Cabin Overheat Protection (COP) is a fantastic feature available on all Teslas. If the inside of your vehicle gets too hot, COP will automatically turn on the fans, helping to cool down the interior of the car.
Alternatively, COP gives you the option to use the AC to keep down the temperature of the car even further, although this option uses more energy.
Until now, the temperature at which Cabin Overheat Protection is activated has been set at 105° F (40° C), and there hasn't been a way to configure it.
Back in July, Elon Musk said that Tesla will allow users to customize the activation temperature for COP in a future update.
Now, with update 2022.36.1, you can adjust the activation temperature from within the vehicle. You can pick from three preset temperatures, 90° F (30° C), 95° F (35° C) and 100° F (40° C).
Keep in mind that selecting a lower temperature will drastically increase energy usage while the vehicle is parked.
To choose the activation temperature for Cabin Overheat Protection according to your preferences tap Controls > Safety and scroll down to Cabin Overheat Protection.
Caraoke
Caraoke is Tesla's version of Karaoke that allows users to "sing your heart out with friends on a road trip — or by yourself" using its "massive library of music and song lyrics" in multiple languages. This feature was previously available to legacy Model S and X owners, as well as Model 3 and Y owners.
However, the feature has been noticeably absent in Tesla's latest flagship models, but with the release of 2022.36.1, Karaoke fans can rejoice.
In addition to being able to use Caraoke on the front display of the new Model S and Model X, users can also display the lyrics on the rear display, allowing rear passengers to join the fun.
To add or remove vocal tracks during playback, tap on the microphone icon on the 'Now Playing' screen.
Dynamic brake lights have also been added to more countries with the release of 2022.36.1. Now, the feature is available in most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China and some additional countries. It's available for the Model 3 and Model Y with this release.
The release notes state: "If you are driving over 50 km/h (31 mph) and brake forcefully, the brake lights will now flash quickly to warn other drivers that your car is rapidly slowing down. If your car stops completely, the hazard warning lights will flash until you press the accelerator or manually press the hazard warning lights button to turn them off."
Video of Dynamic Brake Lights
Autopilot Disengagement at Highway Merges
In the European Union, some of Autopilot's functionality has been reduced due to government regulations. Autopilot will now disengage on the highway if the vehicle is expected to merge onto a lane that has a painted line.
The vehicle will display an alert and automatically disengage, putting the driver in control unless the turn signal is used to switch lanes
Sentry Mode Live Camera Access
Another useful feature included in the 2022.36.1 release is Sentry Mode Live Camera Access which has been expanded to additional countries including Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand among others.
For Tesla owners with Premium Connectivity, users can now view their car's surroundings directly from the Tesla app. This feature only works while the vehicle is parked and can be used to assess the vehicle's environment before returning to it. Sentry Mode Live Camera is end-to-end encrypted and cannot be accessed by Tesla.
To enable or disable, tap Controls > Safety > View Live Camera via Mobile App' from the touchscreen display.
Video of Sentry Mode Live Access
Improvements to Mobile App
With update 2022.36.1 Tesla has also made several improvements to its mobile app. The app will now display information for the currently selected song and if the vehicle's GPS is being used, it will also display the destination and ETA in the app.
The 2022.36.1 release is host to some fantastic new features and has expanded old features to many new regions. You can also read the full release notes. Additionally, the latest 2022.36.2 release includes some minor bug fixes.
Tesla’s Insurance program is offered in just a few US states - but it offers an integrated and seamless solution since it's built directly into the Tesla app. And now that experience is about to get even better if you own or subscribe to FSD.
With Tesla Insurance, you can view your documents, billing, payment details and even make claims right in the Tesla app. Additionally, Tesla offers varying levels of coverage with different plans, and you can also insure non-Tesla vehicles in addition to your Tesla.
In all states except for California, Tesla uses your Safety Score to help determine your insurance rate. So the safer you drive according to Tesla’s factors - the higher your Safety Score. A higher score means you pay less for insurance, while a lower score increases your rate. Rates can change on a month-to-month basis, so you can adjust your driving to become a safer driver to benefit more.
FSD Discount
Based on information pulled from Tesla’s latest app update - V4.41.0 - it seems that Tesla intends to introduce a new feature. These findings were discovered during a recent decompile of the Tesla app by Tesla App iOS. Tesla’s Safety Score already shows you how much you drive in FSD or Autopilot versus driving manually.
According to the decompiled information, the Safety Score may soon also factor in the percentage of time that you use FSD compared to the time you drive manually. It seems that driving on FSD more often will result in a higher safety score and, therefore, lower your insurance rate.
Sadly, Safety Score is only available to view if you subscribe to Tesla Insurance in a supported state. We’d love to see Tesla bring Safety Score to all users - whether or not they’re eligible or subscribed to Tesla Insurance. Seeing progress bars or seeing statistics improve in real-time can gamify becoming a safer driver.
Cheaper FSD?
This is an interesting change and could potentially even help attract people to use FSD more often. If you could cut your insurance rate by $50 a month and subscribe to FSD for just $99 a month - would that be enough of a positive factor for people to subscribe?
Effectively, if the discount is big enough, it could offset the cost of subscribing to FSD, increasing the revenue for Tesla.
We really hope this is the way Tesla is going because increasing FSD adoption will be key to both increasing real-world training data, as well as accelerating the adoption of a tech that will make roads safer both for FSD users and other road users.
We’re really looking forward to seeing how Tesla implements these changes - and hopefully they bring Tesla Insurance to even more states and countries in the near future.
After a truly long wait, it seems like Tesla is finally implementing Ultra-wideband (UWB) support for Android phones. Ultra-wideband allows for much more accurate phone tracking, leading to new features and a more reliable phone key. Tesla initially rolled out UWB Phone Key and app support for iOS users back with software update 2024.2.3 - which launched in February 2024.
Nearly a year later, we’re finally seeing signs of Tesla adding ultra-wideband support to Android devices. For Android users, this is exciting news, as it could add new features to your vehicle.
Android UWB Flag
A new flag related to ultra-wideband has been found in the latest Tesla app, version 4.41.0, thanks to a decompile by Tesla App iOS.
The new flag is labeled “MOBILE_APP_FEATURE_ANDROID_UWB_ENABLED,” which makes it pretty obvious that it’s related to Android UWB support.
Supported Devices
Most Android phones - especially flagship devices - already support and use UWB for other uses, but it’s not available on all phones. If you have a Google Pixel 6 or higher, Samsung Fold 2 or higher, Samsung S21+, or other recent Android phone, then your phone already supports ultra wideband.
However, since the advantage of UWB is the communication between the phone and the vehicle, your vehicle will need to support UWB as well.
Supported Models
Since ultra-wideband requires specific hardware, it can’t be added in a software update unless the hardware is already in the vehicle. Only some of the latest Tesla vehicles appear to support the new wireless protocol.
Here is the full list of supported Tesla models:
2024 Model 3 (Highland) and later
2021 Model S and later
2021 Model X and later
Cybertruck
2025 Model Y (Juniper) is expected to support UWB
The legacy Model S and Model X, as well as the first-gen Model 3 and current Model Y unfortunately do not support UWB.
More Reliable Phone Key
First up for UWB support is an improved phone key. The addition of UWB provides a low-power way for your vehicle to determine exactly where your device is in relation to your vehicle. That means the phone key will become more reliable - and more precise.
All supported vehicles above will support hands-free trunk opening, while automatic frunk opening is only supported on the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck.
For the first time, Android users will be able to set hands-free options for their vehicles, making it possible to open the trunk simply by standing behind the vehicle for two seconds. Once the vehicle detects you haven’t moved, a beep will sound and the trunk will open.
NFC Prompt
This app update is also adding a new interesting flag called SHOW_NFC_PROMPT. It seems Tesla is going to be adding a prompt to the app that will help people get back into their vehicles when their phone key fails. A device’s NFC capability actually remains active even if the phone has turned off due to a low battery. also remains active if you’ve drained the battery of your phone - so you’ll still be able to get into your vehicle and plop your phone on the charger.
Since Android devices can be set up and used as NFC key cards, you’ll be able to enter your vehicle even if your battery is depleted. This feature flag could be used to display something on your phone when the phone key fails to open the vehicle. It could ask you to use the device’s NFC capabilities or show you where to tap your phone or key card.
Release Date
Unfortunately, there’s no way of telling when this feature will arrive for Android users. However, seeing references in the app at least meaning that Tesla is at least actively developing the feature. While it could arrive any day now via a server-side change, it could also take another month or two for Tesla to complete any required testing across a variety of devices.