Tesla Spring Update Software Announced: “Hey Grok”, Dashcam Improvements, More Coming Soon

Tesla has dropped a preview for a major software update with several new features and deep improvements to aspects of existing car functionality. The 2026 Spring update will be released soon, although there is no specific date. It will roll out to owners of all eligible Tesla car models automatically via an over-the-air update, in phases. The announcement, made via social media, comes just a day after the smaller 2026.8.6 update which introduced some minor new features and UI tweaks.

The biggest change that Tesla owners in many countries will notice is a new Full Self Driving app with a dedicated UI. This will be available on cars with the company’s in-house AI4 hardware. Usage statistics are front and centre, possibly incentivising drivers to use FSD more often with a large percentage indicator and streaks. It also makes it easy for owners to sign up for the new compulsory monthly subscription. Tesla owners in India will not be able to use this yet as the company has not officially launched its assisted driving feature here, even though it has been selling FSD as a ₹6 lakh add-on since it first launched the Model Y here last year.

A new “Hey Grok” wake word will allow hands-free use of Tesla’s conversational voice assistant, powered by sister company xAI. The company suggests using location-based reminders, which can kick in when you are close to a specific destination.

Dashcam footage is now preserved for up to 24 hours, not just one hour. Clips can be saved permanently from within the Dashcam Viewer app. Tesla says that footage is still never transmitted from a car to its own servers.

Trip statistics including current average mileage and distance travelled since the last charge can now be seen on the home screen, by swiping left on the media controls. Weather maps will show rain and snow more distinctly, and weather data for the past hour can be seen at any point on a route. Rear seat passengers will get an interactive route map on their screen mirroring what the driver sees.  

Blind spot alerts will use a Tesla’s internal ambient lighting to make sure warnings are noticeable. If an oncoming object is detected in the path of a driver about to make a turn or when parked, the car’s internal lighting will flash red on that side.

Another UI tweak is the renaming of Dog Mode to Pet Mode. Users can now customise the display with an image of a dog, cat, or even a cartoon hedgehog, plus your pet’s name.

New Model 3 and Model Y owners get a high-quality visualisation of their car on its internal screen. On-screen avatars of the Model S and X can be customised with multicoloured wraps, tinted windows, and even specific license plates. For fun, the Sketchpad app now supports stickers and emojis that can be placed on a drawing. Images can also be saved and shared easily.

The new Model 3 and Model Y also get upgraded Premium Immersive Sound, which the company says creates an immersive, realistic soundstage when used with streaming music apps. The Apple Music and Spotify apps also make it easier to queue up tracks and mark them as favourites.

Finally, software updates can now be installed automatically at night when a Tesla car is parked and not in use, if the owner wants.

It is possible that not all of the features listed in Tesla's official announcement will be supported on all models and generations. More details will be known when the update goes live. 

There’s no sign of any AI-powered age verification features based on code recently discovered in Tesla software. It’s likely that additional undocumented capabilities or features undergoing development will be discovered when enthusiasts are able to examine the Spring Update closely. Tesla has also still not finalised support for Apple CarPlay, which is expected to roll out soon, as several leaks have indicated.