Tesla: Spring update brings dedicated app for autonomous driving

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Tesla drivers are accustomed to software “toys,” and many like them. However, the car manufacturer has been relatively restrained when it comes to partially autonomous driving, which Tesla calls Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised; in countries where FSD Supervised is offered, it has so far only been a simple button to initiate the process. Considering how long FSD was advertised without Tesla being able to deliver, this was almost unadorned. That is now changing with the announcement of a major spring update.

With the Spring Update 2026, a dedicated self-driving app is to be introduced. However, it will be reserved for vehicles with AI4 hardware (HW4), as Tesla announces on X. This was first introduced in March 2023 for Model S and X, and later, partly only from 2024, also used in the Model 3 and Model Y. Noticeable improvements have also been announced for the integration of the AI chatbot Grok, which has already been released for Tesla drivers in Europe, for the previous dog mode in the air conditioning, which will henceforth be called pet mode (dog, cat, or hedgehog selectable), and for the accent lighting in certain vehicle types. These light strips in the doors and on the dashboard are featured in vehicles like the Model 3 Highland, Cybertruck, and Model Y Juniper.

Central hub for FSD functions

The new self-driving app is intended to become a central hub for the semi-autonomous vehicle functions. Users will find easy access to the monthly FSD subscription, which Tesla first introduced in the USA as a successor to the one-time payment. Above all, however, the signs point to gamification: diagrams will show at a glance on how many occasions and over how many kilometers the FSD functions have been used so far. Streaks, i.e., multi-day series, are apparently intended to show the importance of FSD for the respective driver and ideally motivate them to take out a subscription or keep an existing one.

The app also bundles settings that were previously found elsewhere: According to the published screenshots, the driving style can be set, as can the behavior at the destination, i.e., whether the vehicle should attempt to park immediately. A similar remote control function for parking and maneuvering was recently the subject of a US investigation, which was however discontinued. However, the statistics apparently do not show in how many cases the user lost their nerve during automatic driving and took back control. Just recently, FSD Supervised was approved in the Netherlands as the first EU country, and thus for the first time in the European Union. When Germany will follow is still unclear. Previously, Tesla had released the FSD functions in the USA, China, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. In practical tests, the supervised FSD system has already demonstrated its capabilities in major European cities like Hamburg.

Accent lighting as a blind spot warning

In certain Tesla vehicles, such as the current Model 3 (Highland), people, objects, or vehicles in the blind spot were already signaled by a red illuminated dot in the door frame. The software also warns with a red bar on the display and sound. With the new software, Tesla announces that such warnings will now also be signaled by the accent lighting of some vehicles when the turn signal is activated or when parked. These light strips have so far served primarily decorative purposes, for example, in conjunction with music. However, modders had already “misappropriated” the strips for additional turn signal functions, among other things. Now Tesla is apparently jumping on the bandwagon to derive more benefit from them.

Surprisingly little is happening with the AI assistant Grok. Currently, it can only intervene in the operation of map navigation, and that is likely to remain the case for now. Neither the air conditioning nor other vehicle functions can be controlled via Grok. The only new feature here is that Grok will also be able to set reminders for specific locations. At least the function can now also be activated with the voice command “Hey Grok.” Activating it was less of a problem thanks to the option of starting it by long-pressing the voice button on the steering wheel or via the app launcher. However, deactivating Grok was more difficult. This should be possible with the new voice command “Goodbye.”

Further news in the update

Further innovations in the Spring Update primarily concern comfort and entertainment. The Sketchpad, Tesla's own drawing program, receives support for stickers and emojis; drawings can be saved in the future and accessed and shared in the mobile app.

Useful features are also coming for travel planning: energy statistics can now be tracked across multiple, manually created trips. A swipe to the left on the media player is enough to quickly access the consumption of the current trip. The weather map will now show snow and rain in improved colors to make it easier to distinguish between types of precipitation; additionally, the weather situation of the past hour along the route can be tracked.

The Dashcam has also been revised: the recording duration increases to up to 24 hours, and individual clips can be permanently stored on the vehicle. Practical for all those who had to manually initiate software updates until now: Tesla now enables automatic nightly installation of downloaded updates, provided the vehicle is parked and not in use. For the new Model 3 and Y vehicles with premium audio equipment, Tesla promises an improved sound experience with “Immersive Sound,” which is intended to present audio content more spatially.

The Spring Update will be rolled out gradually. No fixed date has been announced. According to reports, the integration of Apple CarPlay in Tesla is further delayed due to technical hurdles with iOS 26.

(mki)