News
Tesla launches Holiday Update: Apple Watch app, Sentry Mode upgrades, and more
Tesla has officially launched its Holiday Update for 2024, and in typical fashion, the company is rolling out some major features and improvements to owners.
Tesla typically launches a massive update toward the end of the year with upgrades and new features on a regular basis. 2024 has some features that have been long requested, and the company is making sure to reward owners with them.
The holiday update features a lot of new things, but the most requested feature that Tesla came through on for owners is the addition of an app for the Apple Watch. Tesla has been working on this for several months, as we reported recently that the company was planning to launch some sort of smartwatch app according to source coding.
— Tesla (@Tesla) December 2, 2024
Additionally, Dashcam and Sentry Mode footage can be saved from the Tesla app to your phone to edit and share, something that was not previously available for owners.
Here are all the features Tesla is adding with the 2024 Holiday Update:
Tesla App on Apple Watch
“Use your Apple Watch as your phone key. You can also view battery charge, open frunk & turn on climate control.”
Save Dashcam & Sentry Mode Clips to Phone
“Watch Dashcam & Sentry Mode clips directly from the Tesla app and save them to your phone to edit or share.”
Autoshift between Drive & Reverse on stalkless Model 3
“Autoshift on stalkless Model 3 can now automatically shift between Drive & Reverse to handle parking lot maneuvers & multi-point turns”
SirusXM
“SiriusXM now availabel for Model 3, Y, and Cybertruck”
Set Arrival Energy at Destination
“You can now set a preferred battery charge level for when you arrive at your destination”
Search Along Route with Estimated Detour Times
“When navigating, search results are now filtered to show options along your route & estimated detour times”
Precipitation Map & Weather at Destination
“View precipitation directly on the map to check the weather at your destination”
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
“When in Reverse, your vehicle will alert you if it detects a pedestrian or vehicle crossing behind you. An audible warning will also play if a cross-traffic object is detected”
Cybertruck Custom Wraps and License Plate Customization
“Personalize your Cybertruck avatar with a custom wrap & license plate! Use one of many preloaded designs or create and upload custom ones using a USB flash drive. Details on template and instructions will be published via Github”
Cybertruck Rear Camera Improvements
“The rear camera feed is now larger & you can pinch to zoom in or out”
TuneIn
“TuneIn Radio on Tesla is now much better & still completely free with no setup needed”
Cybertruck Rear Arcade
“Play games from the backseat while cruising around”
Cybertruck Santa Mode
“Ho ho ho! Santa Mode changes your Cybertruck avatar into Santa’s sleigh including reindeers, elves, and more”
Schedule Light Show from the Tesla App
“Remotely schedule Light Shows from the Tesla app, including the two new Light Shows in the 2024 Holiday Update”
Boomerang Fu
“Slice & dice your friends with boomerangs in this action-packed party game”
Fart on Contact
“Prank your friends with each new bum detection…Sit happens”
Adjust Passenger Seat from Controls
“The new Seats control panel allows you to adjust the position of the unoccupied passenger seat, including second-row seats”
Maintenance Summary
“You can now view & track maintenance items from your vehicle’s touchscreen”
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Tesla Cybercab sightings are broadening far and wide, well outside of downtown Austin, Texas, with autonomy in focus as the company plans to launch the all-electric, two-seater this evening in the Lone Star State.
Tesla is set to launch Cybercab to a small group of people this evening in a dedicated event in Austin, Texas. Public details on the event are relatively slim.
However, Tesla’s focus on Cybercab falls well outside of the downtown Austin area and is expanding well across the United States as things continue to move quickly with the company’s autonomous efforts in 2026. Today, various images of Cybercab fleets in interesting locations have started to circulate.
The most notable is a fleet of at least 20 Cybercabs at Miami International Airport in Florida. Spotted last night, the fleet is expansive and is indicative of a looming release of Cybercabs once regulatory boxes are checked off.
Tesla has already been operating the Robotaxi platform in Miami for several months, but this Cybercab fleet at the airport could be joining the ride-hailing platform as approvals arrive:
20+ Cybercabs spotted near Miami international airport. pic.twitter.com/ORLsw8yFhf
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 3, 2026
Another fleet of Cybercabs was spotted at the Devon, PA showroom just outside of Philadelphia. We have seen several Cybercab units testing around the Philadelphia Metro Area, which is interesting considering Tesla does not have any active Robotaxi geofence in Pennsylvania.
Cybercab at the Devon location in PA has multiplied over the weekend. Seeing a few more test vehicles in the lot 👀 pic.twitter.com/DhJT4P1EkU
— Billy (@billykyle) August 22, 2026
Philadelphia would be an ideal location to test ride-hailing due to its dense tourist population, large, sprawling city layout, and to compete with other ride-hailing companies that operate in the city.
Expansive fleets of Cybercabs will be popping up in and around major cities throughout the rest of the year, if we were betting on it. Tesla has made it obvious that the Cybercab rollout will be aggressive and fast-paced, but within reason. Tesla is still prioritizing safety, so these testing phases will likely go on for some period of time before more members of the public are able to snag a Cybercab for a personal chariot.
The Tesla Model Y L is arguably the most hyped trim of the all-electric crossover, other than the Performance configuration that comes with white-knuckle speed and sports car-level handling.
However, it is not all perfect. Tesla owners in China who took delivery of the Model Y L, denoted with an L to highlight its longer wheelbase, are experiencing what they are referring to as “collapsing” of the rear wheels, as suspension issues appear to be an issue with some of the builds.
🚨 Model Y L owners in China report rear suspension sag
• Six-seat long-wheelbase Y. Shanghai. On sale since August 2025
• Owners say the rear tire-to-arch gap shrinks after mileage or a full load. Some cases after about 9,000 km loaded. Others near 30,000 km
• Tesla service… pic.twitter.com/Lr6i5Tbi07— Joe Hansen (@joehansen) September 1, 2026
The gap between the wheel arch and tire has narrowed to the point that “not even a single finger” could fit, according to a report from Car News China. The failures are not tied to a specific mileage, as one owner said that after just 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles), they noticed the suspension issue when their car was fully loaded.
Another one had the issue at 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) and noticed that the wheel gap shrank to two fingers, so not as drastic as the person who reported a similar issue at 9,000 km.
Tesla Model Y L is gaining momentum in China’s premium segment
Along with the visual recognition of the issue, others are saying the sagging is causing abnormal wear on the inside of the tires. Extra weight and instant torque already provide additional stress on the tires in electric vehicles during normal operation, so it is no surprise that this is another complaint.
There has been no recall issued by Tesla, and the company has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.
Some are suggesting that owners use a “finger test” to self-diagnose whether there is an issue with the suspension. There should be four fingers between the tire and the wheel well; anything less than that starts to get dicey.
Tesla is starting to truly tease and hype its groundbreaking Cybercab event, which takes place tomorrow in Austin, Texas. It will be the first time members of the public will be able to ride in a Cybercab, a vehicle without any manual controls, on public roads.
Tesla has been dropping some hype on X over the past several days, but this morning, the excitement has truly started to build up for the event. Although Cybercab has been unveiled before, this is truly Tesla’s announcement that it is ready to start offering autonomous rides for public passengers in its new ride-hailing-geared vehicle for the first time.
The hype has started with a variety of different social media posts that are a true indication that Tesla is preparing for something big. Teasing so much of the potential of Cybercab, including its ability to truly revolutionize how people hail rides for local travel, is what the big idea for the event entails. The time that many Tesla owners, fans, and investors have been waiting for is potentially here:
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 2, 2026
The event has remained slim on details. Even invitees are still awaiting true details about what the event will entail, where they’ll go, and what is in store for the evening. This is pretty typical for an event run by Tesla; they keep things under wraps for the most part until the very last minute.
However, there is no secret about what the real intention of Tesla is for this event: it is going to be a huge reveal party for a vehicle that has no steering wheel and no pedals. It is a truly massive step for the company moving forward.
No steering wheel, no pedals
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) September 2, 2026
Speculation persists as to whether this is going to be an event that simply announces that rides will begin with the Cybercab, or it will be something more substantial. Tesla has said in the past that they plan to sell the Cybercab to the general public in what could become a great way to earn passive income by adding it to a more global fleet of Robotaxi-geared vehicles.
Tomorrow, the show begins in Austin, and the Cybercab goes live at some capacity; we just don’t know exactly how quite yet.
Tesla Cybercab sightings broaden well outside of Austin with autonomy in focus
Tesla Model Y L gets suspension complaints in over odd issue China
