Tesla Free Software Update Adds Disney+, Car Wash Mode And More

Tesla Inc TSLA is well known for sending software updates that improve its vehicles long after customers have taken delivery. What few people realize is these updates come to customers' cars for free.

Tesla is now starting to roll out its next software update, highlighted by Electrek, that adds many new features to the all-electric vehicles. A post on Reddit also shared screenshots from the in-car display, detailing the updates. 

1. Disney+ was added to in-car streaming options that already included Netflix, Hulu and many other services. 
2. Car wash mode, which has been requested by customers for years, was also added. This feature preps the car to go through an automatic car wash by turning off auto wipers, sentry mode, walk-away door locks and parking sensor chimes. It also rolls up the windows, locks the charge port as closed and allows the car to stay in neutral after the driver exits the vehicle. 
3. Mirror auto-dimming is now optional in the software settings for cars with this hardware. If a driver does not like this feature, they can simply disable it. 
4. The built-in Tesla Cam dash cam can now automatically save footage when a safety event such as a crash or airbag deployment is detected. Before, users would have to remember to tap a button on the screen to save the past 10 minutes of footage.
5. Owners can now change the range display by simply clicking it from the main screen, rather than having to dig into the settings to switch between miles or percent display. Many owners wish to have both displayed simultaneously. 
6. The car can remain connected to Wi-Fi while it is in drive mode. Previously, the car would disable Wi-Fi as soon as it was put into drive. Owners can now use their mobile phone as a hotspot while in drive and allow the car to download software updates while on the go. It's worth noting Disney+ and other streaming services are disabled while the car is in drive.
7. And finally, Tesla added support for Hungarian, Romanian, and Russian languages. 

Overall, this is the biggest update Tesla owners have seen in many months. Tesla has been hard at work on its Full Self Driving Beta software, as well as rewriting code to keep up with the chip shortage. 

Photo of Tesla Cybertruck courtesy of Tesla