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Tesla’s Holiday Update arrives: Apple Music, Dog Mode improvements, Light Show upgrade
Tesla’s Holiday Software Update is officially rolling out to owners, featuring the long-awaited arrival of Apple Music, improvements to Dog Mode, new features with the Christmas Light Show, and more.
Tesla has started deploying Software Update 2022.44.25.1, as Canadian owner James Locke shared the Holiday Package’s release notes via Twitter.
@Tesla holiday update incoming! This is on our Canadian Model 3 SR+ in the NWT. ❤️ Thank you @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/JGeK9gFr7S
— James Locke (@arctechinc) December 13, 2022
Apple Music
As we reported last week, Tesla will add Apple Music to its vehicles as a part of the Holiday Software Update. After it was spotted on a Tesla unit within an exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum last month, speculation seemed to indicate the automaker would finally add the feature. It has officially arrived.
“Stream over 100 million songs and 30,000 playlists ad-free. Listen to your entire library, discover new music and tune into live radio stations. To access Apple Music, tap the Apple Music icon in the Application Launcher, scan the QR code with your mobile device, and login with your Apple ID,” Tesla wrote in the release notes.
Dog Mode Improvements
Do you wonder what your pup is doing in the car while you’re running a quick errand inside a store? The new improvements to Dog Mode will allow you to do so.
“View the interior camera from the mobile app while using Dog Mode or Sentry Mode. To enable Live Camera, tap Controls > Safety > View Live Camera via Mobile App.
Dog Mode has been widely popular amongst owners as it allows them to keep their pets in their car in a safe environment. The climate is set to a temperature desired by the owner, and a large message tells others that the vehicle is comfortable for the animal to avoid any confusion.
Tesla Dog Mode protects pets from hot interior cabins. (Credit: Tesla)
Scheduled Light Show
Everyone who has followed Tesla for relatively any amount of time knows about the Transiberian Orchestra Light Show with the Model X. Now, Tesla is taking the feature a step further with a scheduled light show, along with new, longer custom shows.
“Schedule the Light Show for up to 10 minutes in advance or watch a multi-car orchestra by setting them to start simultaneously. Celebrate New Year’s with the Auld Land Syne show or create longer custom shows.
Tesla Model Y gets Track Mode
After numerous requests from owners to CEO Elon Musk, it appears Tesla’s Track Mode will also be included in the Holiday Update.
? Track Mode on Model Y Performance is now available with 2022.44.25.1!
— Teslascope (@teslascope) December 13, 2022
In November, Musk confirmed the feature would be added soon. Tesla owners have waited several years for the automaker to add Track Mode to the Model Y Performance.
Top 10 Tesla Track Mode V2 features for the Model 3 Performance
Other Holiday Software Update Features
Tesla has added several other features in the Holiday Update, which are listed below.
- Climate Control Fan Speed
- Adjust fan speed intensity while remaining in AUTO climate by selecting between ‘LO,’ ‘MED,’ and ‘HI’ from the fan intensity selector on the climate control popup.
- myQ Connected Garage
- myQ Connected Garage door openers are now supported. Monitor and control your garage door remotely using your vehicle’s touchscreen. To set up, tap Controls > Locks > myQ Connected Garage > Link Account, and follow the instructions
- Auto Turn Signals
- Turn signals can now automatically deactivate upon completing a land change, fork, or merge. Tap Controls > Lights > Auto Turn Signals
- Mahjong
- The relaxing tile match game has been elevated with a clean, modern design, smooth animations, and calming sounds. Match identical tiles. A tile is playable if it is open on the left or right and isn’t covered by another tile. Continue pairing tiles to clear the board and your mind!
- Confirm Phone Call Transfer
- Active phone calls from a mobile device connected to the vehicle via Bluetooth will now request confirmation before transferring audio to the vehicle.
- Contact Lookup
- Search for contacts from a connected Bluetooth device. To access, tap the Application Launcher > Phone > Contacts > Search icon.
- Media Controls
- Media controls are closer to the driver for easy access. Swipe up to access ‘Recents & Favorites’ and ‘Sources.’ Swipe left or right to also access trips and tire pressure information.
- Emissions Testing Mode via Mobile App
- Emissions Testing Mode can now be used from the Mobile App. Long press any quick controls icon from the home screen and drag the ‘Fart’ icon to the top row.
- Always Rainbows
- Allow your driving visualization to show Rainbow Road when Autopilot is active. To enable, tap the Application Launcher > Toybox > Rainbow Road > Always Rainbows.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Tesla Model Y L gets suspension complaints in over odd issue China
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.
News
Tesla Cybercab event gains steam ahead of massive launch
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.
News
SpaceX tells the FCC that Starship Flight 14 is going to orbit
SpaceX filed with the FCC for Starship Flight 14, its first true orbital launch attempt.
SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to fly Starlink terminals during Starship’s fourteenth flight test, and the filing lays out a genuine trip to orbit, something the program has never attempted.
Every Starship flight so far, including Flight 13’s successful splashdown in the Indian Ocean on July 24, has flown a suborbital arc that ends with the ship reentering the atmosphere within the same hour it launches. The FCC paperwork describes a mission profile built around an actual orbital insertion instead.
The payload is the other half of the story. Flight 13 carried 20 production Starlink V3 satellites, but because that mission never reached orbit, the satellites reentered along with the ship rather than joining the constellation, something Teslarati covered in detail after SpaceX released footage shot from one of those satellites as it drifted away from Starship in space. Flight 14 is designed to close that gap. If the orbital insertion holds, the roughly 20 V3 satellites onboard would separate into an operational orbit and could eventually go into service, each one rated for about 1 terabit per second of downlink capacity by SpaceX’s own account.
SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’
Elon Musk first flagged the orbital attempt during SpaceX’s August 4 earnings call, the company’s first as a public entity following its June IPO under the ticker SPCX. He also floated catching the ship with the Starbase tower on the same flight, an idea he walked back on August 20, saying the catch attempt would more likely come “in a few months,” as Teslarati reported at the time. Flight 14 will instead target a splashdown for the ship in the Indian Ocean, the same recovery method used since Flight 12.
Hardware has been catching up to the ambition. Booster 21 completed a full 33-engine static fire on August 28, and Ship 41 finished its own six-engine test the week before. An airspace briefing circulated to pilots on August 20 listed September 15 as the target date, later than the end of August window Musk mentioned on the earnings call, though SpaceX has not confirmed a launch date publicly and Starship schedules routinely slip while hardware and FAA paperwork line up.
The FCC filing itself does not guarantee a launch date. It covers communications authority, and not flight readiness, considering SpaceX still needs Ship 41 fully stacked and cleared by the FAA before Flight 14 can fly. But the filing is a real marker of intent and it puts a specific regulatory process behind what had so far only been Musk’s word on the earnings call.