This update continues Tesla's recent trend and introduces various new features.
You can now customize the Quick Action buttons
New Notifications
You can now choose to turn on notifications when Cabin Overheat Protection is activated. You can also choose to turn on or off notifications when your car is done preconditioning.
Tesla App 4.3 gives you more control over notificationss
Customizable Quick Actions
You'll now be able to customize the quick action buttons that show up underneath the car.
The app still limits you to four buttons, but it allows you to swap out any of the existing buttons for just about any function the app can control. You can set a quick action button for the trunk, defrost, Sentry Mode and many more.
If you'd like to make room for an additional quick action button, you can remove the Charge button and replace it with a button of your chosing. You can then access the charging section by tapping the battery icon instead.
Adjust Cabin Overheat Protection
Another new feature is the ability to adjust your Cabin Overheat Protection. Cabin Overheat Protection allows your car to try to keep the interior temperature under 105° F by either using the HVAC fan or air conditioner.
The three options are to turn off Cabin Overheat Protection, try to cool using only the fan, or cool using the air conditioner.
You can now customize the Quick Action buttons
Using the air conditioner option will do the best job in keeping the cabin cooler, but could result in significant battery usage on hot summer days.
Many users are unable to access the ability to adjust the Cabin Overheat Protection setting. It looks like this feature may require your car to have update 2021.40.5 or later in order to function.
It looks like the Cabin Overheat Protection options will appear in the Climate section of the app. They should appear within the slide up drawer, next to the Defrost and Bioweapon Defense Mode buttons.
Widget Improvements
The app widgets have also been improved and now feature the same quick action buttons that you define within the app.
Pressing on a quick action button within the widget will open the app and execute the function automatically. Some functions have confirmations, such as defrost. Once the app is opened, you'll need to confirm that you want to turn on the defrost function.
Tesla releases version 4.3 of its iOS app
Sentry Mode Live Access
Sentry Mode Live Access enables you to view live video feeds from the car's cameras directly on your phone. The feature has been available in previous iOS app updates, but Tesla is calling out it's functionality in this update as well.
Sentry Mode Live Access doesn't appear to contain any new features with this update.
Ability to Unlock Supercharger Floor Locks
In China Tesla uses floor locks on Supercharger parking spots to prevent other vehicles from parking in those spots. Up until today, it required a Tesla owner to scan a QR code on the lock in order to lower the lock and allow you to charge.
With this app update, Tesla is now allowing you to unlock the Supercharger spot within the app.
Superchargers in China have floor locks
It's a great update for individuals living in China, but these floor locks are unlikely to be expanded to other regions as Tesla starts allowing non-Teslas to charge at Supercharger locations.
Tesla Taiwan testing out new supercharger ground locks solution to fix ICE issues. A camera identifies the Tesla via plate number as the car backs up and unlocks accordingly. @elonmusk@teslapic.twitter.com/tFU1twMBdg
Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
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