Exclusive: New Feature Will Ask You Before Transferring a Phone Call

By Kevin Armstrong
A mockup of what Tesla's upcoming 'Transfer Audio' feature will look like
A mockup of what Tesla's upcoming 'Transfer Audio' feature will look like
Not a Tesla App

Without question, Tesla is the world's most innovative vehicle, although there's always room for improvement.

For example, when you're in the middle of an important phone call and as you open the door of your car, your phone connects to your vehicle and the call starts playing over the vehicle's speakers. Then, there's that awkward moment where the person on the other end of the call is trying to determine if they have been cut off. At the same time, you try to hurry to get into the car, or quickly try to transfer the call back to your phone. If this hasn't happened to you, count yourself lucky; for those who've fallen victim to the automatic transfer, the concerns of another instance may soon be a thing of the past.

Tesla plans to change how your phone connects in an upcoming update. Soon, when you're on an active phone call, the audio will now remain on your phone, even after you open your car door and your phone connects to the vehicle over Bluetooth.

When you're finally inside the vehicle, you can choose to transfer the phone call to the vehicle's audio system or dismiss the prompt, leaving the call's audio on your phone.

Bluetooth Troubleshooting

Until that happens, smartphone companies sometimes advise users to turn off Bluetooth to avoid calls being automatically picked up by paired devices such as automobiles. While that may work with most vehicles, Tesla owners rely on their smartphones to unlock and operate the car via Bluetooth.

Major Updates Are Coming

We don't have any details on when this improvement will be released, but we expect it to be available soon, possibly as soon as 2022.44, but it's now being tested and we expect it to be released this year.

There are several Tesla updates on the horizon. Full Self Driving Version 11 is expected to be available to everyone who has purchased FSD by the end of this year. In addition, it's believed the new Actually Smart Summon or ASS, will be included with Version 11. Those updates will get a lot of attention and likely overshadow this smaller improvement, but it is righting an inconvenience.

A Brief Bluetooth History

Let's take a quick look back at a technology that is now commonplace. It was Intel, Ericsson and Nokia who put aside competition and together developed the short-range radio technology in 1996. Bluetooth was a creative code name because King Harald Gormsson united Denmark and Norway in 958. He had a discolored dead tooth that earned him the nickname of Bluetooth.

Since the industry leaders were uniting on this technology, they used it as a temporary name. It was to be renamed RadioWire, but they needed more time to get the trademark done. The other option was PAN, which stood for Personal Area Networking, but there were too many PANs coming up in searches. Bluetooth started appearing in cars in 2000 and it was Chrysler who lead the way with incorporating the technology in it's vehicles.

Now, we appreciate the convenience of Bluetooth daily, and with a minor tweak by Tesla, King Harald Gormsson's namesake will be much more enjoyable.

Update: Users are now seeing this as part of software update 2022.40.4.1.

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.

Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

  • Video must be 90 seconds or less

  • Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

  • Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

  • Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

  • Provide your personal details in the form

  • You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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