Tesla V11 Changes Coming: May lead to best UI yet

By Nuno Cristovao

Version 11 of Tesla's software was one of the most anticipated releases over the past year.

V11 improvements are coming
V11 improvements are coming

When it finally arrived last week in the holiday update, it offered a clean interface with customizable buttons and a bunch of new features.

However, when decluttering the UI, Tesla put many options that were accessible with a single tap behind menus, causing some core features to take two or more taps.

This makes some features less obvious and takes the driver's eyes off the road for a longer period. For core car functions that you may use while driving, requiring two taps to turn a feature on isn't ideal.

Overall, v11 provided a cleaner, more modern interface that was mostly well-received, but it had its fair share of criticism.

The majority of the criticism involved two areas, removal of features from the top status bar such as the Driver's Profile button, and removal of features from the launcher bar, like seat heaters and window defrost.

These features are still available, but now require multiple taps to check their status or turn on, as opposed to just glancing at the screen or tapping a button.

All UI changes take some time to get used to them. Over the years we've built muscle memory on how to turn on and off various car features, and we almost instinctively knew where to tap with just a glance.

If we're driving and a button isn't where we expect it to be, there could be some annoyance or frustration.

Tesla has developed and added many features over the past year. It felt like it was time for the UI and menus to be reconsolidated.

I understand that not everyone needs seat heaters where they live, and maybe they don't need access to driver profiles if they're the only driver of the vehicle, but others may need quick access to these functions.

I think if you go into the situation understanding that some vehicles are driven by multiple members of the same family and that the car doesn't always select the correct profile, then it's easy to understand that hiding the active driver profile behind the Controls menu isn't intuitive.

V11 Improvements Coming

Tesla has heard everyone loud and clear. We now have multiple reports that improvements are coming.

The improvements will focus on the top status bar and the bottom launcher.

Many items were removed from the status bar, such as WiFi/cellular connection, driver profiles, Sentry Mode, Dashcam, HomeLink, and Bluetooth.

Some of these can be considered settings, such as Bluetooth and they're likely to remain in the Controls menu.

HomeLink, in my opinion has found a better spot on the bottom left of the screen in the Model 3/Y and will only show up when you're close to home.

This prevents the HomeLink menu from appearing on top of the reverse camera image when backing out of a garage, which is a nice improvement.

However, I would expect other settings to return to the status bar, with the biggest offender being Driver Profiles.

Tesla may also add back connection information, Sentry Mode, and Dashcam.

Tesla may even let you personalize the top status bar and pick exactly which options you'd like to appear, with most of them being hidden by default.

App Launcher

One of the biggest changes in v11 was the app launcher. With it came a great new feature; the ability to customize which apps appear in the launcher. Again, not everyone needs heated seats, or window defrost so this was a welcome feature for many.

However, to make room for customizable icons and provide more direct access to your preferred music choices, some functions were removed. The problem is that there is no way to add back the functions that were removed.

So although we're now able to customize the launcher, owners are not able to add back some of the features that were previously available.

Seat heaters are now two taps away, instead of one. And data that was once glanceable, such as whether the window defroster is on, now requires the driver to go into a menu.

The good news is that Tesla is listening and that changes are coming to the launcher.

In fact, because of the v11 shortcomings, we may end up with a much better product than was initially planned.

Will Fealey, the president of a Tesla Facebook group compiled a list of owner criticisms. After sending them to a couple of his contacts at Tesla, he heard back from Tesla saying that Tesla is not only listening, but the team is already working on concepts on how to improve the launcher.

According to Will, the concept will let you add new controls to the app launcher, such as seat heaters, dashcam, windshield wipers, and more.

Tesla has taken all the feedback that I gave them yesterday regarding V11 and they've sat down with the relevant teams (presumably in the US) and I'm pleased to feedback the following to you all:

Points 1-3: The team do understand that many users want to be able to adjust [demister, heated seats, profile, dash camera etc] manually, so the team are working on a concept that allows you to customise the bottom bar further with actions like this. This is getting worked on.

Point 4: The team acknowledge we definitely still need to improve British voice recognition. The team will circle back around on this topic.

Points 5-6 [MCU1 / MCU2 differences with V11]: There are nuances to different hardware variants which do impact the release of particular features. This means there will always differences on the features available based on the age/hardware of the vehicle. Tesla thanked us all for the continued feedback and they will share further details when they can.

Thank you Tesla for listening to your owners Regards,

Will Fealey

Tesla Owners UK Club President

Since Tesla is looking at the concept of adding controls to the app launcher, we may gain the ability to add numerous new control options that could be pinned to the launcher.

These new buttons in the launcher can give you direct access to certain menus like Charging or Trips or let you add a voice commands button for passenger use.

Tesla v11 UI
Tesla v11 UI

It could even give you direct access to options like the parking brake, HomeLink buttons, the ability to open the glovebox with one tap, and more.

Elon Confirms Changes Coming

Elon has also confirmed that changes to the v11 update are coming. On Twitter he has said that UI improvements are coming.

Understandably, Tesla owners would like certain features they had quick access to back as soon as possible. However, developing a proper solution that offers even greater flexibility than before will take some time.

I wouldn't expect any changes in a point release of 2021.44, but we may start to see some changes in the first major release of 2022.

Norway Approves Tesla’s FSD Testing on Public Roads; Potential for Europe-Wide Deployment

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

According to filings found by Kees Roelandschap on X, Tesla has obtained a 2-year exemption from UNECE autonomy regulations to run FSD Supervised on public roads in Norway. This marks one of the first positive developments for regulations and autonomy in Europe — great news for European customers.

Previously, European transportation agencies stressed additional caution and requested more time to legislate, further delaying the widespread UNECE regulation changes for autonomous vehicles.

Norwegian FSD - Employees Only

Following the recent approval from the Norwegian Road Authority, Tesla will be permitted to use its Supervised vehicles on public roads in a testing capacity. This exemption does not yet apply to customers, so we will have to wait and see how testing progresses.

Tesla will specifically be allowed to run FSD V13 and its derivative builds (meaning AI4 vehicles only) with automated steering and speed controls on EU-registered and approved vehicles.

Tesla will also be required to have Tesla-trained drivers (employees) conduct the testing. There is no specific policy in place that enables the use of FSD for customers at this time. However, as testing is conducted and bureaucratic hurdles are overcome across various transportation departments, Tesla may be able to extend the offer to European customers. According to Tesla’s latest earnings call, the company still plans to release FSD in Europe by the end of the year.

Tesla has already begun testing in the Netherlands, showing off FSD’s capabilities in Amsterdam.

Article 39 Exemption

The UNECE can grant exemptions for innovative technologies that move faster than legislation under Article 39. However, Tesla requires the backing of a national ministry of transport to bring this to the UNECE’s attention. The next round of voting on critical issues is expected on May 12, 2025, which may not leave Tesla much time to present its findings to UNECE.

We don’t expect Tesla to receive authorization immediately. It may take several weeks or months of testing from the Netherlands or Norway teams before one of the two countries is willing to support Tesla’s exemption bid.

However, if Tesla achieves an Article 39 exemption, it could allow Tesla to roll out FSD to customers across Europe, provided there are no country-level exemptions.

Tesla Reintroduces FSD Transfers in North America

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Following customer requests, Tesla has once again returned FSD Transfers for North America. This comes after some new details we received on FSD Supervised and Unsupervised at the recent Q1 2025 Earnings Call.

FSD Transfers

This latest round of FSD transfers doesn’t have a specific time limit - so if you’re in the market for a new vehicle and were worried about transferring FSD from a HW3 vehicle - now is the best chance.

This transfer opportunity is applicable for any new vehicle purchases, including the Model S, 3, X, Y, as well as the Cybertruck. The only vehicles it doesn’t apply to are the Foundation-Series Cybertruck or a Launch-Series Model Y, which already come with FSD included.

If you’re conducting an FSD transfer, you’ll need to reach out to your Tesla delivery coordinator through the Tesla app to confirm you’re eligible and to get the process started.

Note that once you take delivery, FSD access is removed from your older vehicle, regardless if you plan to trade in your vehicle or keep it.

Canada and Mexico

For those in Canada and Mexico, there’s some good news. This opportunity is available for customers in those countries as well, however, new vehicle orders are currently paused in Canada and Mexico for unknown reasons.

Running Offers

There are also several other offers running in North America, with the country flags indicating which countries their available in:

0% Financing on new Model 3 Orders (60mo, 0.99% for 72mo) 🇺🇸

Deep Blue Metallic and Pearl White are currently free on a new Model 3 Performance 🇺🇸

Original Model Y Owners are receiving $2,000 off the purchase of a Refreshed Model Y 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Free Supercharging on the Model S and Model X 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Free Supercharging on the Foundation-Series Cybertruck 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Inventory Vehicle Discounts 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

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