Tesla Automatic Software Updates Feature: When It Installs, Battery and Location Requirements – Not a Tesla App

With the 2026 Spring Update, Tesla has introduced a new quality-of-life feature designed to make installing updates easier. While most of us love receiving notifications about new software updates and excitedly look at the changes, it can feel like a chore for regular users, especially if it’s just bug fixes.
This is the idea behind the Standard / Advanced option. Would you rather receive updates earlier, with some potential bugs, and then receive bug fixes later, or wait for a more stable build?
The Automatically Install Updates feature looks to make installing updates seamless, without requiring the user’s permission at all. Phones have been installing updates automatically for years, but while a phone takes just a few minutes to update, a Tesla can take up to 45 minutes, rendering the vehicle useless during that time.
Automatic Updates is off by default, but owners can enable it under Controls > Software > Automatically Install Updates.
Once an update is downloaded automatically, like usual, your Tesla will self-schedule the installation, but the vehicle must meet certain criteria.
Vehicle must be parked at the location you have set as Home
The vehicle must have a minimum charge state of 10% at the time of installation
Right now, you can not set your preferred time of installation, and all automatic updates are scheduled for 2:00 AM your local time.
This is an interesting limitation, since it will obviously interfere with the schedules of a small number of owners. These restrictions are in place to prevent the vehicle from starting an update when you may need it.
While that’s great for safety and usability, it also means that for now, you’ll still need to install updates manually if you happen to be a prolific night driver.
After an update completes, you’ll still receive a push notification letting you know it's finished.
While the automatic updates are part of the much larger Spring Update (2026.14), with features like Hey Grok, Pet Mode improvements, and more, Tesla is also spending time on small features to make the experience even smoother.
This feature is available on the 2021+ Model S/X, All Model 3/Y, and Cybertruck.
Help others discover this article by sharing it.

source