Tesla unveils 2025 Holiday Update with a handful of intriguing, smaller enhancements
Bold takeaway: this year’s holiday update isn’t packed with blockbuster features, but it introduces several practical and playful improvements that enhance daily driving and in-car experiences. And this is the part most people miss: the updates focus more on usability and fun tweaks than revolutionary changes, yet they still offer meaningful conveniences.
Overview
Tesla has confirmed the 2025 Holiday Update, continuing a yearly tradition of rolling out a collection of features during December. While past iterations spotlighted major apps or deeper system integrations, this year leans toward smaller, more approachable enhancements that owners can enjoy over the holiday break. The official release notes are summarized here for quick reference.
Key features, listed in the order Elon Tesla announced them (from most to least impactful):
Grok with Navigation Commands (Beta)
In a familiar move across the auto industry, Tesla integrates Grok, an AI assistant developed by xAI—the company led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Earlier attempts only ran Grok on the car’s system without car-side interaction. Now, Grok can interact with certain vehicle functions, starting with navigation. Users can have Grok add and edit destinations, effectively acting as a personal travel assistant. To enable navigation commands, set Grok’s personality to “Assistant.”
Tesla Photobooth
A playful addition lets you turn the car into a photobooth. Take selfies from inside, apply fun filters, stickers, and emojis, and share them directly from the Tesla app. Activation is under Toybox > Photobooth.
Dog Mode Live Activity
Dog Mode gains a Live Activity feed for iPhone users. When Dog Mode is on, you’ll receive periodic cabin snapshots plus live updates on temperature, battery status, and climate conditions.
Dashcam Viewer Update
The Dashcam viewer now surfaces additional data with clips, including speed, steering wheel angle, and self-driving state.
Santa Mode
A festive visual upgrade adds snowmen, trees, a chime, and snow effects for a 3D holiday display. Activate by selecting Santa in Toybox.
Light Show Update
A new lighting option accompanies the song “Jingle Rush.” You can play it instantly or schedule up to 10 minutes ahead, either for a single car or in sync with friends. Interior lighting, display color effects, and longer custom shows are supported.
Custom Wraps and License Plates
Visual customization features return with wraps, window tints, and personalized license plates. Use preloaded designs or create/upload your own via USB to customize appearance. Access this via Paint Shot in Toybox.
Navigation Improvements
The navigation UI gets a few tweaks: reorder your favorites and pin locations for Home or Work anywhere on the map. Suggested destinations based on recent trips and patterns are now viewable while parked.
Supercharger Site Map
A 3D view of select Supercharger sites appears in navigation. Tapping View Site Map shows the layout and live occupancy (Available/Occupied/Down) upon arrival, aiding planning and potentially supporting future reservation-style features.
Automatic HOV Lanes Routing
The system can route you through high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes when eligible. The feature considers time, location, passenger count, and road restrictions. Accessed via Controls > Navigation > Use HOV Lanes.
Phone Left Behind Chime
If a phone key is left inside the cabin or on the wireless charger and no occupants are detected, the car will chime a few seconds after doors close. Requires UWB-enabled devices for phone key detection.
Charge Limit per Location
When parked, a location-specific charge limit can be saved and automatically applied the next time charging occurs at that spot. Settings found under Controls > Charging.
SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator
Aspiring astronauts can test docking with the International Space Station in a 3D simulator that mirrors NASA-style interfaces. Access via Arcade > SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator.
Other improvements
- Wireless charging pad toggles in Controls (S3XY) or Outlets & Mods (Cybertruck).
- Add Spotify tracks to your queue directly from the search screen and browse large playlists and libraries without excessive paging.
- Enhanced ambiance in Rave Cave with rainbow-inspired lighting that syncs to music (App Launcher > Toybox > Light Sync).
- Lock Sound now features a Tron-like Light Cycle effect (Toybox > Boombox > Lock Sound).
Availability
Feature access depends on vehicle hardware and regional availability.
Electrek’s take
Overall, the 2025 Holiday Update is a mixed bag, typical of Tesla’s seasonal drops. Some features lean toward novelty, like Photobooth, while others offer real value, especially in navigation and in-car activity. It’s a solid upgrade for those who enjoy small but meaningful enhancements on top of existing capabilities.
If you’d like to dive deeper, you can read the full Electrek coverage linked in the original notes.
