Yesterday we had our first glimpse into one of Tesla's latest features, the ability to customize your vehicle color in the car.
When you customize the color in the vehicle it will apply to all areas of the UI, including the driving visualizations and any of the menus where your car is shown.
Tesla's custom color feature
It's common to see Teslas vinyl wrapped in custom colors, so for those owners, this will be a really nice addition. Even if you're vehicle isn't wrapped, we've heard from some drivers that they feel the color within the vehicle isn't true to its real-life color. Well, now you'll have full control over the color that shows up in your vehicle.
You'll be able to choose from tens of thousands of colors using a color pinwheel.
Video
The color colorizer in 2022.4.5 is shown off in this video. It appears to lack the ability to change the color of your trim like the version seen in China, but we expect Tesla to add that at a later date.
Paint Finish
Sure, you can pick the color of the vehicle, but my car has a matte finish, you say. Well, after picking the vehicle color, you'll also be able to pick the paint finish.
You'll be able to choose from three different options. A solid color, metallic or matte finishes. The lighting on the vehicle in the visualizations will change to reflect the real-life finish.
You'll be able to choose any color for your Tesla
What about the trim?
Yes, there's more. Tesla went the extra mile with this feature. You'll even be able to choose whether your vehicle has chrome or black trim. Tesla doesn't support custom colors for the vehicle trim, but if you have trim that isn't black or chrome, then you're likely in the minority, but it could be a nice addition.
Model 3s were initially offered from chrome trim, but Tesla has since switched to black trim for all new vehicles.
Your updated vehicle visualization will not only be reflected in the car but also in the Tesla app, without any other changes needed.
When this feature is released in the US, you'll be able to go into the Toybox or into the Software menu and open up the custom color picker.
This is a small feature but fun feature that many owners will enjoy.
Custom Color Video
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
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:
Navigate to Security & Drivers > Dashcam Viewer.
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.
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.
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.
![Andrej Karpathy considers returning to Tesla to work on Optimus [video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2022/karpathy-podcast_300w.jpg)
