Tesla update 2023.12.1 adds several exciting features
Not a Tesla App
Tesla's 2023.12.1 software update brings various new features and enhancements to its vehicles. One of the most significant updates is the steering wheel customization, specifically for Model 3 and Model Y. The video below shows how easy it is to use and navigate multiple menus.
The left scroll button now has multiple uses, enabling drivers to adjust settings such as brightness and Acceleration Mode and perform actions like toggling the Camera App, opening the glovebox, and saving Dashcam footage. To access these options, long press the left scroll button to display a list of functions and scroll through the list. To choose the default function, go to Controls > Display > Scroll Wheel Function.
Steering Wheel Customization is currently only available for the Model 3 and Model Y, but that may be changing soon.
The Tesla release notes reveal an icon with an upward arrow on the car, suggesting possible future suspension adjustments from the scroll wheel menu — a feature currently exclusive to Model S/X.
New Search Function
The new search function, located under the menu, displays options as you type and offers suggestions for easier access to controls and settings. This should make it easier to adjust specific options, especially if you're unsure which menu they're under.
Points of Interest with Photos and Reviews
When selecting a point of interest or Supercharger location, the updated software now includes photos and reviews to provide users with more information. For example, you can tap on a restaurant and immediately receive information about the menu, pictures and reviews.
Undocumented Wiper Adjustment Feature
You can finally adjust the wiper speed using the steering wheel scroll wheel
LexBarker (edited by Not a Tesla App)
The ability to adjust wipers using the steering wheel has been discovered as an undocumented feature in the 2023.12.1 release notes. You
You can now adjust the windshield wiper speed by using the scroll wheel on the steering wheel. First, press the button at the end of the left stalk to activate the windshield wipers and have the controls appear on the screen.
You can then tilt the left scroll wheel left/right to cycle through the various speeds of the windshield wipers.
There are various enhancements and changes to the UI in this update that Tesla didn't mention in their release notes. For a full list of all those changes, be sure to check our the release notes for update 2023.12.1, where we list all the official release notes along with undocumented changes.
Optional Gear Chimes for Model 3/Y
Gear chimes have been added as an optional feature for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Similar to the same noise users hear when activating and deactivating Autopilot, a chime will provide an audible alert when the car is put in drive, park and reverse. This update is expected to extend to Model S/X and is available worldwide.
Spotify Web-based Player and Phone Call Controls
According to @GreenTheOnly, Tesla's Spotify player has transitioned to be a web-based player, similar to Apple Music. It appears that Tesla will be transitioning all music services to leverage their web-based player, allowing quicker development.
In the new Model S/X and Model 3/Y, you'll now also be able to control phone calls from the steering wheel. The left scroll button can be used to answer or decline incoming calls, mute/unmute during a call, or hang up.
Speed Assist
Speed Assist now leverages the car's cameras to detect speed limit signs, improving the accuracy of speed limit data on local roads and highways in select countries. Detected speed limit signs will be displayed in the driving visualization. The vision-based speed assist feature now includes support for several additional countries, such as Australia, Sweden, Portugal, and Luxembourg.
Expanded Zoom Availability in Multiple Countries
Tesla has extended Zoom availability to more countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and others. If you have a Zoom meeting in your Calendar, tap the link to start or join your meeting automatically. Participant video and screen sharing are only visible while parked and will switch to audio-only if you drive. It is the driver's sole responsibility to consult and comply with all local regulations while using Zoom. To access Zoom, tap Application Launcher > Zoom.
Tesla Update 2023.12.1 in Action
Legacy S/X Writing Support in China
Writing support has been added to legacy Model S and Model X vehicles in China, expanding the functionality for these owners.
Text Size Customization
Perhaps one of the biggest changes is that you can now choose between Standard or Large text sizes for the touchscreen display in the Model 3 and Model Y. Navigate to Controls > Display > Text Size to adjust your preference. With these exciting new features and improvements, Tesla's 2023.12.1 software update enhances the overall driving experience for its users.
This comprehensive overview of Tesla's 2023.12.1 software update showcases the automaker's commitment to continuously improving its vehicles' features and driving experience for its users. With each update, Tesla further cements its position as a leader in the electric vehicle market.
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Last night on X, Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla will be expanding the service area for its Robotaxi Network pilot in Austin, Texas, this coming weekend. This is the first official confirmation we’ve had of a date for expansion, following news that Tesla is hiring more Vehicle Operators and plans to expand the Robotaxi supervisor ratio in the coming months.
This is a sign of Tesla’s confidence in the Robotaxi pilot program and its current FSD builds.
Expanding to a larger service area in Austin this weekend
The announcement confirms the sights we’ve been seeing of Tesla’s engineering validation vehicles focusing on areas outside the initial geofence. This public test shows that Tesla was likely finalizing FSD builds and gathering the necessary safety data to push the boundaries for the service, and this upcoming weekend’s expansion will be the first direct result of that work.
Given the increase in service zone size, this expansion will also likely include the addition of more vehicles to the initial Robotaxi fleet of approximately 20 vehicles. We expect the new number to be anywhere from 30-50 vehicles serving both the original and new areas, combined, based on Tesla’s previously expected rollout schedule.
What to Expect
While the exact new boundaries haven’t been released, it is almost certain that the expansion will include the South Congress Bridge and the downtown core areas of Austin. Expanding into a dense urban zone will include more complex intersections, heavy pedestrian traffic, and a unique road layout. That is a major vote of confidence for Robotaxi FSD’s capabilities.
The expansion will also help Tesla to close the service area gap with Waymo, its primary autonomous competitor in the city. This quick expansion is a sign of just how scalable Tesla’s vision-only approach is, versus Waymo’s arduous and drawn-out mapping processes.
We also expect that with this first service zone expansion, Tesla will continue to invite more people to its Robotaxi Network in the coming weeks. Tesla has already sent out various rounds of events, as they’ll need users to continue using the system. If you’re waiting for an invite, it may be time to start getting excited about the next rollout.
We’ve been hearing about Grok, xAI’s AI assistant, coming to Teslas for almost two years now, but this is finally coming to fruition soon. XAI unveiled Grok 4 last night, but the entire stream didn’t mention Teslas. However, Musk later posted on X that Grok will arrive in Tesla vehicles “by next week.”
Between leaks and the Grok mobile app, there’s a lot we already know about Grok, but there are a few missing pieces that will be cleared when it finally arrives.
Next Week, or Next Next Week?
Musk said that Grok would arrive by next week, meaning it could arrive before then. However, based on how Musk typically states Tesla timelines, there are a few things to consider that give us a better idea of what to expect.
First, whenever Musk posts a Tesla timeline on X, he typically means when it’ll be released to employees and not a public release. Expect this to be the same thing.
Tesla releases software updates to employees first for a final round of testing before starting a gradual release to the public. Sometimes issues are found, especially with FSD updates, and the update needs some fixes before being released publicly. So expect employees to get it by next week, and not necessarily normal Tesla owners.
The second part to this is that Tesla always rolls out their updates gradually, so when it does finally arrive, it’ll only be available on a small percentage of vehicles. Tesla will gradually monitor issues and logs, continuing the rollout as long as no major issues are found.
Which Software Update?
The entire Grok UI was already included in software update 2025.20, but it’s not exposed to users. Typically, a new feature like Grok requires a vehicle update to be added; however, this version may be different, as it’s locked behind a server-side configuration.
Tesla likely has the ability to enable it for all supported vehicles with a simple switch. However, we feel more confident in it being rolled out in Tesla’s next major update, which is likely to be 2025.24 or 2025.26. Rolling it out in a new update aligns with how Tesla has historically introduced features.
If they turned it on for everyone at the same time, they could be exposing everyone to potential new issues, rather than only a smaller segment of users. While Grok is now well-tested through X and the Grok app, there are several elements that are new in Teslas, likely including the ability to control various vehicle functions, such as opening the glove box or other capabilities that voice commands are currently capable of. The Grok interface in the vehicle is also entirely new and may have some bugs associated with it that will need to be addressed, especially if they impact other features.
What we can likely expect is that Tesla will make some tweaks or bug fixes to Grok with the next major update that weren’t included in update 2025.20 and they’ll begin rolling it out to employees and then customers.
Supported Vehicles
Speaking of supported vehicles, thanks to the behind-the-scenes look at Grok, we have a good idea of the vehicles that will be supported. Tesla uses the same code for most of its vehicles, but then it’s compiled for each type of hardware. However, only the needed code is compiled for each vehicle, meaning that some pieces are left out entirely. Unfortunately, Grok code is not included in Intel software builds, meaning that only AMD Ryzen-based vehicles will receive Grok, at least initially.
We’ve seen Tesla go back and add support for Intel vehicles after it initially released a feature for AMD vehicles. We saw this with the weather radar overlay and several other features in the past. However, Tesla has been developing code with web technologies lately. While this makes development easier, it just doesn’t perform as well on the slower Intel hardware, causing it to be left out. We saw this with the new Dashcam Viewer, which is entirely coded in HTML, CSS, and JS. The new viewer was available on HW3 and HW4 vehicles, but only those that included the Ryzen infotainment processor.
Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles very soon. Next week at the latest.
There’s a lot we’re expecting in Grok for Teslas. Some people will absolutely love it because it’ll completely transform their drives from a singular experience to feeling like they have a knowledgeable person sitting right next to them. Given the recent controversies surrounding Grok, some people will strongly oppose it. Hopefully, Tesla makes it easy for those users to turn off Grok.
The voice command system, which is activated through the steering wheel, is expected to be replaced with Grok. This will mean that you’ll be able to talk to your vehicle much more naturally, rather than having to remember specific syntax and commands, which should be a major improvement.
We’re personally looking forward to just being able to ask questions that pop into our heads while driving, such as What’s the date of Tesla’s next event, or How many miles away is Mars? Knowledge will be available at the touch of a finger and more accessible than ever.
Grok is also expected to support continuous conversations, meaning that you’ll be able to hold a conversation with it and go back and forth about a certain topic. While there are hints of a wake word in the code, for now, it seems like you’ll press the steering wheel button once to activate it, and then again to turn it off.
For those excited about AI and Grok, this will be one of the biggest additions to Tesla’s software in years, possibly only rivaled by the Dashcam / Sentry Mode feature and FSD Beta.
It shouldn’t be long now before we all have a chance to try it out for ourselves.
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