Tesla has supported voice commands for a number of years now. With over 100 voice commands available, Tesla drivers can control various vehicle features without taking their hands off the steering wheel. Here's a list of the 10 most useful voice commands to make your Tesla experience more enjoyable and efficient.
1. Navigate to X
Simplify your navigation experience by using the "Navigate to X" command, where X is the address or the name of the location you want to visit. Tesla's advanced navigation system will calculate the best route based on real-time traffic updates and consider your vehicle's charging needs and available Supercharger stations along the way.
Tesla's navigation system is smart enough to know the town and state it's in so you only need to specify what's changing. For example, if you're traveling somewhere in the same town, you can simply say the street name or the name of the destination, like 'Navigate to Target.' Likewise, if you'll remain in the same state, you can just say the name of the destination and the town.
2. Unmute Voice Guidance
If you find the GPS voice guidance distracting or annoying, you can easily mute or unmute it by saying "mute voice guidance" or "unmute voice guidance." This allows you to control when you receive audible instructions, making your driving experience more comfortable and personalized.
3. Open Glove Box
Access your glove box with minimal effort using the "Open Glove box" voice command. This eliminates the need to navigate through car controls on the touchscreen, making it easier to retrieve items from the glove box while staying focused on the road.
4. Set Temperature to X
Effortlessly adjust the cabin temperature by saying, "Set the temperature to X," where X is the desired temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius. This voice command allows you to create the perfect climate within your Tesla without manually navigating through climate controls on the touchscreen.
5. Search Google for X
Access information quickly and easily by saying, "Search Google for X," where X represents the keywords or query you want to search for. The search results will be displayed on your vehicle's touchscreen, providing you with valuable information without having to reach for your smartphone or other devices.
6. Play X on [Music Service]
Enjoy your favorite tunes while driving by using the command "Play X on [Music Service]," where X is the name of the song, artist, album, or genre, and [Music Service] is your preferred music streaming service, such as Spotify or Apple Music. This command lets you access your favorite music and playlists with minimal distraction, enhancing your overall driving experience.
7. Show Calendar
Stay organized and on top of your schedule by saying "Show calendar" to display your synced calendar events on the touchscreen. This feature lets you quickly glance at your agenda for the day or week, helping you manage your time and appointments more efficiently while on the go.
8. Drive Home
Effortlessly navigate back to your pre-saved home address by saying "Drive home," and your Tesla will provide turn-by-turn navigation. This command is especially useful when you're in an unfamiliar area or need a quick reminder of the best route home, ensuring you arrive safely and efficiently.
9. Search for X Song
Discover new music or locate a specific song using the "Search for X song" command, where X is the song title or artist. This voice command will bring up a music search filled with the specific title or artist you mentioned, allowing you to browse and select the song you want to play, enriching your music experience while driving.
10. Open Butthole
Add some humor to your driving experience while performing a necessary task with the playful command "Open butthole" to open the charging port. This command makes connecting your vehicle to a charger easy and serves as a fun way to engage with your Tesla's voice command system.
By mastering these voice commands, you can make your Tesla driving experience more convenient, efficient, and enjoyable. Check out the Voice Commands section for all the voice commands Tesla supports.
Last night, Tesla released software update 2024.45.25.15, which includes FSD V12.6.1. This update adds support for all HW3 vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. We’re excited to see the continued support for HW3 owners.
FSD V12.6.1
V12.6.1 is now going wide, according to Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI. This update is going to the Model 3 and Model Y for the first time - as only the Model S and Model X were included in FSD V12.6.
V12.6 is a big step forward for HW3 - it includes End-to-End on Highway, Improved City Streets Behavior, and Smoother and More Accurate Tracking - all contributing towards a better, smoother, and more comfortable build of FSD. You can read our comparison between FSD V12.6 and V13.2.2 here.
In short, FSD V12.6 performs considerably closer to V13 than V12.5.4.2 - which is a massive improvement. It performs as well as the Cybertruck version of FSD V13, which is still missing a few features when compared to other HW4 vehicles, but it’s a great sign for HW3. A lot of the improvements can be pointed to in the improvements to lane selection and decision-making - the vehicle tends to hesitate far less on V12.6, meaning the ride is a lot smoother. Many early V12.6 testers mentioned that it felt more like V13-mini than anything else.
Legacy Model S & X
We haven’t seen this update hit any legacy Model S and Model X vehicles just yet. We’re not sure whether Ashok’s statement of “generally” applies here - but it should. If you do get the update, please let us know.
Legacy Model S and Model X vehicles are still on an older FSD build and potentially won’t see another FSD update for a little while longer. While they do have the same FSD hardware as other vehicles, there are enough hardware differences that require a build specifically for these vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 is going out now to the redesigned Model S and X with HW3 and all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with HW3. The initial wave went out last night, and we expect to see more later today or tomorrow. If this release ends up going “wide,” we should see much larger waves go out next week.
Tesla has issued a recall for some vehicles due to issues linked to a revision of the Hardware 4 (HW4) computer that was introduced this past November. This recall affects all vehicles with the revised hardware except for the Cybertruck, as it uses a slightly modified version of the HW4 system.
Many vehicle owners have reported a complete failure of their Autopilot computer, which not only leaves the vehicle without FSD and Autopilot but also disables many of the active safety features that make a Tesla what it is.
Let’s take a look at this recall - because the recall is partially physical and partially a software recall.
HW4 Failure
Tesla has identified the failure and flagged it to the U.S. NHTSA (but not Transport Canada or Euro NCAP at the time of publishing) as a recall.
Tesla mentions that the vehicle’s FSD computer circuit board may short circuit, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. The recall itself is focused on the rearview camera - as not having a functional rearview camera breaks a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. However, it does impact more than just the rearview camera.
As previously mentioned, users have experienced the full loss of Autopilot and FSD on these vehicles, as well as reduced traction control and removal of safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision avoidance assist, and forward collision warnings.
While the vehicle remains driveable, it is not necessarily a good idea to drive the vehicle with many of these features, especially with the reduced traction control noted by many people. We’ve already noted that while Tesla has been sending tow trucks to pick up some vehicles, it is also prompting owners to drive the vehicle to their service center in some cases.
Remedy
Unlike most of Tesla’s recalls, this one isn’t entirely an OTA recall, owing to the fact that people have already experienced circuit board shorts and are already waiting for replacements.
The software portion of the recall has already been mostly completed for any vehicles with Tesla software update 2024.45.25.3 or greater. However, a significant portion of the tracked fleet remains on update 2024.44.25.2 (approximately 20%), so we recommend updating your HW4 vehicle whenever you receive the notification.
On the hardware side, Tesla is immediately identifying and replacing hardware that has had circuit board failure. Tesla is also reaching out to customers who have expressed intermittent issues with Autopilot features, active safety features, or vehicle cameras that don't display correctly. If you have experienced any of these issues in a late 2024 vehicle, we recommend submitting a service ticket with Tesla to ensure that your vehicle isn’t affected by this recall.