Tesla adds ability to unlatch car door from the app [video]

By Not a Tesla App Staff
You can now remotely unlatch the driver's door latch on the Model 3 and Model Y
You can now remotely unlatch the driver's door latch on the Model 3 and Model Y
Tesla Info/YouTube

Tesla has updated its app for iOS to version 4.14, and with it come two new features.

The first is iOS lock screen widgets. There are two widgets to pick from, both of which display the vehicle's battery level. There's a small circular widget that fills in based on the vehicle's state of charge, and there's a larger widget that includes the vehicle's name and a numerical view of the vehicle's battery level, either in percent or miles/km, depending on what your app set to.

Tesla introduces lock screen widgets for iOS
Tesla introduces lock screen widgets for iOS
Not a Tesla App

The second feature is the ability to unlatch the driver's side door from the app.

The door handles on the Model 3 and Model Y aren't powered and with the right mix of water and cold weather, the door handle can sometimes freeze to the door frame.

The ability to unlatch the door from the app means that the door handle isn't used at all and the door is electronically unlatched, causing it to open just enough for you to grab the side of the door to fully open it.

Unlatch Door in Action

The ability to unlatch the door is only available on the Model 3 and Model Y and it requires your vehicle to be on update 2022.36 or later, which is currently about 35% of the Tesla fleet.

To unlatch the door you'll need to add the new "Unlatch Door" icon to the Quick Actions section of the Tesla app that appears under the vehicle visualization.

Update 2022.36.2

Installed on 0% of fleet
0 Installs today
Last updated: Mar 16, 8:59 am UTC

Unfortunately, Tesla hasn't added the ability to unlatch the door in any other areas of the app, such as the Climate or Controls section, but hopefully, that's coming in a future update.

Currently, version 4.14 of the app is only available for iOS but we expect it to be available in the Google Play store soon.

You can also view the release notes for Tesla app 4.14.

The Original Design and Inspiration of the Tesla Cybertruck

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Not a Tesla App

The Cybertruck is something that’s completely out of this world—so much so that when people are unfamiliar with it, their first reaction is often, “What is that?”

And stepping inside only reinforces that impression. With its hidden-button doors and sleek, futuristic interior, the Cybertruck truly feels like something from another world. Recently, Tesla’s Chief Vehicle Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, revealed that an image shared by the official Cybertruck account on X is actually the original sketch that inspired its radical design.

Many Iterations

The Cybertruck has undergone numerous design iterations, and we’ve had the chance to explore some of Tesla’s earliest concepts for a truck that would define the future in many ways. These insights come from Walter Isaacson, who detailed them in his biography of Elon Musk.

Originally shared in 2023, the images revealed a dramatically different vision—one without the now-iconic angular rear sail. The design drew inspiration from various art forms, including video games, books, and movies—essentially, anywhere sci-fi had imagined a sleek, futuristic, or rugged truck.

The Nighthawk

The infamous F-117 Nighthawk.
The infamous F-117 Nighthawk.
Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II | http://www.defenselink.mil/

The design that ultimately made it to production wasn’t one of those early concepts. Instead, it was inspired by none other than the infamous American F-117 Nighthawk—a now-retired, single-seat stealth bomber developed by the secretive Skunk Works for the U.S. military. As the world’s first stealth aircraft, the F-117 revolutionized aviation with its groundbreaking design.

Much like the Cybertruck’s deluge of new technologies, the F-117 brought innovations that reshaped modern aircraft design. Its angular, faceted surfaces were engineered to deflect radar waves and reduce its infrared signature—features that directly influenced the Cybertruck’s distinctive geometry. When wrapped in black, the resemblance to the Nighthawk is undeniable.

Now, while we can’t say for sure if the Cybertruck is truly “stealthy”—since it turns heads wherever it goes—it does reflect radar waves. That said, don’t expect it to help you evade speed cameras or slip past the police unnoticed.

Super Stealthy
Super Stealthy
Not a Tesla App

The Nighthawk’s angular design also required advanced computerization—because, at first, no one believed it could even fly. Without its onboard computers to fine-tune the pilot’s inputs, it simply wouldn’t have. Similarly, the Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire system and rear-wheel steering give it an unexpected level of agility—especially for a massive stainless-steel vehicle that’s this fast.

The Cybertruck is truly one of a kind—there’s nothing else like it on the road today. Franz von Holzhausen delivered on Elon Musk’s vision of a truck from the future, and Tesla’s engineering team brought that vision to life in a way that few thought possible.

Tesla Starts Rolling Out HW3 Support for FSD to Chinese Employees

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Tesla Newswire

Tesla is getting ready to start rolling out FSD support for hardware 3 vehicles in China. Tesla is internally testing what appears to be a build of FSD V12.6 on HW3 vehicles with its employees.

A post on Chinese social media platform Rednote initially shared the software update details and was then shared by Tesla Newswire. We’ve verified that the vehicle in question is a 2023 Model Y, confirming it falls within the HW3 hardware generation.

Tesla initially introduced FSD for HW4/AI4 vehicles in China in late February, making this a surprisingly fast follow-up to extend support to HW3 vehicles. The Chinese rollout of FSD also came just a couple weeks after Tesla introduced FSD in Mexico.

FSD V12.6 Primer

We reviewed FSD V12.6 in depth here, and provided a comparison to FSD V13 here, but here’s the key points you’ll need to know.

FSD V12.6 is Tesla’s latest revision of FSD for HW3 vehicles and it’s is very comparable to FSD V13 in terms of features. It includes 3 speed profiles, Chill, Standard, and Hurry, which control how aggressive FSD is in making lane changes and ensuring it stays at, near, or above the speed limit.

This version of FSD also comes with an improved controller, as well as earlier and more natural lane change decisions, making it far more capable than V12.5 or V12.3 builds.

For Chinese customers getting their first taste of FSD after using Autopilot for years, it’s mindblowing. It can handle city level streets, hanlde turns and traffic control signs and get you to your destination with minimal interventions.

When Does It Release?

Given’s China’s more crowded streets and more complex road layouts, we weren’t sure whether Tesla would introduce support for HW3 vehicles in the market. This news is a positive and encouraging sign, not only for FSD in China, but for all HW3 vehicle owners out there.

Tesla usually releases updates to employees in advance of releasing them to its general customers - providing them with a second chance to find and fix bugs. Usually, once updates make their way to employee vehicles, and barring any major issues, they begin rolling out to customers within one to two weeks.

China currently requires owners to buy FSD, as FSD subscriptions aren’t available in the country yet. If you’re in China and bought FSD on a HW3 vehicle, it may not be long before you have access to FSD.

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