The 2023 edition of Tesla’s holiday software update is on the horizon, and with just a few weeks left before Christmas, the company deployed the update to employees for testing on Tuesday this week. Despite including a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the update, the release notes have now leaked, and the overall response from owners has been less than positive.
The release notes for the 2023.44.25 update first appeared on Wednesday night, and in line with previous holiday updates included a large number of new features and improvements. In total there are 12 items in the release notes, ranging from small things like changes to the charging location filters, to larger items like updates to the Blind Spot Camera and the addition of Apple Podcasts. Surprisingly it also included a feature that has already been released, Waypoints in the Trip Planner in the mobile app.
Here’s a closer look at what we think are some of the bigger items in the 2023 holiday update.
Automatic 911 Calls
Although this is a feature that you will hopefully never have to use, it is a very important safety addition. When you get into an accident and the airbags deploy, your car will automatically call 911. Just in case you are unaware of what’s going on immediately in the aftermath of the accident, a countdown timer will appear on the main display, letting you cancel the call before it is made if you don’t need it. It is important to realize this feature only works when your phone is connected to the car via Bluetooth.
Speed Cameras on Your Route
The existence of this feature was first revealed by hacker @greentheonly earlier this month. According to the release notes your navigation will now include speed cameras, stop signs, and traffic lights along your route. There is one big catch however, this feature requires a Premium Connectivity subscription. Unfortunately the release notes don’t explain where the data for the speed cameras is coming from, so we will have to wait and see how reliable it is compared to crowd-sourcing apps like Waze.
More Cameras in Live Camera View
Also revealed earlier this month, the Live Camera View now includes the left and right pillar cameras. Despite indication it would also include the front fish-eye camera, the release notes make no mention of this camera view also being added. Unfortunately these extra camera views are only accessible through Live Camera, and not Sentry Mode, but hopefully Tesla brings it to their surveillance feature in the future as well.
Automatic Blind Spot Camera
Tesla has updated the Blind Spot Camera to warn drivers when there is something in their blind spot. Currently the camera view just appears on the screen when you activate your turn signal, but now a new red shading appears on the edge of the image when the car detects an object in your blind spot. This feature has actually been available in China since at least November, and here’s what it looks like.
[속보] 테슬라, 사각지대 경고 알림 기능 추가 예정!
현재 테슬라에서는 방향지시등을 켠 방향에 뒤에 차가 다가오고 있으면 모니터에 사각지대 알림을 붉은 색표시로 점등하는 기능을 추가하여 추돌 사고를 방지하는 것을 테스트 중에 있습니다.
테스트 완료 후 업데이트 예정!
사고를 미연에… pic.twitter.com/lZHCGL1AYs
— Oh Hahm Ma *⃣ (@ohmahahm) November 13, 2023
Unfortunately that’s about it for features and improvement that we thought were noteworthy. It is worth mentioning however that this is still an early release to employees, and more could be included by the time it reaches the rest of the fleet. Many were hoping for things like Actual Smart Summon (ASS), improvements to the auto wipers, and FSD 12, and these might still appear in time for Christmas.
Here are the full 2023.44.25 release notes. What do you think of the update? Let us know in the comments below.
