Tesla is on a roll with it's app lately. We've seen numerous releases since the app was updated to version 4.0 back in August. Just yesterday Tesla released version 4.2.0 with quick action buttons in one of its widgets and much better interior details of the vehicle.
@OlympusDev/Twitter
With this same release, it looks like Tesla is starting to prepare to release a much anticipated feature in the near future, the ability to stream live video from your car.
Live Stream Video From Car
With the release of software update 2021.40, Tesla will allow you to stream live camera feeds from your car directly to your phone. You'll be able to view any of the cameras that are included in Dashcam or Sentry Mode, which include the front and rear cameras and the two side fender cameras.
"manage_permissions_bml_switch_firmware": "Available with Firmware 2021.40 and up",
"vehicle_controls_cameras": "Live Camera",
Save Video
View live camera link
@OlympusDev/Twitter
When viewing the live feed from your car, you'll also be given the chance to save the video directly to the car. It's possible that Tesla will allow you to save it to your phone, but judging by the fact that Tesla is requiring your car to have a USB drive in order to stream video and that there is a new API endpoint to save dashcam footage, it's likely that the recorded video will be saved to your car instead of your phone.
View Sentry Clips and Dashcam Footage
In addition to being able to view live video from your car, and notably more useful. You'll now be able to remotely view Sentry Mode clips instead of having to wait until you get back to your car.
You'll likely be presented from a similar interface that appears in your car to view Sentry Mode and Dashcam clips and you'll be able to view and delete them.
Requirements
There will be a few requirements before you're allowed to stream video to your phone. Your car will obviously need to have the ability to use the Dashcam and Sentry Mode features, which require a vehicle with FSD HW 2.5 or higher. It will also require your vehicle to have software update 2021.40 or higher.
In addition, before being able to initialize the video stream, Tesla will require that your car be in park, have all doors closed and for no one to be in the car. Tesla is making these requirements presumably for privacy concerns around spying on individuals in a private environment.
Premium Connectivity Required
It's strongly suspected that your vehicle will need to be subscribed to Tesla's Premium Connectivity or be connected to WiFi in order to stream live video or remotely view Dashcam or Sentry Mode videos.
Tesla will very likely not introduce a higher priced connectivity option. Tesla already allows you to stream video services for unlimited periods. The bandwidth required to stream your car's cameras will be fairly small when compared to streaming video.
Limitations / Daily Limit
Tesla will impose a daily viewing limit on how long you can remotely monitor your vehicle with video. This is likely to prevent users from live streaming video for long periods of time. For example, if they went out to dinner, started a live stream and set their phone down.
I suspect the daily limit will be more than reasonable and you'll be unlikely to reach the limit unless you're trying to use your car as a security camera.
Talk to Car From Your Phone
When monitoring your car remotely, you'll be able to talk directly to your phone and have your voice come out of the car. This will require your vehicle to be equipped with the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS). Basically, if you have the Boombox feature, then you have the PWS.
In addition to being able to talk to the car from your phone, you'll also be able to honk the horn and flash your car's lights to alert anyone around your vehicle.
This snippet was found in the latest Tesla app:
"Tesla allows you to use your microphone to speak through your car or attach videos when scheduling service for your vehicle",
If you don't, then for some models Tesla can retrofit the PWS for a couple hundred dollars, although it's not available on all model years. Your car will need to already be wired to support the outdoor speaker.
I can see this feature being fun, but also useful. If there's someone seriously looking at your vehicle with ill intent, then what better way to deter them then to talk to them. They'll likely think that you're walking up to the car and walk away.
Of course, I'm sure there will be lots of humorous ways owners will use this feature as well.
Unfortunately, because Teslas do not (yet) have external microphones, this will be one-way audio. So you'll be able to talk to the individuals, but unfortunately unable to hear their surprised or funny reactions.
In-Car Purchases
As we talked about back in August, Tesla is adding in-car purchases. Features that you can buy directly on your phone today will become available in the vehicle as well. Features such as adding the FSD subscription, Performance Boost and others will now be only a couple taps away.
According to information in the latest iOS app, this feature will also be added in the 2021.40 software update.
As the owner of the vehilce, you'll see be able to limit in-car purchases as well, much like you can limit in-app purchases on other platforms.
Software updates have contained slightly less than usual lately as Tesla focuses on FSD and catching up on the new Model S software, but 2021.40 is surely to be an exciting release, even if this was the only feature in it.
Stay tuned for more.
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We’ve known for a while now that Tesla has been using a custom build of FSD to allow its newly produced vehicles at Giga Texas and Fremont to autonomously navigate themselves from the production line to the outbound delivery lot.
While we knew they were using a custom build of what was likely FSD Unsupervised, thanks to a recent post from Tesla AI on X, this has now been confirmed. Tesla has also confirmed it has accrued over 50,000 driverless miles, totalled from vehicles autonomously driving themselves to delivery lots.
Giga Texas production now uses FSD Unsupervised to deliver cars from end of line to the outbound logistics lot.
Over 50,000 driverless miles have been accrued between California and Texas factories so far pic.twitter.com/79zKY0U6Ox
For most of Tesla’s vehicles - that’s a 1.4-mile trip that is shared with pedestrians, cars, trucks, and construction equipment. You can see in the video that the Teslas are navigating public roadways and encountering real human drivers.
That’s great news, especially since many were wondering whether Tesla would secure the necessary approvals in time to launch their Robotaxi network in June.
Increased Confidence
Following Tesla’s post to X, Musk followed up by saying that when Tesla launches FSD Unsupervised soon, it will be the first time there will be a generalized, pure AI solution to autonomy. Tesla and several executives continue to post more content about autonomy and the Robotaxi network, leading us to believe they’re feeling confident in the June launch.
Model Ys autonomously navigate a 1.4 mile trip on a road shared with pedestrians, cars, semi trucks, construction equipment & more pic.twitter.com/iPx2fs78v2
Back when Tesla initially announced the autonomous travel of its vehicles from production to loading lots, they mentioned that the Cybertruck was the only vehicle at Giga Texas not receiving that same treatment.
Now, that’s changed - Cybertruck is now also navigating through the Cybertunnel to make its way from the factory directly to the loading docks, all on Unsupervised FSD. And that’s making us even more excited, especially because Tesla was supposed to launch an FSD Update for the Cybertruck a little while ago - but it hasn’t made it to production yet. This update is set to bring Start FSD from Park, as well as Actually Smart Summon - bringing the Cybertruck to feature parity with Tesla’s other AI4 vehicles.
Cybertrucks autonomously navigate a 0.6 mile route traversing beneath one of America's fastest highways, emerging through a steep 17% grade to reach their destination pic.twitter.com/3ZMYCRPhIj
Now that Tesla is confidently using a build of Unsupervised FSD to navigate the tight confines of the tunnel and park, we’re pretty sure that Tesla will likely launch the expected FSD update in the near future.
FSD Update Soon?
It’s been a while since any FSD hardware variant has received an FSD update. It appears that Tesla has been focused on Unsupervised FSD and launching FSD outside of North America.
It seems like we may get a new FSD update soon, and we don’t believe it’ll be just for the Cybertruck. Those who have the opportunity to sign up for Tesla’s new Early Access program will likely be some of the first recipients to receive the FSD update, so stay tuned.
Lars Moravvy, Tesla's Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, recently took to X to pose a question to the community: “Let's make Teslas better… what do you all want for 2026?”
The question absolutely took off, and there were tons of fantastic suggestions about what Tesla owners would love to see from their vehicles in the future.
There were more than 12k suggestions, so let's take a look at some of the most popular feature requests.
Top Suggestions
CyberSUV - A classically styled SUV with a stainless steel exterior.
Faster Charging & Better Charge Curves - Tesla vehicles start off with fast charging speeds, but usually taper off quickly in comparison to other brands. This is especially true when compared to some Chinese brands, which sustain 500 kW charging at up to 70% state of charge. Let's get improved charging speeds on Teslas as well, especially with the 500 kW Superchargers coming in Q3.
450mi / 500mi range vehicles - Lots of customers want longer range vehicles, even though Tesla's analysis says the 300-mile range is ideal for 90% of its customer base. Range really does matter - especially for customers in more rural locations or those who choose to tow or haul with their vehicles.
Ambient Lighting Reacts to Music - This one is pretty straightforward, and it's surprising we don't already have this feature. Having basic integration with the currently playing audio is a neat feature, and really helps to make the entire experience even more seamless and premium.
Refresh Model 3 Signal Stalk Retrofit - Some people really love their signal stalks. While there aren't retrofits available just yet, we do recommend the Enhauto Stalks. For those who want an official retrofit, there is now some hope - Lars responded and said he'll try.
Lumbar Support in the Profile - Right now, lumbar support is the only seat item not saved to the Tesla Profile. This may change soon, as Lars followed up and mentioned that there are a few technical issues preventing it, but Tesla could make it work with some of their magic.
Model 3 Track Pack - The Model S has an exclusive Track Pack as a post-factory retrofit offered by Tesla, including premium brakes, tires, and wheels. The Refreshed Model 3 Performance is a killer track vehicle - but getting real track support from Tesla would be a game-changer for those who love to race.
Some of Our Favorites
Sentry Mode Improvements - Several users suggested adding B-pillar recording to Sentry Mode. And it looks like Tesla has already been working on this, and it'll be available in the upcoming 2025 Spring Update, which will be update 2025.14. Unfortunately, it'll be limited to what appears to be HW4 vehicles due to the additional processing.
Massaging Seats - A touch of luxury for Tesla's most premium models would be nice. Many other luxury brands already offer massaging seats so it’d help keep the Model S on par with these brands. Edit: Corrected that the Model S has never come with massaging seats.
Powershare for More Vehicles - Powershare is a fantastic feature, and bringing it to every Tesla is a must, especially as many other brands, including Ford, Kia, and Hyundai, offer either Vehicle to Load or Vehicle to Home capabilities as an option on their EVs. Tesla recently introduced the Mobile Connector with Powershare capabilities and an Outlet Adapter, but it's still exclusive to the Cybertruck for now.
Starlink Integration - Tesla currently uses cell networks for connectivity, which can sometimes be spotty. Starlink is a clear, high-tech solution that could provide data to vehicles when they have a clear line of sight to the sky.
Grok in Vehicles - Musk has already confirmed that Tesla will be integrating Grok into Tesla vehicles. We expected it to be included in Tesla's Spring Update, but it looks like they'll need a little bit longer. One of the lead xAI/Grok developers mentioned the request with a wink emoji, so it's clear it’s a feature that Tesla and xAI are actively working on. The way users will be able to naturally talk to AI will be game-changing for many users who are used to driving alone.
There was a lot of positivity in the comments, as well as a ton of interesting requests that could eventually be implemented in Tesla vehicles. Lars also responded to quite a few of the comments, which was nice to see.
While nothing is certain, some of these popular requests may come in a future update, while others may need hardware changes if Tesla wants to implement them.
2026 may seem far away, but there's already plenty of coming this year with a cheaper vehicle and the launch of the Robotaxi network.
If you love reading about feature suggestions, we also recently covered the top feature requests for Tesla, based on the many requests we hear about.
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