What's New and What's Due

The latest Tesla software update has been released in 2020.40. It’s a minor release but includes two useful features, the Priority Bluetooth Device and Glovebox PIN.

The Priority Bluetooth Device enables you to assign a preferred device to the driver profile. This prevents the vehicle from connecting to an incorrect smartphone that is in close proximity. The release notes describe this feature as:

To avoid connecting to the wrong nearby phone, you can now set your priority Bluetooth device. Your car will attempt to connect to the priority device associated with the profile selected before it attempts to connect to other paired phones. To activate Priority Bluetooth, tap the Bluetooth icon on the top of your touchscreen, select your preferred phone and tap Priority Device.

The second new feature is the Glovebox PIN. Tesla vehicles already have the PIN to Drive feature to secure the car in the event that the keys are lost or stolen. And because the glovebox in the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles can only be accessed via the touchscreen, Tesla has now added a PIN that too:

Protect the valuables in your glove box with a 4-digit PIN. Tap Controls > Safety and Security > Glovebox PIN on the touchscreen to create your PIN.

These new features are available for models worldwide and it can take a few days or weeks for the update to rollout to the entire Tesla fleet.

NEW FEATURES COMING TO A TESLA NEAR YOU

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has used his Twitter platform to give an indication of new features that are in development. While these haven’t been released yet, it gives Tesla owners an idea of what to look forward to in the future:

• Waypoints Navigation announced on September 21, 2020: This will allow drivers to set multiple destinations for a single trip.
  
  
• New Low-Speed Sound Effects announced on August 20, 2020: New low-speed sounds using external speakers will be able to play "Snake Jazz" or "Polynesian elevator music".
  
  
• Different Tesla Models Will Be Rendered on Display announced on July 30, 2020: Tesla drivers will be able to detect other Tesla cars nearby as they will be highlighted on the display instead of seeing all surrounding vehicles in the generic gray we see today.
  
  
• Weather radar overlay on the map announced on July 12, 2020: An overlay on the display map will show live weather radar images to warn of approaching rain or storms.
  
  
• Blind spot cameras announced on July 9, 2020: When the signal indicator is turned on, a split screen of the blind spot, using the existing side cameras will be shown on the screen.
  
  
• Option to Disable Auto-Dimming announced on May 11, 2020: An option will become available to adjust and or disable Auto-Dimming on the side mirrors.
  
  
• Video Conference App announced on May 5, 2020: The idea would be to employ the internal camera of the M3/MY to support conference calling using platforms such as Zoom, Hangouts, FaceTime, and Whatsapp.
  
  
• Trip Log for work and personal announced on January 23, 2020: An option to categorize trips for work or personal and then be able to export the log to an Excel format.
  
  
• Prevent Hitting Cyclists announced on January 5, 2020: When the car is parked, the rear cameras will detect cyclists (or cars) coming up from behind to avoid hitting a passerby with the car door.