Tesla announces 2026 Summer Release: Grok controls the car, preferred routes, wraps from the app, and more

On July 21, 2026, Tesla (@Tesla) published the Summer Release 2026 article on X with full release notes for its seasonal software package. Per Electrek and Teslarati, the update expands Grok, improves predictive navigation, moves features into the mobile app, and adds family controls for the rear screen. Not a Tesla App suggests the build may be 2026.26, though Tesla has not confirmed the version number in the official post.

Grok controls more of the car

The headline change is expanded Grok voice commands. Tesla says the assistant can make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla. Electrek notes Grok arrived in July 2025 as a chatbot with no vehicle control; the “Hey Grok” wake word landed with the Spring Update 2026, and now the assistant covers calls, media, climate, and the glovebox on top of navigation already available.

Not a Tesla App adds that with this update Grok will be available across all of Europe, including navigation commands and the new vehicle-control features. It is unclear whether ventilated or heated seats are included in this wave, but the outlet suggests they may follow soon.

Navigation that learns your routine

Two map upgrades go hand in hand. Automatic Navigation no longer stops at Home, Work, and calendar events: the car can suggest and route to recurring destinations—such as a school drop-off on the way to work or the gym on the way home—based on your driving pattern.

Preferred Routes means that when multiple paths exist, the system prioritizes roads you have actually driven instead of always defaulting to the fastest calculated route.

For trip planning, Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App lets you pick your desired battery percentage on arrival from your phone—a setting that already existed in the vehicle since update 2024.44 and can now be configured before you get in.

Another smaller change: you can search for Superchargers by name (e.g. “Tesla Diner”) in addition to street address.

Mobile app, customization, and rear screen

Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App: view and share autonomous-driving statistics—streaks, monthly mileage, and totals—from the phone, not only on the dashboard.

Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App: upload custom wraps for the 3D car rendering without a USB drive. Tesla maintains templates and instructions in its public custom-wraps GitHub repo.

Rear Display Lock: rear passengers can watch content on the back screen, but only the front row controls playback—relevant on rear-screen Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck trims.

Entertainment and other improvements

Caraoke with Scoring rates your singing while the vehicle is in Park and saves high scores to your driver profile—Caraoke has existed since 2019 and Tesla even sells microphones in its shop.

Among the smaller items listed by Tesla and summarized by Teslarati:

• Queue Apple Music tracks from search and artist pages.
• Set your preferred zoom level for the FSD visualization.
• The in-car browser now supports cabin camera and microphone access (with user permission), opening the door to apps like Discord, Google Meet, or Teams.
• Intro animations for the redesigned Model 3 and Model Y.

Rollout and what to expect

Tesla described the Summer Release as “rolling out shortly.” As always, distribution is staged in waves: it may take weeks to reach every vehicle, and owners on the latest FSD branches typically wait longer until features merge into their build. Not a Tesla App cautions that with mass rollout not yet started, additional region-specific features may still appear beyond today’s list.

Teslarios is not affiliated with Tesla, Inc. Availability, version numbers, and regional scope may vary by model, hardware, and market.