Tesla Software Update 2025.2 - Hands-Free Trunk Support for Android, Rear Cross-Traffic Chime

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Tesla’s first major update of 2025, software update 2025.2, is now rolling out to select vehicles in North America and Europe. While the update isn’t widespread yet, it is rolling out to most vehicles, including HW3 and HW4 cars. The Cybertruck and legacy Model S/X vehicles are currently the only vehicles that haven’t received this update.

Let’s take a look at everything we know that’s included in this update.

Third-Party Charger Preconditioning

First up, vehicles will now support preconditioning for third-party chargers. While this was previously available in Europe for approved third-party chargers that met Tesla’s strict standards, it’s now available in North America for the first time.

What’s New: When you navigate to a charging location, whether it’s listed in the vehicle’s charging locations or not, the vehicle will now precondition the battery for faster charging. It looks like the vehicle will automatically determine if the destination is an EV charging location and enable preconditioning. If the destination is a charging location, you’ll see a little banner show up, letting you know the vehicle’s battery is now being preconditioned. There isn’t a button to manually precondition the battery yet.

What’s Not Added: In Europe, the vehicle's charging filter shows approved third-party chargers. Unfortunately, it does not look like this is being added in North America, where Tesla only displays Superchargers and destination chargers. However, the above feature still applies in North America, where the vehicle will precondition the battery for fast chargers such as Electrify America.

The video below shows how the feature will work:

Muchos me habéis pedido que haga un vídeo de cómo se activa el precalentamiento en cargadores "no Tesla". Pues simplemente, en la ruta que elijáis, pulsáis sobre el cargador en cuestión y automáticamente se activa solo. pic.twitter.com/snMoPDx6Dr

— Gerard (@Gerard_Otero76) January 26, 2025

Rear Cross-Traffic Chime

Following up on the addition of rear cross-traffic alerts showing up as red indicators as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update, Tesla is now adding an alert chime to go with it. Now, there is a visual indicator on the screen, as well as an audible indicator that a vehicle or object has been detected crossing behind you.

This is a great addition and almost looked like a glaring omission in the initial release of the feature. Tesla likely wanted to make sure the feature was working as expected in the wider fleet before introducing a more drastic alert.

The chime is enabled by default, but if you want to disable it, you can go to Controls > Safety > Rear Cross-Traffic Chime to disable it. Joe Mode will reduce the chime’s volume if you prefer that instead.

Interestingly, the rear cross-traffic alerts feature was a feature that Musk said “Yes” to back in 2020.

Hands-Free Trunk/Frunk for Android

Just recently, we reported that Tesla was adding ultra-wideband support for Android - which would include two new major new features.

Improved Phone Key Reliability: Ultra-wideband (UWB) is an alternative to Bluetooth, which offers highly accurate positioning and tracking of devices. It uses about the same amount of energy as Bluetooth Low Energy but with increased location accuracy. By having your phone communicate with the vehicle over UWB, the vehicle knows exactly where your phone is in relation to the car, drastically increasing the reliability of your vehicle’s phone key.

Hands-Free Trunk and Frunk Opening: More precise location tracking enables new features such as Hands-Free Trunk and Hands-Free Frunk support. This feature has been available on iOS devices for approximately a year and will now be available on Android devices.

Supported Models: Unfortunately, not all models are supported, and your vehicle needs to have ultra-wideband sensors. Supported models include the 2021+ Model S and Model X, the 2024+ Model 3, the Cybertruck, and the upcoming 2025+ Model Y. Only the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck support the hands-free frunk.

Supported Phones: Most recent Android phones support ultra-wideband, especially flagship devices, however, it’s not available on all phones. If you have a Google Pixel 6 or higher, Samsung Fold 2 or higher, Samsung S21+, or other recent Android phone, then your phone already supports ultra wideband.

Users with Android devices with UWB will initially be prompted to “Upgrade” their phone key when opening the Tesla app. This will switch your phone key from using Bluetooth to ultra-wideband. Once upgraded, you can go to Controls > Locks > Hands-Free Frunk / Trunk in your vehicle settings to enable the new hands-free feature. If you aren’t prompted for the upgrade, you’ll find it under Security & Drivers > Phone Key > Upgrade in the Tesla app.

Weather Information

With every Tesla update, there are smaller features, and this one is no different. In this update, the weather information is now displayed for both the final destination and any additional stops (waypoints) you have set along the way. Previously, the weather would only be displayed for your current location and your destination.

Battle of Polytopia

Next up, Battle of Polytopia is receiving another update. This time “The Forgotten” skin is being added for the recently-added Aquarion faction, adding some old-world Atlantis vibes to the fishy folk. Additional language support and balance changes are also included in this Battle of Polytopia update.

Cybertruck Charging Improvements

Last month we reported that The Cybertruck is expected to receive charging and regenerative braking improvements soon. Tesla was aiming at releasing these updates in the 2025.2 update, so there’s a chance that these cold weather improvements are also included in the 2025.2 update, but we won’t know for sure until the Cybertruck starts receiving this update in the coming days or weeks.

Other Features?

Since this update hasn’t rolled out to all models or regions yet, it’s possible we may see some additional features added in this update, although at this point, it may only be features for the Cybertruck or the legacy Model S and Model X.

Finally, as usual, Tesla includes minor fixes, performance enhancements, security fixes, and improvements. If you notice any undocumented changes, please let us know.

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Tesla's New 'Reloaded' FSD Computer With Front Bumper Camera

@greentheonly on X

Well-known Tesla hacker Greentheonly has discovered a new FSD computer labeled Model Y “Reloaded.” This AI4 FSD computer differs from other Model Y Autopilot hardware which is usually just labeled “Model Y.”

Initially, it looks like this new computer may be for the just-announced refreshed Model Y Juniper, which is now open for orders in North America and Europe as well as Asia Pacific, but several features reveal it’s not for Tesla’s upcoming best-seller.

So, with that said, put on your detective hats, we’re going for a little sleuth into what exactly this “Reloaded” computer could be used for.

Model Y Reloaded Computer

The AI4 computer is the brain behind Tesla’s FSD. It is the Autopilot computer, where all the vehicle’s cameras connect, enabling real-time data processing and analysis.

This particular unit is not the standard FSD unit that’s being shipped with the current, now “first-gen” Model Y. The biggest sign that it differs from the current AI4 computer is that it features a connector for the front bumper camera. While the 2024 Model 3 was expected to come with a front bumper camera, it was only ever available on the Cybertruck and will soon be available on the new 2025 Model Y.

This is similar to the physical connector for the front bumper camera present in newer iterations of the Model S and Model X computers. These vehicles were originally slated to get a bumper camera last year, but that hasn’t happened yet. We reported back in 2022 that they received the additional camera hook-ups but no camera.

Tesla recently issued a recall for the AI4 computer, citing physical and software issues that could cause a potential short on the board. According to Green, this board is not the recalled unit but could instead be a replacement unit. However, why the board includes a front bumper camera connection remains a mystery.

Not a Juniper FSD Computer

We know that this isn’t the correct part for the refreshed Model Y Juniper because it lacks a connector for the secondary rear screen in the upcoming model.

Additionally, Tesla has labeled this computer unit as “MY Reloaded” - previous versions of the computer for the Model Y were listed as just “MY.” In addition, all the other computer versions have been pulled from Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalogue - only this one is now available as Part #2003160-S0-E.

The label with

@greentheonly on X

Speculation

This new FSD hardware doesn’t appear to match the current or new Model Y, so what could it be? Well, there are a few things here. Tesla wouldn’t bother populating that front bumper camera slot for no reason - and this computer is a slightly different form factor than the one that goes in the Model S and Model X - so they’re not just sharing parts between the Model S and Model Y.

The most likely scenario is that Tesla is planning to replace any faulty AI4 computers with this updated part. But could Tesla be open to offering a retrofit for the front bumper camera? It’s important to note that this is not the hardware upgrade that many HW3 owners are waiting for. It is a different form factor than the HW3 computer and wouldn’t fit in HW3 vehicles. If anything, this is a potential replacement for the AI4 computer to support forward compatibility if FSD ever requires a bumper camera.

The full computer.

@greentheonly on X

Bumper Camera Retrofit?

Is Tesla planning to offer a front bumper camera retrofit? Maybe. Tesla doesn’t typically offer retrofits. They did for several items in the past, but they have largely stopped doing so.

Tesla included a front bumper camera on the refreshed Model Y Juniper, as well as on the Cybertruck - and it could be extremely useful for both Actually Smart Summon and FSD to remove the frontal blind spot.

However, it could be an optional feature rather than a retrofit feature. Until FSD Unsupervised arrives, we won’t know for sure whether a bumper camera is required.

For now, it would be best to keep an eye on this. Just like the Model S and Model X having the slot populated, it may not necessarily happen, but it leaves the door open for a future upgrade if necessary.

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Tesla Announces Significant Price Increases Across Vehicles in Canada

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Tesla has announced steep price increases for its vehicles in Canada, with adjustments of up to CA$9,000 set to take effect on February 1, 2025. This move impacts nearly all models, with the Model 3 Performance trim seeing the steepest hike, rising from $70,990 to $79,990 Canadian. The Model Y, Model S, and Model X will each see a flat increase of CA$4,000 across all trims. Notably, the Cybertruck remains unaffected by these changes.

These price hikes coincide with the expiration of Canada’s federal EV incentive program, which previously offered CA$5,000 rebates on eligible vehicles, further increasing the price of Tesla vehicles.

Additionally, the Canadian dollar’s recent decline against the US dollar and looming trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada may have influenced Tesla’s decision. President Trump proposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, and Tesla may be expecting Canada to retaliate with a similar tariff on US goods. However, it’s interesting that Tesla has chosen to raise prices so drastically before any tariffs have been announced.

Price Increases

Buyers

This could be a critical time to act for prospective buyers, with the price increase going into effect in just about a week. Tesla’s online configurator allows customers to lock in current prices by placing an order before February 1st. The company’s referral program also offers CA$1,300 off Model Y, Model S, and Model X purchases, providing additional savings before the price hike takes effect.

It’s not clear how much these adjustments will impact Tesla sales in Canada. If the increases are related to an upcoming tariff, then they’ll impact other manufacturers as well. We may see a potential surge in orders ahead of the February 1 deadline, especially for the AWD and Performance variants of the new Model 3, which will see the largest increase.

The price increase is expected to impact the new Model Y as well, which was announced last night for North America and Europe. Deliveries for the new model begin in March.

If you’re on the fence about whether you should order a new Tesla, now may be a good time to place your order. Tesla offers the ability to cancel your order, but buyers would lose their deposit.

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