What's new in Tesla's 2022.40.1 update

Tesla has started to roll out its latest update — 2022.40.1

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Tesla owners who are dog lovers no longer have to decide between Sentry Mode and Dog Mode. That is just one of several enhancements in the latest update — 2022.40.1.

Other improvements include battery preconditioning, driver door unlock and radio station logos, while existing features have launched in new regions.

New Features

Let's start with the Sentry and Dog Mode combo. Both of these features would rate high on items that Tesla owners appreciate about their vehicles. Sentry is a best-in-class security/surveillance system, and Dog Mode keeps the cabin at an appropriate temperature for your pet while you are away.

However, the two systems did not work together because Sentry would constantly be triggered whenever the dog moved inside the vehicle. For those who have dogs that love car rides, this meant not being able to use Sentry to protect your car and your dog. Now both features can be used together for most vehicles. This update silences Sentry Mode alarms while still recording and keeping the temperature safe for your pooch.

Listening to the radio may get more appealing with the addition of radio station logos to the media player.

The radio in a Tesla doesn't get a lot of recognition since competes against music streaming services and other entertainment that have much more engaging screens, but Tesla did a great job with its radio implementation.

The radio will automatically scan for local stations, so you can just tap to get to your favorite station. It also offers a direct input instead of a radio dial and now features radio station icons to make it easier to find your favorite station. With this update the list of radio stations has been changed to a grid to make room for the station name and logo. When playing an FM radio station, the station's logo will also appear in the album artwork area of the music player. (Photo credit to ArsalamiSandwich).

Tesla will now display radio stations logo in the media player

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Voice directions are now available in Hebrew in the Middle East. Tesla continues to expand the languages offered in its vehicles. It's estimated that 9 million people speak Hebrew worldwide.

Improvements to Existing Features

In an effort to speed up charging times, the thermal system control will now be optimized to match the charging station's power capability. The company has been expanding its vast network of Superchargers, which means there are many variations in the station output. This update means your Tesla won't waste too much energy preparing the battery if you're headed to a slower DC charging station.

Update 2021.44 added the ability to only unlock the driver's door when the handle is pressed to improve safety. However, it wasn't ideal when traveling with passengers as they would have to wait until you get into the vehicle to open the other doors.

With update 2022.40, Tesla did what it does best — improve vehicle features. If you have the Driver Door Unlock Mode feature on, you can now hold and press the interior driver door switch to unlock all vehicle doors and trunk.

If this update Tesla is also adding this feature to the new Model S.

To access Driver Door Unlock Mode, tap Controls > Lock > Driver Door Unlock Mode.

Expanding to More Regions

More vehicles and regions now have access to a consistent regenerative braking feel even when it's limited. For example, regenerative braking may not be available when the battery is at a max charge or in certain weather conditions. In May 2022, Tesla sent out an update to many areas and vehicles, allowing the car to behave the same way when it is decelerating with or without regenerative braking. This feature enables drivers to perfect the one-foot driving technique at all times.

With this update, it is now available for some legacy Model S and Model X vehicles.

With winter coming, the Tire Configuration program is now for the Model Y as well. It allows users to reset the learned tire settings after a tire rotation or replacement for an improved driving experience. To reset, tap Controls > Service > Wheel & Tire Configuration > Tires.

Other changes include exterior lighting improvements and Sentry Mode Live Camera Access added to Israel, Supercharger details included in China, and Boombox is now available in Japan. However, Hong Kong went against the trend as it continues to allow fewer features. The dashcam viewer has been removed, the country recently took away Tesla's arcade and Toybox.

Tesla update 2022.40.1 has just begun rolling out and it's available on less than 1% of Tesla's vehicles (why Tesla doesn't update all vehicles at once).

You can also read the complete release notes for Tesla update 2022.40.1.

Tesla’s Referral Program Launches in Europe

Not a Tesla App

Following its recent launch in the United States and Canada, Tesla has launched their referral program in several European countries as well.

The program is available in Germany, Norway, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and possibly others. The program is almost the same as the one available today in North America, with rewards for each referral and a discount for those referred. The cap in Europe is also ten per year.

This program comes right on the heels of a 0% financing offer for the Model Y in Sweden and France. While referrals aren't currently available in Sweden, the 0% financing still is.

European Referrals

The European Referral program accounts for country and local currency, where applicable.

The referral reward program is comparable to the one available in North America. After exchange rates, there is only an approximately 10% difference between the available rewards in the US and EU.

Other Countries

We expect this program to start rolling out to other European countries over the next few days or weeks, as Tesla continues to expand its referral program.

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Tesla's Android App Lags Behind Apple's: The Missing Features

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Tesla has confirmed that they submit app updates for Android and iOS apps at the same time, but we often see the iOS app updates released first possibly due to a quicker app review process at Apple.

However, we often see features implemented on the Apple version weeks or months before they’re implemented on Android. Today, the Android app is missing several key features, and the gap is starting to become a bit glaring.

Delayed App Updates

The Android app just received update 4.36.6 last night, while the Apple update was available as of September 1st.

That might not seem like a big deal, but in order to use the updated Actually Smart Summon, you’ll need app version 4.36.6, so any Andriod users that received update 2024.27.20 with the new Summon, couldn’t use it until yesterday.

We’re sure Tesla is on it, but it’s disappointing to see that key feature updates take days or a week longer to receive on Android. Apple and Google both offer the ability to set a release date for an app update, so Tesla could coordinate releasing the apps at the same time.

Ultra Wideband Support

Unfortunately, there’s no Ultra Wide Band (UWB) support on Android yet, which is an interesting omission since it’s such a great feature. Most Android phones, flagships, and cheaper phones alike, all support UWB.

Without UWB support Android phones can’t use Tesla’s newest phone key, which is only available for devices that support UWB. The new phone key improves reliability for unlocking the vehicle and setting the correct Tesla driver profile. To support the new phone key, you need a compatible phone (iPhone 11 or newer) and a newer vehicle that supports ultra wideband.

Hands-Free Trunk

Tesla’s new hands-free trunk feature, which allows you to automatically open your trunk by simply standing behind it for a couple of seconds, also isn’t available on Android devices. Tesla’s Hands-Free Trunk requires UWB support too, and Tesla originally mentioned it was coming to Android in May 2024.

For now, those are the features we know of that don’t work on Android today, and we’re hoping that Tesla brings both UWB support, as well as simultaneous app updates to the Google Play and Apple App Store by leveraging each store’s publish date feature.

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