Tesla redesigned its iPhone app to include home screen widgets and instant commands

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Tesla is pushing out a pretty big update to its iOS smartphone app that includes the addition of two home screen widgets, improved vehicle management, and new visuals, reports Tesla Software Updates.  

The biggest update, in my opinion, is the ability to send commands to your car immediately. Before the update, users had to wait for the vehicle to wake up, which in some cases could take up to 60 seconds.

The addition of two homescreen widgets is a welcoming sign too. Both widgets include information about the vehicle, like battery percentage, location, lock status, a rendered image of the vehicle, and the time the information was last updated. 

The new app also removed the charging section of the app. Charging information is now displayed only when the vehicle is being charged, along with new options to unlock the charging port door and some nifty new animations. 

There are also updates to the controls and climate menus, all of which are detailed here in this report via Tesla Software Updates.

It’s been a while since Tesla updated its iOS app, so it’s nice to see the company give it a fresh coat of paint every once in a while. 

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Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com.