Tesla Adds ‘Limited’ Range of New Siri Commands for Model 3 Vehicles

Tesla may be having trouble meeting production goals for its hot-ticket electric vehicles (EVs) like the Model 3 — but that didn’t stop the company from pushing a software-level update this week which allows Model 3 owners to utilize a range of Siri-based voice commands to control certain aspects of their vehicle.

According to Engadget, Tesla Model 3 EVs were updated to incorporate a “limited range” of Siri-driven voice commands — adding new and improved capabilities to the Model 3’s existing range of voice commands made possible by Tesla’s proprietary system and its massive, touchscreen display.

New Model 3 Siri Functions

The Siri features for Tesla’s Model 3 include the ability to unlock it, flash the lights, honk the horn, locate it from a distance and even check its current charge levels — all without ever having to open the Tesla app on your iPhone, the company said.

The new features, which were previously introduced on Tesla’s Model S and Model X EVs last November, were wrought as part of the electric car-maker’s latest iOS app update to version 3.3.3, according to some Reddit users who discovered the functionalities this week.

Worth noting is that while the inherent Siri features are likely to be welcomed by owners of the predominantly voice-activated Model 3 sedan, the commands will allegedly not work while the vehicle is in motion.

When the car is moving, Engadget notes, drivers are limited only to using Tesla’s inbuilt voice system, which at least for the time being is “intended strictly for calling and navigation” tasks.

Tesla’s outspoken CEO, Elon Musk, has nevertheless indicated before that, sometime in the near future, Model 3 owners will be able to do “pretty much anything” using voice commands through their phone, Siri or Tesla’s proprietary voice platform.