Elon Musk has confirmed Tesla has quietly rolled out a highly anticipated feature – at least in part. With the rollout of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version 14.2.1, owners are now reporting they can stay on their phones for longer stretches while the car manages the road — something Musk says is already allowed “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”
The confirmation came following a post on X from Teslacononomics on Thursday, with the user questioning whether FSD v14.2.1 had already unlocked the feature after being on their phone “for an extended period” and not receiving any prompts to pay attention to the road.
“Wait… am I able to text and drive on FSD v14.2.1??? I’ve been on my phone for an extended period of time…” Musk’s response was short, but significant – “Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes.”
While it is unclear what specific scenarios allow texting and driving, strict monitoring is likely reduced in low-risk environments.
During Tesla’s shareholder meeting last month, Musk said Tesla is “almost” comfortable allowing texting while driving thanks to major neural network upgrades in FSD v14.
As he explained, people are already reaching for their phones, and the change would make the overall experience safer for everyone. “People will actually turn off FSD to text then turn it back on, which is less safe.”
However, drivers shouldn’t assume the law allows it. Texting while driving is still illegal in nearly every jurisdiction, regardless of whether an advanced driver assistance system is engaged. FSD is classified as a Level 2 driver-assistance feature, meaning the human behind the wheel is fully responsible for attention and safety at all times.
So even if Tesla believes FSD reduces risk, local law enforcement and courts won’t treat a phone-distracted driver any differently. If anything goes wrong — or even appears unsafe — the driver is still on the hook.
