Elon Musk

Tesla 2020.4.1 Update Pushes to Refine Newly-Introduced Features

Tesla has begun to roll out its 2020.4.1 update. Based on the release notes for Tesla's 2020.4.1 update, it appears that the electric car maker has not named a new function or capability. Since there doesn't seem to be any new features in 2020.4.1, the latest upgrade may concentrate on refining the additions from Tesla's previous OTA updates.

Tesla enthusiast and Third Row Podcast member Sofiaan Fraval was able to get the 2020.4.1 update for his Tesla Model S recently. Update 2020.4.1 is the first software release for Tesla in 2020. Fraval may be among the first to receive the update.

Based on the recent updates release notes, most features and additions have remained the same. The 2020.4.1 release notes still mention software improvements like Tesla’s new Voice Command feature and Voice Keyboard.

As a refresher, the 2019.40.50 release notes described Voice Command as follows:

“Voice commands have been rebuilt to understand natural language. For this initial release, we focused on commands that minimize having to touch the screen so you can keep your eyes on the road…Anonymized voice commands that are not recognized will be captured for further train and improve the system in future software updates.”

In the latest release notes, there is language support for Danish, which may be an indication of how well Tesla’s Voice Command system is being trained and improving as more people use it.

Meanwhile, for the EVs’ infotainment systems, 2020.4.1’s release notes introduce Twitch to the Tesla Theater, along with games such as Stardew Valley and Backgammon. The release notes for Tesla’s latest updates also cover other features released in the EV automaker's 2019.40.50 upgrade. For example, Voice keyboard, TRAX v0.1, and save Dashcam clips on Honk are included in the release notes as well.

As mentioned previously, Tesla may have refined certain features which were released in its previous updates. TRAX v0.1 may be one of the features Tesla improved. Elon Musk did mention that TRAX would develop over time and become more fun on Twitter. He admitted that the version of TRAX released in 2019 was an alpha version only.

The last update was similar to 2020.4.1. It only concentrated on the refinement of Tesla’s Lane Change upgrade, Automatic Wiper Improvements, and Autosteer Sign Warning. All the enhancements Tesla refined in 2019.40.50.5 seemed to focus on the safety of the company’s vehicles. This should come as welcome improvements for owners who use Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features such as Navigate on Autopilot regularly, as this update will include the latest iteration of Tesla's neural network, which continuously learns and improves from the fleet.  

Tesla may not introduce an update with brand new features, at least for now. It seems that the EV tech giant still believes there are ways to improve their existing products, so it continuously optimizes them. Tesla will probably release a more substantial update with brand new features after the upgrades in 2019.40.50 are fully refined.

Featured Image Credit: Sofiaan Fraval/Twitter

About the Author

Claribelle Deveza

Claribelle Deveza

Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.

Follow me on X

Reading next

Tesla Accessories