Key Features & Compatibility (Legacy Model S/X Not Supported)

Tesla has drastically improved the connectivity portion of their app in the last year or two. Prior to these updates, if you want to start the vehicle’s climate system, you needed to open the Tesla app, wait for the vehicle to wake up, then press the HVAC icon.

Tesla then introduced “delayed” commands, which allows you to press the HVAC icon upon opening the app, and Tesla would then automatically send the command to the vehicle once it’s awake.

More recently, Tesla made it so the vehicle sends its most recent data to Tesla before falling sleeping, meaning that when someone opens the Tesla app, they’re looking at the most recent vehicle data, even if the vehicle is sleeping.

Now Tesla is introducing offline commands for newer models, letting users send a command to their vehicle over Bluetooth instead of relying on an Internet connection. The process is transparent to users, if the user is in close proximity to their vehicle, the app will send the command over Bluetooth, otherwise it will send it over WiFi or cellular.

Offline commands are faster and more reliable. When you press the button to open the frunk, it’ll now do this instantly, instead of waking up the vehicle first. However, it looks like not every model will be supported.

Legacy Model S / Model X

Legacy Model S and Model X vehicles – so any S/X produced before the 2021 refresh, won’t be able to use offline commands, at least at this time. A user reached out to Tesla Service to find out why their offline commands weren’t working, and a tier two Tesla service rep confirmed that this feature isn’t supported on legacy vehicles.

Legacy vehicles will continue to require internet connectivity for commands, except for unlocking the vehicle.

Legacy Model S and X unfortunately don’t receive the majority of features in recent updates due to various reasons. One of them is likely due to the smaller userbase and another is likely due to the vertical screen orientation that differs from the newer models.

However, Tesla has continued to support them with some features. It was confirmed that the legacy Models S and X will get Actually Smart Summon and potentially get access to Live Sentry Mode Cameras – a limitation that was previously related to the vehicles being unable to upload data live to Tesla’s servers.

This limitation for offline commands is likely due to a technical limitation preventing Tesla from implementing it on these vehicles, rather than any lack of trying.

Requirements

To use offline commands with the Tesla app, you’ll need to run version 4.38 or higher of the Tesla app. The most recent version is 4.38.5, which is available for Android and iPhones. Your vehicle will also need to be running update 2024.38 or higher, which is currently only available to about a third of the Tesla fleet.

You’ll also need to have one of the supported models, which appear to be the Model 3/Y, 2021+ Model S/X and the Cybertruck.

Future Support?

Tesla has committed to supporting legacy vehicles where possible, with other improvements for safety like improved Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking for MCU1 vehicles and FSD 12.3.6. It is possible that eventually, these vehicles may receive support for offline commands, but it won’t be likely, given Tesla’s priorities to get features working on the newer vehicles.

Tesla is updating the Model 3 and Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive variants with new battery packs. This new pack will replace the current BYD Blade pack in these vehicles. Its interesting to see Tesla making battery pack changes to vehicles, especially in light of recent news on Tesla working with its cell manufacturing partners and internally to make better batteries.

Let’s take a look at this potential upgrade that was spotted by @eivissacopter over on X.

The CATL 6M Pack

The new pack, which is likely replacing the current BYD 7C pack in the Model 3 and Model Y RWD variants, is going to be called the CATL 6M. The last time we had a CATL LFP pack in the RWD variants was back in 2021.

This pack will be bringing a 6% increase in overall capacity, from 60.1 kWh to 62.5 kWh. At about a 4% increase in energy, it’s not a huge jump, but the pack is also expected to bring improved charging performance due to a higher nominal capacity and voltage. Another benefit will be its reduced mass, with the new battery pack being about 44 pounds (20 kg) lighter. These items all contribute to range and charging performance, so we could potentially see a range increase in these RWD models.

However, Tesla previously software locked the extra 2.5 kWh to match the BYD packs that were being shipped at the same time as the CATL packs – which mostly just resulted in slightly improved charging performance and better battery longevity.

Pack Chemistry

This pack is an LFP – or Lithium Iron Phosphate. LFP packs have more stable chemistry, resulting in less degradation, but less energy density for weight. They also perform poorly in contrast to their NMC siblings in extreme cold or extreme heat. However, they can be charged to 100% all the time, and Tesla actually recommends this. We wrote about Tesla’s battery tech in detail, for those looking for more information.

There is a possibility that manganese will be introduced into this new pack. Manganese improves energy density, and also helps with low-temperature performance, which would help to mitigate some of the concerns with today’s current LFP packs in places that see cold weather on the regular, like Canada or the Nordic nations.

Release Date? North America?

This battery back likely won’t come to North America now, due to tariffs against Chinese batteries and cells. Customers in Europe, Asia, and other markets can expect to see these batteries in their vehicles sometime next year while Tesla works on other solutions to provide the North American market with a cost-competitive LFP pack that’s sourced from materials within the continent.

With the latest FSD update, Tesla has updated its new Speed Profiles feature, which was introduced with FSD v12.5.5. The new FSD speed profiles are Chill, Standard, and Hurry, but they were limited to highway use.

This is how each profile affects the way FSD drives:

• Chill focuses on slower lanes and minimal lane changes, which is ideal for those preferring a steady pace with minimal lane changes.

• Standard replaces Average, offering a balanced approach that adjusts to traffic speed but remains neutral in lane positioning.

• Hurry, formerly Assertive, is designed for faster driving and frequent lane changes. It aims to reduce travel time by prioritizing overtaking and occupying the left lane on highways.

Changes to Speed Profiles

Initially, these speed profiles were limited to highways only. However, with the release of FSD 12.5.6.2, Tesla’s AI lead, Ashok Elluswamy, confirmed that these new profiles are now available on any road that has a speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h) or higher.

For now, roads with speed limits lower than this still have no speed profiles associated with them. However, this will likely change as Tesla continues to work on and improve the Speed Profiles for lower speed limits.

FSD 12.5.6.2 brings FSD profiles to city streets! Woohoo! The profiles are so good, and so far Hurry doesn’t seem to have speed degradation… But need more driving to confirm. https://t.co/c0cOfnlp4E pic.twitter.com/P1fOLGAJ5k

— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) November 6, 2024

Release Date

This update will likely be available to more AI4-equipped vehicles in the coming weeks, assuming all testing with the early-access owners goes well. Tesla rolls out FSD updates in phases to help ensure the safety of its users. You can expect it to land in your vehicle within the next two to three weeks. The next major update to FSD after FSD 12.5.6 is expected to be FSD v13, which Tesla said they expect to have ready for some AI4 vehicles around Thanksgiving. Given the slow release of FSD 12.5.6, we wouldn’t be surprised if the FSD v13 timeline slipped a few weeks.

Hardware 3 owners are not expected to receive this update anytime soon—V12.5.4.2 just began being widely available for HW3 and AI4 vehicles.