An In-Depth Look at Tesla's New Music Player in Update 2024.14 [Photos & Video]

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Tesla redesigned its music player
Tesla redesigned its music player
Not a Tesla App

One of the exciting new features of Tesla update 2024.14 is the improved media player for the Model 3 and Model Y.

Tesla's media player has gone through some drastic changes over the years, but this appears to be the best revision yet.

The previous media player had four states... yes, four. It made for a confusing experience, even for owners who used the car every day.

The four states included:

  • The "default" state included a small player closest to the driver with some of the most used buttons

  • The second state was the enlarged view when you dragged up on the media player that revealed additional buttons such as shuffle and search

  • There was also its minimized state, which placed the music player’s icon in the dock and led to confusion

  • And lastly, if you had a music service open fully on the right part of the screen AND minimized the media player, then the player would hop over to the top of the larger music panel on the right.

It created an inconsistent experience and all of the players had their downsides. There just wasn’t a solution that worked all of the time. Thankfully the new music player addresses most of these issues.

Tesla used to have a media player that ran along the bottom of the right part of the screen
Tesla used to have a media player that ran along the bottom of the right part of the screen
Not a Tesla App

What’s New

The first thing Tesla did was reduce the number of states essentially down to two. You have a regular media player and a minimized player. You don't have to drag up on the player to access the shuffle or search functions and you can’t “lose” the player by minimizing it to the dock anymore.

Correction: When you minimize Tesla’s audio player and have Spotify or another music app open, the player controls will still shift to the top of the music app.

One-Tap Access to Shuffle, Repeat and Search

What Tesla did was move all of the crucial media functions from the previous larger player directly to the main player. This now gives you one-tap access to functions like shuffle, repeat, search, playback speed, audio levels, and search.

Not only were these functions hard to access before, but they were hidden underneath the player, making discovery for new owners difficult.

Improved Progress Bar

The progress bar on the previous player was difficult to see since it was just a slim line at the bottom of the player.

The new player has a thicker progress bar that separates the top portion of the player, which houses the album art, song title, and a couple of functions, and the bottom portion, which contains more controls. Tesla also added a circle to the progress bar, making it more obvious you can not only scrub through the media but also lets you easily see your current spot.

Accessing More Functions

More music player options open to the right
More music player options open to the right
Not a Tesla App

Since the larger media player was removed, so was some of the functionality that it included. All the important items were moved to the main media player such as audio settings and search, however, the other functionality such as access to Favorites, Sources, Recent Songs, and Next, was moved to the larger music app.

If you tap on the new music player, it’ll open up the current music app on the right side that includes music controls, as well as access to your favorites, music sources, upcoming songs and more.

This is also the only way to view the elapsed and remaining times for the current selection, which is useful for longer median such as audiobooks or podcasts.

New Minimized Player

Although the music player doesn't minimize to the dock, it does feature a minimalist version that docks to the bottom of the screen.

When you slide down on the audio player, it'll be reduced to a simple "one-line" player. It simply shows a music icon, the name of the title being played, and an arrow showing you the player can be made larger. There is no longer a gray music icon that appears in the dock when the player is in its “minimized” state.

The new music player no longer minimizes to the dock
The new music player no longer minimizes to the dock
Not a Tesla App

Modern UI

The player itself also looks more modern, it now features a translucent background, instead of a solid color like before. The new background lets vehicle animations subtly shine through, a lot like the effects used on modern operating systems.

What Models Will Support It

According to Tesla’s social media post on X, the ‘Visual updates’ in update 2024.14 are limited to AMD Ryzen-based Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, meaning only vehicles manufactured after about 2022+. The exact timeline depends on your vehicle and region, but you can check to see which processor your vehicle includes by navigating to Controls > Software > Additional Vehicle Information.

New Player in Action [Video]

DominicBRNKMN shows off the new music player in action below.

Will We See Intel Atom Support?

The new music player isn’t doing anything crazy in this latest iteration. We believe we'll see this updated player come to Intel Atom vehicles eventually. The Cybertruck already includes the new media player, among the other design changes, so when Tesla said only for “Model 3/Y with AMD chip” on X, they likely meant in this specific update.

There's nothing that’s more computationally intensive about this new player except for maybe the translucent background, however, that’s already being done on Intel-based vehicles for some of the navigation modules. There isn’t anything new that the slower Intel processor couldn't handle.

It’s in Tesla’s best interest to keep a common interface between vehicles. Tesla wouldn't want to drastically change the way a common item like the "radio" works between different Model 3 and Model Y years if they didn't have to. That would complicate issues with service and documentation. Tesla wants owners to have the same UI as much as possible, so we there’s a good chance that we’ll see the new media player apply to Intel in the future.

Update 2024.14.3

Installed on 0% of fleet
0 Installs today
Last updated: Feb 15, 6:00 am UTC

Hopefully, in an upcoming update, Intel owners will receive this streamlined music player. Update 2024.14 is currently rolling out slowly to some vehicles. 

Tesla Activates In-Cabin Radar in Software Update 2025.2.6

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has released software update 2025.2.6, and while minor updates typically focus on bug fixes, this one introduces a major new feature. With this update, Tesla has activated the in-cabin radar, a sensor that has been included in some vehicles for more than three years but remained unused until now.

Why Not Vision?

Unlike vision-based systems, radar can precisely measure object dimensions and even detect movement behind obstacles by bouncing radio waves off surrounding surfaces. This allows for more accurate and reliable measurements of objects that vision may not even be able to see, such as behind the front seats.

What Tesla Announced

Tesla recently highlighted the 4D radar in the new Model Y, explaining how it will improve passenger safety. Tesla executives stated that the radar would be used to properly classify passengers and improve the way airbags deploy.

Tesla went on to say that in a future update, Tesla will use the in-cabin radar to detect any potential passengers left in the vehicles. Since radar can even pick up on heartbeat and breathing patterns, it can provide a much more accurate method of detecting children left in a vehicle. Tesla talked about how the vehicle will send owners a notification via the Tesla app and enable the HVAC system if it detects a passenger in the vehicle. It’ll even call emergency services if needed.

New Feature in Update 2025.2.6

Tesla has officially named this feature in update 2025.2.6, “First-Row Cabin Sensing Update,” which appears to align with the first portion of what Tesla discussed in the new Model Y video.

In the release notes, Tesla describes the update as:

“The first-row cabin sensing system has been updated to use cabin radar, which is now standard in all new 2025 Model Ys. Your Model Y was built pre-equipped with the necessary hardware, allowing Tesla to also bring this technology to your vehicle.”

For now, it appears that Tesla is using the radar to detect and classify passengers in the front seats. This could eventually replace traditional seat sensors, reducing the number of hardware components and lowering production costs.

Tesla plans to expand the feature later this year, bringing rear-seat passenger detection in Q3 2025. While Tesla talked about the feature for the new Model Y, we expect it to be available for all vehicles with the in-cabin radar.

Supported Models

Although Tesla is vague in their release notes, this feature is being added to all Model Ys that include a cabin radar. Tesla started including the cabin radar in 2022, but its availability may vary by region and model. The Model 3 didn’t receive the cabin radar until it was redesigned in 2024, while all Cybertrucks already include it.

The owner’s manual for the redesigned Model S and Model X doesn’t specifically mention the interior radar, although Greentheonly believes the vehicles also include one, so we’ll have to wait to determine whether those vehicles also receive this new feature.

At this time, the feature appears to be only going out to Model Y vehicles, but we expect it to become available on other supported models soon.

We love to see these kinds of updates. Tesla is increasing the safety of existing and new vehicles through a software update while also making them more affordable to own.

Tesla Updates App: Adds Robotaxi Code, New Model Y Models and New Tesla Service UI

By Karan Singh
@olympusdev_ on X

Tesla has updated the Tesla app to version 4.42.0, and this time, it’s more than just bug fixes. The app includes a new service interface, introduces support for the new Model Y, and, for the first time, includes some code for the Robotaxi coming later this year.

This update was released for iOS and should be available on Android within a few days.

Refreshed Model Y 3D Model

First up in the update is the introduction of the 3D model for the refreshed Model Y. Interestingly, while we all know it as Juniper, the file code name inside the update lists the vehicle as “Bayberry.” The Bayberry name was introduced in Tesla app update 4.41.5.  Tesla’s internal code names sometimes change as the vehicle evolves - and we’ll continue to refer to it as the refreshed or new Model Y for ease of understanding.

A rear-angle shot of the Refreshed Model Y from the Tesla App
A rear-angle shot of the Refreshed Model Y from the Tesla App
@olympusdev_ on X

As usual with Tesla’s 3D models in the app, there’s a lot of detail, although it’s not easy to see since you can pinch and zoom the model in the app. The 3D models used in the app are actually the same models that Tesla uses in the vehicle, although sometimes they include different lighting effects, but they’re all highly detailed.

Robotaxi API

Tesla has added a new endpoint in their app for Robotaxi - and it’s the very first Robotaxi or Cybercab-related item we’ve seen in the app. With the Robotaxi fleet launching in June, according to Tesla, it looks like they’re now adding support to the Tesla app.

What the Robotaxi interface is supposed to look like in the future.
What the Robotaxi interface is supposed to look like in the future.
Not a Tesla App

The new app API is called “rides_feedback_upload,” which seems pretty explanatory. Tesla will need to gather a lot of information on ride quality and all the little things in between. What better way than to get feedback directly from users?

While Tesla previously released prototype images of what the Robotaxi app will look like, the introduction of this API into the Tesla app leads us to believe that Tesla will utilize the current app for Robotaxi use.

Updated Service Interface

The Updated Service Panel in the Tesla App
The Updated Service Panel in the Tesla App
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has released an updated UI for the Tesla Service panel, and we have a ton of details on these changes. This new pane displays appointment details more prominently. If you have a service appointment scheduled, you’ll now see a lot more details on the main service screen. The app will now display:

  • Your current service status

  • Appointment date and time, which you can now tap on to add the event to your calendar

  • Address and hours of the service center. You can now also tap on the address to open up the location in your maps app

There’s also a new appointment details screen (the right portion of the image). This screen displays additional details that were previously unavailable, such as your transport type. The app will display whether you’ll get a loaner vehicle, demo vehicle, or something else.

There are a ton of user experience (UX) improvements in this update regarding service, including clearer language, improved UI fixes to images, and more.

Tesla has been making a lot of positive updates to the Service-related sections of the app lately, and we’re happy to see these coming rapid-fire. Tesla Service is now easier to use and understand. In the previous app update, Tesla also added the ability to pull down to update the service screens.

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