Tesla Model S/X phone and key card access may be coming soon

One of the best convenience features of the Model 3 and Y may soon be coming to Tesla’s flagship Model S and Model X vehicles based on a recent addition to the source code.

The discovery was made by Tesla hacker @greentheonly, who found a new reference to a Model 3 “service key” on the firmware for Model S/X vehicles. According to the hacker, it was added in the recent 2020.48 series of software updates.

Green also mentioned that the service key is hardcoded into the firmware. If he tries to delete the key, the source code reverts back to the original code.

CEO Elon Musk has said this feature would come to the Model S/X as far back as 2018. At that time Musk said that thanks to over-the-air (OTA) software updates, the feature would even be available for first production units.


Despite Musk’s previous comments, the new service key is another hint at a possible Model S/X refresh. Rumours of an update to these cars are nothing new but several clues recently, including an 18-day shutdown of the production lines, are indicating this time it might actually be true.

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