Tesla iOS app update lets you ask Siri to lock the doors
Tesla's latest update for its iOS app has added support for Apple's Shortcuts, enabling drivers to instruct their vehicles to perform various commands, simply by asking Siri.
Tesla
The update to version 4.24.0 appeared in the App Store on Saturday, to little fanfare from Tesla itself. The change is listed with a single sentence: "Access your vehicle controls and climate from the Apple Shortcuts app."
The Tesla app previously provided owners with many different actions that they could perform on their car remotely, via their iPhone. With the addition of Siri Shortcuts support, Tesla North reports drivers can now perform many of the actions using a "Hey Siri" command with an iPhone or Apple Watch, instead of needing to access the app manually.
The list of commands that Siri Shortcuts can work with includes unlocking and locking the Tesla, opening and closing the frunk and trunk, opening the charge port, and starting and stopping charging. Siri can also be used to enable and disable Sentry Mode and Dog Mode, as well as many other basic functions.
Adding Siri Shortcuts support is the latest move Tesla has made to adapt to Apple's device ecosystem.
In December, Apple Music support rolled out to Tesla cars as part of a holiday software update. Meanwhile in July, code snippets in the iOS app indicated that AirPlay support was being tested by the car producer.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Why? Because anybody who has EVER used CarPlay knows it's 100% optional. If you don't want to use it, you literally never have too. We've purchased 4 brand new vehicles since 2018 and every one of them came with both CarPlay & Android Auto except my 2021 Model Y. And while I've used nothing but a iPhone since 2009.. I'm still thrilled that my vehicle has Android Auto because guess what.. Im not the only person who will ever drive my vehicle. If my sister wants to borrow my car and she has an Android phone.. all she has to do is connect her phone to my car and she instantly has the same infotainment interface that she's been used to using for the past 5 years. Its because of these reasons.. in my opinion, every 2023 vehicle should come with CarPlay and Android Auto. Both are 100% optional to use. I'll never understand the simp standpoint that somehow having fewer options.. is better than having more. As the customer give me everything reasonably possible and let ME decide what I want to use.. or not use.
As for why CarPlay is still very much viable on a Tesla.. it's because Tesla has done a horrible job rolling out new native streaming apps, updating old native streaming apps, and adding additional capabilities to the Navigation and phone/text message systems. The Model S has been around for over 10 years now.. and only in the past year Tesla has just rolled out native Apple music and added waypoints to their Navigation. For several years streaming music in a Tesla meant using Slacker Radio. Only a few years ago was Spotify finally added and guess what.. even now Spotify still requires a PREMIUM subscription to use. So that's $10 a month for Spotify premium + $10 more a month for Tesla premium connectivity.. who doesn't want to pay $20 a month to stream music in the car? Meanwhile CarPlay & Android Auto are both still 100% free to use.. stream in higher quality thanks to a larger bitrate.. use the 5G connection on your smartphone instead of the older 4G/LTE stuff in the car.. and have over 100 streaming apps! And I promise you those CarPlay apps will get updated 100x quicker than Tesla updates its native apps. Tesla FINALLY updated the native Spotify app just this month with the latest software update. Spotify has been buggy as hell for years and finally 3 years later its gets a modern interface.
Tesla now has how many native audio streaming apps... 7?? Seven lol!!! As far as NAV goes.. I agree Tesla's in-car NAV works well.. but guess what.. it doesn't show me where the police are hiding or speeding/stoplight cameras like Waze. Or report accidents, road debris, construction, detours, weather, stranded vehicles, or any of the countless other features Waze reports. Apple Maps is still much better when it comes to actual lane guidance, vocal directions, and overall presentation.. plus it also gives haptic feedback on my Apple Watch for every turn meaning I can mute the voice guidance entirely and STILL get physical prompts when its time to turn. Meanwhile, Tesla still doesn't have a WatchOS app. Finally, nothing works better for search, POI, or reviews than Google Maps.
At the end of the day, I should be able to choose which apps I want to use for audio streaming and navigation in my vehicle.. regardless of which manufacturer's logo is on the steering wheel. The idea that I should be forced to use only what Tesla allows me to use.. is the lamest excuse possible.
Likewise, I typically add location information to my calendar appointments. When I use CarPlay my upcoming appointments are available and I’m presented with the option to get directions to the next appointment. With CarPlay that information isn’t shared with a third-party. If I had a Tesla how would that work without having that info shared somehow?
Tesla navigation was always giving us the wrong directions here in AZ. It was even mistaking the 202 S for the 202 N. I pray that this has been fixed, for the sake of other people’s safety. It was a nightmare from time to time, and we never have these issues with Apple Maps (me) or Google Maps (fiancé).
I know that every navigational system has flaws, but Tesla and their lack of options was a huge problem for my family.
I have a Tesla model Y and I concur with @Daekwan - Tesla does a lot of things well but the software interface is not one of them. My biggest complaint is podcasts. You have a choice of TuneIn and Spotify. TuneIn makes FordSync look like a work of art. Spotify is better but that’s faint praise. You have to pay for a premium subscription. It doesn’t remember which podcasts you’ve listened to or where you were in a podcast and it will frequently get stuck and fail to play any new content unless you log out and back in again. The Apple Music app will also frequently log me out which is a pain because you need to scan a QR code with your phone to log in meaning you have to pull over and stop the car.
As far as maps goes, the Tesla NAV quite good and is on par with Apple maps IME. In addition it locates superchargers, will precondition the battery for charging and for longer trips will plan charging stops. I’ve found the road hazzard info in Apple Maps to be woefully inaccurate so I don’t miss that at all.
As noted by others the value add is seamless integration with the iOS ecosystem - saved locations, suggested locations from Messages or Calendar, etc. That does not happen with a siloed infotainment system.
As I see it (my EV-6 has Car Play but I don't use it) Car Play and Android Auto places a great chunk of the infortainment system out of reach of the car maker. Some may not care about that one little bit but for others, the 'connected' car is a great source of user data. Once they get it, they can sell it just like Google does.
IMHO, it is all about control.