Tesla to Add Apple Watch Support; App 4.38 Reveals Watch Support, Banish and More Coming

October 21, 2024

By Karan Singh

@dkrasniy

Tesla’s latest iOS app update reveals several upcoming features that we’re sure everyone has been looking forward to. As usual, the Android update is likely a few days out.

As usual, Tesla App Updates (iOS) has kindly provided a breakdown of the decompiled app update, which reveals three key things: watch support, Banish, and a new way to onboard FSD users.

Tesla Watch App

People have been requesting a Tesla app on their watches for ages. Smart watches have become fairly ubiquitous today, and third parties have been providing Tesla functionality for both Android and Apple’s signature wearables for years.

However, using the Tesla API has some limitations, making a third-party solution less ideal. In addition, Tesla plans to charge developers for API calls in the near future, which means some wearable apps have moved to subscription-based services while others charge a large up-front fee.

However, the wait for an official watch app may soon be over. This latest version of the Tesla app, v4.38.0, reveals that you’ll need to select a vehicle to show on the watch, hinting that the UI will show a single vehicle at a time, which is to be expected.

We’re not sure whether you’ll be able to use the Apple Watch as a key for the vehicle, but Tesla app update 4.38 adds the ability to perform offline commands as long as the vehicle is within Bluetooth range. So even if Tesla doesn’t add key support, you should be able to unlock or start the vehicle even if you don’t have your phone or an internet connection.

Back in March of this year, a fan asked Musk if Tesla could add support for the Apple Watch. Musk replied, “Sure.” While not all of Musk’s yes replies result in a feature being implemented, a large percentage of them do, even if they’re a year or two later. Given this previous post and now this new watch code found in the latest update, it seems all but certain that we’ll get Apple Watch support soon.

We’d guess that Apple Watch support will be included in Tesla’s big Christmas update later this year (a look back at previous holiday updates).

Given Tesla’s propensity to launch features on iOS before Android, expect support for the Apple Watch before Android’s Wearables, but hopefully, Tesla is working on both.

Apple Watch concept created by a fan

@niccruzpatane

Banish (Reverse Smart Summon)

As part of Tesla’s FSD Roadmap, they mentioned that Park Seek and Banish (Reverse Smart Summon) will arrive in October. Banish will allow users to get out of their car in a parking lot, and the car autonomously find a parking spot (Park Seek) and park itself using Autopark.

Overall, it's a necessary system for Robotaxi and Cybercab, and it's been one of the most anticipated features for FSD for a long time. The sheer convenience of being able to get out of your car at the mall entrance while the vehicle locates its own parking spot and then comes back to pick you up using Actually Smart Summon - that’s just next level.

In the recent app update, Tesla revealed a few phrases related to Banish - namely some information about “Parking Map,” “Parking Occupancy,” and “Parking Details.” It seems that Banish will map the parking lot while it drives around, looking for a parking spot. Once it finds one, it’ll park and then relay that information back to the user, so that you know where the vehicle parked.

It seems that you may also be able to direct Banish to a specific parking area. Once it arrives, it’ll let you know if there’s a spot, and if not, it'll keep searching.

Naher94/Reddit

New User FSD On-Boarding

The final new feature tease is an interesting one. Tesla has recently put out another free trial for FSD, but many people trying it out for the first time (or the first time in a while), may not know what to expect. While Full Self Driving is a fantastic piece of software - it's still something that users have to supervise today.

We’ve recently been hoping that Tesla would address the user knowledge gap for new-to-FSD owners, and it seems like they’ll be adding some tutorial information for how to use FSD in an upcoming app update. Personally, the author has found people tend to panic when they see the steering wheel turn, jiggle, or the car accelerate hard—all things that happen on a day-to-day drive with FSD. While most FSD users are well-conditioned to the quirks, new users could be scared away.

We’re excited to see what kind of tutorials Tesla adds for users. We hope they’re in-depth and explain what certain FSD visualizations, like black or blue cars, signify.

Tesla is Setting Up Pop-Up Displays Across Malls in the United States

November 26, 2024

By Karan Singh

David Zhai on LinkedIn

Each year, around the Holiday season, Tesla puts up pop-up mall displays across the United States, Canada, and certain locations in Europe. It looks like Tesla is continuing this tradition once again this year, as David Zhai, Concept and Prototype Staff Manager at Tesla, has stated on LinkedIn that the Tesla Pop-Up Shops are returning.

Pop-Up Displays

Tesla intends to build small pop-up displays featuring Tesla vehicles, including the Cybertruck, at major malls throughout the United States. These displays are usually temporary and just for the holiday season. However, they’re placed in high-traffic areas, usually near the center of major malls - near food courts and rest areas.

They’re also usually staffed by members of the local Delivery/Service Center, who are around to answer questions and show off the features of the vehicles on display. After all, seeing a Cybertruck from a distance is one thing - sitting inside is entirely another.

Other Regions

David Zhai didn’t mention whether these would be coming to other regions - just the United States. It seems that while Tesla previously ran these displays globally, it may not be the case this year. We’ll keep an eye out and see if they start popping up in Canada, Europe, or China - let us know if you spot one there!

Drive-By Displays

When Cybertruck launched, Tesla also held drive-by displays throughout North America and Europe. They drove the Cybertruck into places like New York’s Times Square while towing a Model 3 or Model Y on a trailer behind it. These displays were really popular and attracted tons of attention.

We’re hoping to see more of these drive-by displays make a comeback sometime soon. Many owners have yet to see the new Model 3 or the Tesla Semi up close and personal.

Tesla Updates Referral Program, Bigger Discounts, Bigger Rewards

November 26, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has updated their referral program, and there are quite a few interesting changes to boot. There are now bigger discounts for buyers and bigger rewards for referrers, and it seems that the referral program has also had its cap reset.

The updated program has rolled out to North America - so both Canada and the United States. The changes are not active in Europe, China, or other regions - but keep your eyes out. Tesla will probably enable the new rewards in the coming days.

New Referral Discount

The new referral discount now provides up to $2,000 USD off your vehicle purchase, and includes any of Tesla’s vehicles - including the Cybertruck in the United States. The Model S, X and Cybertruck get the steepest discounts at $2,000 off, while the Model 3 and Model Y buyers get $1,000 off.

For Canadians, it's $2,600 CAD off your purchase, but the Cybertruck and Model 3 are exempt. In Canada, the Model Y gets the same discount as the Model S and X.

Inventory vehicles are included in the discount, which means you could potentially score a demo vehicle for several thousand dollars off right now. Used vehicles are not eligible for the discount.

In conjunction with the 0% Financing if you purchase FSD, now is one of the best times to purchase a new Tesla, especially with both the US and Canadian Federal EV Rebates potentially ending next year.

New Referral Reward

The reward is also much higher - $1,000 USD in the United States, and $1,300 CAD in Canada. That’s the highest the referral reward program has ever been, and it’s quite a big set of rewards. You can now obtain up to $10,000 USD or $13,000 CAD off your next vehicle purchase, or put it towards Tesla Shop Accessories, Supercharging, or even Tesla Service.

Interestingly, the program also says that referrers have the chance to win an invite to an upcoming special Tesla event. Given we just had We, Robot, the next event could be the launch of the Model Y Juniper or the $25,000 next-gen car.

Referral Reset

If you had maxed out the original referral program, meaning that you could no longer earn new referrals, Tesla has now reset the count. The updated program is once again a 10-referral limit, which will reset again either once Tesla updates the referral program or a 12-month cycle rolls over.