How to Restart Your Tesla, Reboot or Reset Your Frozen Screen

Model S
Model 3
Model X
Model Y
By Nuno Cristovao

We may all be familiar with the need to reset our PCs or phones. They may freeze or just not operate properly sometimes.

Upcoming feature: Tesla to automate seat heaters and window defrost

Since Tesla is heavily software based, the same need may arise. The Tesla manual lists 3 different ways of reseting or rebooting your car.

Reset Your Display

Most issues that you encounter with your Tesla can be fixed with a simple reboot. It works the same whether you have a Model 3, Model Y, Model S or Model X.

This will fix issues such as music not playing, the display being frozen and countless others. It's simple and quick to do and can even be done while driving, so it should be your first attempt of fixing any issues.

This reboot will only restart the infotainment center, it will not restart any components that are critical while driving. The one thing to keep in mind is that the display will turn off and need a few minutes to restart, so during that time you will not be able to see your speed, hear turn signals or other things that depend on the screen or sound system of the car.

To restart your display, hold down on both scroll wheels on the steering wheel until the display turns off.

The unit will restart and you'll soon see the Tesla T logo appear, followed by the screens coming back on.

The restart process should take no longer than 2-3 minutes.

Full Restart of Tesla Systems

For this type of reboot you'll need to be parked as it will restart various vehicle systems.

Use touchscreen and go to Controls > Safety & Security then tap the Power Off button.

The vehicle will start to reboot various systems. You'll want to wait for at least 2 minutes without interacting with the vehicle. Do not open door, touch the brake pedal or touch the screen. Doing so may prevent all systems from restarting.

After 2 minutes, press the brake or open the door to wake the vehicle.

You can view all of our Tesla Tips in our Tips section.

Tesla Adds Dashcam Viewer to Android App

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Paresh Panchal

In last year’s holiday update, Tesla introduced the much-needed Dashcam Viewer in the Tesla app. The feature allows owners to view Dashcam and Sentry Mode footage directly from the Tesla app, eliminating the need to review videos in your vehicle. Unfortunately, the feature was limited to iPhone users, but Tesla is now changing that.

With Tesla app update 4.43.5, Tesla is officially launching the Dashcam Viewer on Android devices.

Dashcam Viewer

The Dashcam Viewer makes it easy to access and manage your car’s Dashcam and Sentry Mode videos. Accessing videos on your phone is faster and more convenient, but it does come with a few requirements.

The Dashcam Viewer in the Tesla app allows you to view, delete, or save video clips right from your device. This should result in higher quality content being shared online and fewer videos of owners recording their Tesla’s screens with their phones.

How It Works

Dashcam footage remains stored locally on your vehicle’s connected USB drive, so Tesla isn’t streaming videos to your phone from the cloud. Instead, the videos are streamed directly from your vehicle to your phone—similar to how Actually Smart Summon delivers a live feed to your phone.

Because of this, your vehicle must be connected to cellular data or Wi-Fi for the Dashcam Viewer to work. Unfortunately, this may limit access for owners who park in underground or large parking garages where connectivity is poor.

How to Access the Dashcam Viewer

To view Dashcam and Sentry Mode footage in the Tesla app:

  1. Navigate to Security & Drivers > Dashcam Viewer.

  2. Wait a few moments for your phone to connect to the vehicle.

From there, you’ll be able to view, save, or delete clips right from your device.

Requirements

To use Tesla’s Dashcam Viewer, you’ll need a vehicle with MCU 2 (Intel) or higher. All models are supported except for the legacy Model S and Model X (2020 and older). However, we expect support to be added in the near future.

The legacy Model S and Model X are expected to receive support for Actually Smart Summon, which requires the ability for those vehicles to stream video to the Tesla app — the same capability the Dashcam Viewer needs. Once Actually Smart Summon is added to the legacy Model S/X, we expect those vehicles to also receive the Dashcam Viewer at the same time or shortly afterward.

The Dashcam Viewer also requires Tesla’s Premium Connectivity, which costs $9.99 per month in the U.S.

Limits

Tesla has imposed some viewing limits to prevent high data usage. The viewing limits apply to streaming video from the Dashcam Viewer or viewing live video from the vehicle’s cameras. Tesla will limit video streaming from the vehicle to 15 minutes or 1 hour, depending on your region.

Android Support

Tesla typically releases support for newer features to iPhone users since they make up the majority of users. Recently, Tesla has added more features to Android. In January, Tesla added support for ultra-wideband to Android, which added support for the improved phone key and the hands-free trunk and frunk feature.

What Is the Cybertruck's Jack Mode and How to Use It

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Did you know the Cybertruck’s air suspension automatically levels the truck, even while it’s asleep? This is a great feature, especially for camping or off-road adventures. However, it can be an issue when lifting a wheel to change a tire.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: Jack Mode.

Jack Mode

Jack Mode is made for jacking up the truck and prevents the Cybertruck from self-leveling.

To enable Jack Mode, you’ll first need to set the Ride Height to Medium from Controls > Dynamics > Ride Height. You can also set it from the Tesla app by navigating to the Controls section and sliding up until you see Ride Height. This will give you enough clearance for most jacks to get under the truck and lift it.

You can also activate Jack Mode in Low or High, but Tesla recommends a Medium ride height for best control of the vehicle and sufficient tire clearance to safely remove and reinstall the tire. However, once the vehicle is in Jack Mode, the Ride Height cannot be changed.

Next up, go to Controls > Service > Jack Mode to enable Jack Mode. The vehicle will warn you that Jack Mode is enabled and can either be disabled by pressing the button again or by putting the vehicle into drive.

For the duration that Jack Mode is active, it is safe to lift your Cybertruck, even on one side only. It will not self-level for the duration that Jack Mode is enabled.

Automatic Jack Mode

Jack Mode can also activate automatically to protect the suspension from potential damage. For example, if the vehicle’s bumper is resting on a curb, Jack Mode may engage on its own.

Once the obstacle is cleared, or if you shift into Drive or Reverse, Jack Mode will automatically be disabled.

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