Tesla’s holiday update brings a range of fun and practical features, such as Grok navigation, a brand-new Santa Mode, and a 3D Supercharger map—features many people may already be familiar with. However, the real charm of Tesla’s holiday update often lies in a series of smaller additions.
These easily overlooked updates are often the ones that bring the most delightful everyday surprises to owners. From checking your pet’s status directly on the lock screen to piloting Dragon to dock with the International Space Station, here’s a detailed look at everything else included in the Tesla holiday update.
1. Dog Mode Live Activity
Tesla has upgraded the peace-of-mind factor for pet owners with a new Live Activity integration for iOS users. Instead of needing to unlock your phone and open the app to check on your pet, a dynamic widget now sits on your lock screen or Dynamic Island.
The widget shows a photo of the cabin’s interior, updated every minute, so you can easily see what your dog is up to. It also includes the current temperature inside the car and a timestamp of when the photo and data was last updated.
If you’re using your phone, the widget appears in the dynamic island and includes the Dog Mode icon and the vehicle's current temperature. Tapping the dynamic island will show the whole widget with the photo.
2. Charge Limit By Location
Beyond the flashy visuals, this update also brings some serious utility for your daily commutes.
You can now set a Charge Limit by Location, which sets a maximum charge limit for your current location while parked. If you want to charge to 50% at a particular location, but 80% or 100% at others, your vehicle will now remember these preferences automatically. No need to remember to toggle the charging slider back and forth.
You can set per-location charge limits while you are plugged in at that location, from inside your vehicle in Controls > Charging > Set Limit at this Location, or through the mobile app in Charging > Charge Limit by Location.
3. Phone Left Behind
Tesla’s Holiday Update will now remind you whether you left your phone in your vehicle. All vehicles that include wireless chargers will receive this feature. However, there are two different features available and the one you receive will depend on your exact model and your phone.
If your Model 3/Y supports ultrawide-band, then your vehicle will be able to warn you if you leave your phone anywhere in your vehicle. Otherwise, you’ll be reminded only if your phone was left on the charger.
4. Photobooth
While Photobooth may look gimmicky, it’s actually a well-executed, fun experience. This feature lets you capture fun moments and edit them with props just like at a real photo booth. Taking the photo is just where the fun begins. Tesla then lets you add countless props and fun features to the photo.
You can then access the photo directly from your phone and save it to your camera roll.
5. New Santa Mode
Santa Mode is easily one of Tesla’s most popular toybox features, so it’s no surprise that Tesla decided to revamp it this year. The reindeer, sleigh, and “Santa” have all been updated, and Tesla now features a festive version of stop signs, traffic lights, and more.
6. Grok Navigation Commands
Grok’s new navigation commands are a game-changer. They’re accurate, fast, and convenient. If you have multiple destinations to add, don’t remember the exact name of a location, or want to add a destination in a more conversational way, Grok solves all of these problems.
You can now simply say, ‘Navigate to the nearest Taco Bell,’ or ‘Navigate to the airport, but stop by a local donut shop on the way.’ Grok makes this fun and easy.
7. Dashcam Viewer
Tesla has improved its Dashcam feature by integrating vehicle telemetry into every video clip. The frame-by-frame data can be accessed either in the vehicle or via the Tesla app.
Tesla also created a tool that lets you view the precise data if you need a more detailed look at the data.
8. Paint Shop
Tesla’s new Paint Shop is probably the most exciting part of the Holiday Update. While Grok Navigation Commands are helpful, the Paint Shop is pure fun to play with.
You can create a custom wrap for your vehicle, letting the vehicle’s visualization match your exact vehicle, or you can have some fun and make something creative.
9. 3D Supercharger Maps
Tesla has started creating 3D views of each Supercharger location. While this feature is currently limited to 18 pilot locations, it provides a realistic, real-time view of each Supercharger location.
Tesla isn’t just showing which spots are open in these 3D representations. They’re letting you view the exact status of each Supercharger stall. Tesla is even showing the Tesla model that is charging at each stall. Look closely, and you’ll see a Model Y, Cybertruck, or Model X charging.
10. Navigation Improvements
Tesla also made it easier to see your home and work location. You can now long-press on any spot on the map to bring up a new widget that lets you navigate to that location or set it as a home or work.
Tesla also changed the Navigate button while you’re parked. The Home and Work icons have moved onto the same line, and below it, you now have two suggestions based on your location and time of day.
Tesla is also pinning all of your favorites, home, and work locations directly on the map. They stay as persistent pins on the map, just like local points of interest.
This makes it much easier to orient yourself as you move the map around and makes it obvious when you’re near one of your favorites, such as a friend’s home, restaurant, or other favorite location.
11. SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator
Tesla has also added a new flagship title to the Tesla Arcade: the SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator. Accessed via Arcade > SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator, this game puts you in the pilot’s seat of a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
This isn’t a simple arcade blaster, though; the controls are based on the actual interfaces used by NASA astronauts to dock with the International Space Station. Your objective is simple - gently dock your capsule with the ISS at the correct speed and angle - it is far more challenging than it looks.
12. Light Shows & Audio Tweaks
Tesla rounds out the update with a series of smaller enhancements.
This includes a new Light Show called Jingle Rush. The new lightshow takes advantage of recent improvements to flash the interior screen color in classic Christmas colors.
Tesla has also been slowly improving the recently introduced Ambient Lighting music sync. Now, Rave Mode, which is only available while parked, has received a new feature - Rainbow Rave. When enabled, your ambient lights will pulse through the full spectrum of available colors, matching the beat of your music - rather than just the album color or preset color.
The Spotify App has also received a fresh new coat of polish, including the ability to add tracks directly to your listening queue from search and the ability to scroll through massive playlists without pagination. However, the latter is limited to AMD Ryzen vehicles. Sadly, still no Spotify DJ or Hi-Fi support.
Finally, Tesla has also made the fan-favorite Light Cycle lock sound introduced in Tron Mode into a default Lock Sound option, saving you the hassle of needing to find and download it. If that isn’t your thing, you can check out our extensive library of lock sounds here.
13. Undocumented Changes
Tesla always includes a batch of undocumented changes in every release, and the Holiday Update isn’t any different.
One of the first is a new “Try Car Wash Mode” prompt that appears as you’re nearing a car wash. It provides a quick way to get into Car Wash Mode without needing to dig into the menus to get to it.
Another convenient feature is the ability to monitor your dashcam USB storage. Under Controls > Safety, you can now see the available space on your USB drive.
Tapping into the little (I) next to the storage space indicator will show you a more detailed breakdown of the storage availability.
Tesla also made some improvements to the Service Screen Vehicle Avatar. On the bottom right of the avatar, your custom license plate is now displayed, along with a shortcut to jump to the new Wraps and License Plates feature in the Toybox.
14. Unreal Visualizations
Tesla has finally expanded the new Unreal Engine visualizations from the 2026 Model S and X to all 2021+ Model S/X vehicles.
The visuals and camera angles are more detailed, and the visualization that appears on the center screen can now be panned and zoomed, just like on the Model 3 and Model Y.
In addition, Tesla has added quick suspension controls to the main Controls menu, so users no longer have to dig into the Suspension tab.
That’s just the start of what we’ve seen so far - and there will be more when we uncover all the undocumented changes in this year’s holiday update.
