Tesla’s latest software update, version 2024.26, is one of the bigger updates of the year so far, bringing with it a suite of new features and improvements, including some often requested by owners.
The update, which has so far only been released to employees, adds two new music options, YouTube Music and Amazon Music, and adds a new weather feature that doesn’t go quite as far as some people had hoped, but lays the groundwork for its eventual release.
YouTube Music and Amazon Music
A few months ago it was discovered that Amazon Music was coming soon to Tesla vehicles. Many people responded to the news with “we want YouTube Music instead,” and it appears Tesla knew that, as both Amazon Music and YouTube Music will be added with 2024.26, according to the release notes from Not A Tesla App. Both of these new music streaming options will only be available when there is a WiFi connection (or a hotspot through your phone) or if you have a Premium Connectivity subscription.
Parental Controls
Another often requested feature is the ability to restrict or activate certain features for when your kids are driving the car. This could partially be achieved with Driver Profiles, but those lacked the ability for the owner to lock out others from making changes to the profiles. Now Tesla has introduced a comprehensive set of Parental Controls that can be enabled with a PIN.
Parents can set a maximum speed limit, limit acceleration to Chill mode, and activate safety features like Speed Limit Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Forward Collision Warning. Additionally, a Night Curfew feature sends notifications via the Tesla mobile app when the vehicle is driven past the set time. For convenience, these controls can be configured from the vehicle or the Tesla mobile app.
Weather Forecast and Air Quality
Perhaps one of the most requested features is for a weather radar overlay for the navigation map. While Tesla hasn’t gone that far, they have added local weather and air quality. These new features have been added to the vehicle status bar, alongside the temperature. Poor air quality is indicated by an AQI symbol and index value. By tapping the temperature on the touchscreen, drivers can view detailed local weather forecasts, including daily highs and lows and the chance of rain. This is another feature that requires Premium Connectivity.
Schedule Charge and Preconditioning
Tesla does currently give owners the ability to schedule charging and preconditioning, but it is quite limited and owners often turn to third-party solutions for better customization. While we have yet to actually see it in action, Tesla’s updates to scheduled charging and preconditioning make it sound like it will be much improved.
Tesla says drivers will be able to schedule charging and preconditioning via a redesigned menu or the Tesla mobile app, where you can select a location, set one-off or recurring schedules, and control charging times.
Navigate to Sub-Destinations
Another new feature is Navigate to Sub-Destinations, This sounds similar to waypoints (add a stop), but in the release notes Tesla gives the example of routing to a specific terminal at an airport, which will provide more accurate details.
Other Updates
The 2024.26 update also includes several other enhancements:
- Gaming: Updates to games like “The Battle of Polytopia” and “Vampire Survivors” introduce new characters, stages, and features.
- Climate Control: A redesigned climate panel simplifies comfort settings, and auto fan speed adjustments reduce ambient noise during phone calls.
- Zoom Integration: Zoom meetings now default to full-screen when the car is in Park, and users can log in via QR code.
- TeslaMic Support: The TeslaMic is now supported, adding a new layer of entertainment for karaoke enthusiasts.
Given that 2024.26 has only just been released to employees, it will like be another week or two before we see it arrive on customer cars, and then it will take another week or two to fully propagate to the fleet.
