parts of Downtown Austin, TX with this Cybertruck which had a massive roof rack, and sensors.
We previously released an exclusive mentioning that a well-positioned internal source confirmed with us that a new FSD build for the Cybertruck was upcoming, but we never ended up receiving that particular build, only a point release to V13.2.9. The AI team’s focus had clearly shifted to getting the latest Robotaxi builds running and validated, and while a flagship, the Cybertruck fleet was small and new, and really a secondary task.
The Cybertruck’s larger size, steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering, and different camera placements likely present a bigger set of challenges for FSD. Deploying it now as a validation vehicle in a complex environment like downtown Austin suggests that Tesla is finally gathering the specific data needed to bring the Cybertruck’s capabilities up to par. This focused effort is likely the necessary step to refine FSD’s handling of the Cybertruck before they begin rolling out new public builds.
When?
Once Tesla’s validation is complete, we can probably expect the Robotaxi Network to expand its borders for the first time in the coming days or weeks. However, we’ll likely see more signs of the expansion, such as Robotaxi vehicles driving themselves around the area, before the expansion actually happens.
Hopefully, the Cybertruck will also learn from its older siblings and receive the rest of its much-needed FSD features, alongside an FSD update for the entire fleet.
Tesla is rolling out a fairly big update for its iOS and early-access-only Robotaxi app, delivering a suite of improvements that address user feedback from the initial launch last month. The update improves the user experience with increased flexibility, more information, and overall design polish.
The most prominent feature in this update is that Tesla now allows you to adjust your pickup location. Once a Robotaxi arrives at your pickup location, you have 15 minutes to start the ride. The app will now display the remaining time your Robotaxi will wait for you, counting down from 15:00. The wait time is also shown in the iOS Live Activity if your phone is on the lock screen.
How Adjustable Pickups Work
We previously speculated that Tesla had predetermined pickup locations, as the pickup location wasn’t always where the user was. Now, with the ability to adjust the pickup location, we can clearly see that Tesla has specific locations where users can be picked up.
Rather than allowing users to drop a pin anywhere on the map, the new feature works by having the user drag the map to their desired area. The app then presents a list of nearby, predetermined locations to choose from. Once a user selects a spot from this curated list, they hit “Confirm.” The pickup site can also be changed while the vehicle is en route.
This specific implementation raises an interesting question: Why limit users to predetermined spots? The answer likely lies in how Tesla utilizes fleet data to improve its service.
Here is the new Tesla Robotaxi pickup location adjustment feature.
While the app is still only available on iOS through Apple’s TestFlight program, invited users can download and update the app.
Tesla included these release notes in update 25.7.0 of the Robotaxi app:
You can now adjust pickup location
Display the remaining wait time at pickup in the app and Live Activity
Design improvements
Bug fixes and stability improvements
Nic Cruz Patane
Why Predetermined Pick Up Spots?
The use of predetermined pickup points is less of a limitation and more of a feature. These curated locations are almost certainly spots that Tesla’s fleet data has identified as optimal and safe for an autonomous vehicle to perform a pickup or drop-off.
This suggests that Tesla is methodically “mapping” its service area not just for calibration and validation of FSD builds but also to help perform the first and last 50-foot interactions that are critical to a safe and smooth ride-hailing experience.
An optimal pickup point likely has several key characteristics identified by the fleet, including:
A safe and clear pull-away area away from traffic
Good visibility for cameras, free of obstructions
Easy entry and exit paths for an autonomous vehicle
This change to pick-up locations reveals how Tesla’s Robotaxi Network is more than just Unsupervised FSD. There are a lot of moving parts, many of which Tesla recently implemented, and others that likely still need to be implemented, such as automated charging.
Frequent Updates
This latest update delivers a much-needed feature for adjusting pickup locations, but it also gives us a view into exactly what Tesla is doing with all the data it is collecting with its validation vehicles rolling around Austin, alongside its Robotaxi fleet.
Tesla is quickly iterating on its app and presumably the vehicle’s software to build a reliable and predictable network, using data to perfect every aspect of the experience, from the moment you hail the ride to the moment you step out of the car.
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