Tesla frequently sends out over-the-air (OTA) software updates to its fleet of vehicles, adding new features and improving existing ones. Tesla also makes improvements to their mobile app, and the latest update adds support for Waypoints, changes to improve the reliability of phone key, the addition of Supercharger photos, as well as some hints that additional camera views are coming soon to the Live Camera feature.
Waypoint Support
After finally adding Waypoints to Tesla’s in-car navigation in 2021, this handy navigation feature has now made its way into the mobile app with the release of version 4.27.5 released on the iOS App Store last night. (via @Tesla_App_iOS)
Just like the Trip Planner in the car, you can now use the mobile app to plan your road trip and add stops along the way. You can also rearrange the Waypoints if you accidentally add them in the wrong order, or delete them if you change your mind. Once you have your trip planned out, you can seamlessly send the route and plan to your car.
Phone Key Improvements
One of the best features of owning a Tesla is the ability to use your phone as a key to lock and unlock the car hands-free, all based on the proximity of your mobile device to the car. However the proximity-based locking/unlocking isn’t always 100% accurate, particularly in cases where you keep your phone close to your car once it is parked in your garage or driveway. To improve its reliability and accuracy, Tesla now requests access to your Motion & Fitness Activity to better know when your phone has moved, according to Tesla app developer Alex Guichet (@AlexGuichet), who responded to us on X.
it improves phone key accuracy by checking if your phone was recently moving for walk-up unlock to work. this can prevent unexpected unlocks—like if your car is parked in close proximity to where your phone is charging
— Alex Guichet (@AlexGuichet) December 5, 2023
Supercharger Photos
A small, but potentially helpful update is the addition of photos of Supercharger stations. The photos are not directly from Tesla, but instead pulled from the photos submitted by users through Google reviews. While these might not be helpful for your local Supercharger station, they could prove helpful when you are on the road and in a new town, providing tips on where exactly the station is located, for example in a parking garage, and even which entrance to use. Based on our tests of the new photos you unfortunately can’t tap to enlarge them.
Octa-View Live Camera
While this feature wasn’t added in this release, it was included in the source code, suggesting it will be released soon. Once it does owners will be able to access live feeds from eight of the car’s cameras. According to two new assets in the code, you will have the ability to now see from the two side-pillar cameras. You might think that that would mean it would be seven views, but Tesla App Updates noted the fish-eye front camera was also being added.
