Tesla Priority Device: Having Your Tesla Connect to the Correct Phone

You can select a device that your Tesla will connect to first

Tesla

Most Tesla owners have encountered the issue of entering their vehicle only to find it connected to the wrong Bluetooth device. This inconvenience can be particularly frustrating when you're in a hurry or when multiple passengers with paired devices are present. Fortunately, Tesla has developed a solution to this widespread problem — Tesla Priority Device.

Tesla's 'Priority Device' feature allows you to select a device for your car to connect to based on the chosen Tesla driver profile. You can assign a device to multiple profiles, ensuring a smoother connectivity process for all drivers.

How Tesla Priority Device Works

When you and your spouse or child enter the car simultaneously, the vehicle will first attempt to connect to the device associated with the active Tesla profile. The closest phone to the vehicle determines your driver profile when the doors are opened. Using Priority Device helps prevent issues like your Tesla connecting to someone else's phone inside the house.

Setting Up Your Priority Bluetooth Device

To set up your Priority Device, follow these simple steps:

• Go to Controls by tapping the car icon in the lower-left corner of the vehicle.
• Tap the Bluetooth icon at the top of your touchscreen.
• Select your preferred device.
• Tap "Priority Device."

The menu will display the Tesla profiles that have your device set as their priority device. You can set your phone as the priority device in multiple Tesla profiles, including profiles such as Easy Entry.

Your car will now attempt to connect to the priority device associated with the selected profile before trying to connect to other paired phones.

Shortcomings of Priority Device

Priority Device works great, as long as the vehicle selects the correct Tesla profile. Any issues in connecting to the incorrect device are usually caused by the vehicle determining the incorrect driver profile.

If the vehicle incorrectly determines the closest phone to the vehicle, then it will select the wrong Tesla Profile and consequently, the wrong Bluetooth device to connect to.

Troubleshooting Issues

It's important to realize how the process works. Your key fob or phone key is associated with a given Tesla Profile, which can then have a Bluetooth device that it will try to connect to first.

If your vehicle is consistently connecting to the wrong Tesla Profile or Bluetooth device, you should double-check your settings.

Start by going to Controls > Locks and check that your key fob, phone key, or key card is associated with the correct driver profile.

From there, confirm that you have a Priority Device associated with each Tesla Profile by going to Controls and tapping on the user icon and name at the top of the screen. To minimize connection issues, each Tesla Profile should be associated with a priority Bluetooth device.

The Future of Tesla Priority Device

As technology continues to advance, Tesla remains at the forefront of innovation. Tesla's Priority Device feature is just one example of its commitment to improving the driving experience. Future enhancements could include more advanced algorithms for identifying the correct driver profile or even connecting to multiple devices simultaneously.

Priority Device has improved Bluetooth connectivity in Tesla vehicles, allowing for more seamless connections instead of just connecting to the first Bluetooth device it finds.

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Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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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.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

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

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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.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

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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