The official Tesla app can now turn an Apple Watch into a digital car key, with even greater functionality on the way with an update due in Australia.
The Tesla app has been updated to include compatibility with an Apple Watch for the first time, with basic functions set to be bolstered when the 2024 Holiday update is launched in Australia.
The newfound compatibility – which is live now – enables Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners to use their Apple Watch as a digital key, meaning owners no longer need a smartphone to unlock their Tesla or rely on a third-party provided smartwatch app.
The update (4.39.5) means you can also use an Apple Watch to check battery charge status, remotely turn the vehicle’s climate control on or off, and even open the frunk (Tesla-speak for ‘front trunk’, the under-bonnet storage area).
The functionality does not require a vehicle software update but demands Apple watchOS 11 or later to access.
The update usurps many third-party apps offering the same features but is expected to add more capability – given the way Tesla has rolled out features in the past – with upcoming updates.
It comes after Tesla CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Elon Musk threatened to ban Apple devices from his businesses – which include social media platform X, rocket-making SpaceX and Tesla, among others – in June 2024 over the smartphone maker’s new ‘Apple Intelligence’ feature.
Apple cancelled plans in early 2024 to develop an electric car of its own, with reports it was at one point working with Tesla rival BYD, which overtook Tesla in global electric cars sales for the first time in late 2023.
The 2024 Holiday vehicle software update rolling out in the US now enables dashcam and Sentry Mode clips – Tesla’s security system which sets cameras to record if suspicious activity is detected around the car – to be viewed on a smartphone.
This enables dashcam footage, for instance, to be shared with law enforcement and/or insurance companies quickly and easily.
Vehicle features enabled by the update include Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, as well as Autoshift on the latest Model 3, which does not have steering column stalks, for an automatic shift between Drive and Reverse to assist parking manoeuvres.
November 2024 saw Tesla record its eighth consecutive month of falling sales in Australia, with 2540 sales according to the Electric Vehicle Council, a year-on-year decline of 35.5 per cent.
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