Apple Music rolls out to Tesla cars in holiday software update

By Malcolm Owen

Following brief teases and a very long wait, Tesla is finally adding support for Apple Music to its in-car system, as part of its annual holiday software update.

Tesla

Apple Music has been a high-profile absentee from the Tesla experience for quite some time, with Spotify, TuneIn, and Tidal already accessible in the infotainment system. However, in Tesla's annual Holiday Update for the car's software, it's finally adding Apple Music support.

In a tweet by James Locke, an owner of a Tesla Model 3 SR+, the Apple Music icon is visible as part of the 2022.44.25.1 update.

Access is provided by the Apple Music icon in the Application Launcher. Once launched, users will have to scan a QR code with their iPhone then log in with their Apple ID to authenticate.

While the update will roll out to all users, Apple Music subscribers will need to have a Premium Connectivity subscription for it to work over a cellular connection.

The addition of Apple Music has been long-awaited, with code references in December 2020 pointing to future support. A museum exhibit in November went one further, explicitly including the Apple Music icon in a Tesla exhibit's vehicle.

Other changes in the update include an improvement to Dog Mode that adds a view from the interior camera, a scheduled Light Show feature, and a track mode for the Model Y Performance.

There's also climate control fan speed options, automatically deactivating auto turn signals, emissions testing mode summonable from the mobile app, and an option to always show Mario Kart's Rainbow Road track. for the driving visualization when Autopilot is active,