Tesla’s ‘biggest-ever’ software update: V10 brings Smart Summon, Netflix, YouTube

September 27, 2019

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Tesla has started rolling out Software Version 10.0 for the Model S, Model X, and Model 3, bringing a bunch of entertainment and self-driving features for people who spend a lot of time in their car.

For obvious reasons, Apple CarPlay won’t officially let you use Netflix in the vehicle, but Tesla is touting its availability in the release of its latest over-the-air update, Software Version 10.0.

Along with Netflix, Tesla drivers will be able to view content from YouTube, and Hulu or Hulu + Live TV from the dash console.

Tesla’s self-driving capabilities aren’t yet advanced enough for drivers to switch off and watch movies, and thankfully the company notes that you can “watch your favorite shows, movies and content right from your car while parked”.

Tesla’s ‘Summon’ feature, which lets drivers instruct their car to come to them in a parking lot, is now called ‘Smart Summon. The feature is available for customers who’ve bought Full Self-Driving Capability or Enhanced Autopilot.

The company says customers have praised summon it for its convenience after shopping, but notes that “those using Smart Summon must remain responsible for the car and monitor it and its surroundings at all times”. The feature is available to drivers when the car is within their line of sight.

The update also brings Spotify Premium access in all supported markets, which customers have been clamoring for, according to Tesla. That’s in addition to two other music apps, Slacker Radio and TuneIn.

Owners of the Model 3 Standard Range Plus and Standard Range vehicles will now able to stream Spotify, TuneIn, and Slacker when connected to Wi-Fi.

Other features include a karaoke app that’s filled with a “massive” library of lyrics and multi-language support, as well as navigation features called ‘I’m feeling lucky’ and ‘I’m feeling hungry’, which take drivers to destinations and restaurants, respectively. Tesla promises it will be adventurous, too.

“In testing, we’ve been taken to hole-in-the-wall restaurants, gourmet meals, national parks, city landmarks and more,” it says.

Tesla’s maps have been updated so that search results are sorted by distance to each destination.

It’s also done some tidying up on the security front for Dashcam and Sentry Mode. Dashcam records the driver while driving, and Sentry Mode focuses on people nearby but outside the vehicle.

Now Sentry Mode video clips are stored in a separate folder on the user’s USB drive and older clips are automatically deleted if the drive is low on space.