ANY predictability on whether a new window will be on top or bottom?

[kvandivo]

We got our S about 6 weeks ago and one thing that we still haven't figured out....

We keep our 17 inch screen split, usually with the map and the backup cam.. or maybe music.. whatever.. But when we want to change one of them to something else, it seems to be completely random on whether the new screen is going to replace the top or bottom item. At any given time, when I choose a new one screen, I always have one of my existing screens that is more important... and I want the new screen to replace the other, less important one. So, I've tried several things.

It doesn't always put it on the top. It doesn't always put it on the last section I've 'touched'. It doesn't seem to follow any convention I can figure out.

So, those of you who have had years to puzzle over these things... what say ye?

 

[Cirrus MS100D]

Great question and I’d love to know the answer too.

I’ve never spent enough time trying to figure it out, but my impression is that “maps rules over all” such that it will ALWAYS take the top spot - is that correct?

 

[Lloyd]

If you put your finger on the application you want and drag it to the top or bottom where you want it, it will drop it there. I find that the fastest way to organize the main screen.

 

[brkaus]

If you put your finger on the application you want and drag it to the top or bottom where you want it, it will drop it there. I find that the fastest way to organize the main screen.

just hold your finger on the button for a second. It will pop up two squares for top bottom. I think a quick button press is doing the same thing, based on where your finger is in the button.

What Lloyd said also works. You didn’t by gave to drag that far if you is the little pop-up.

 

[LCR1]

Didn't even know this was a thing.
Just "click" and drag the new app to the position you want.

 

[JPP]

My observation that if you de novo select either nav or the backup camera when neither is being displayed, they default to the top position. FWIW, I like to keep my nav on top and my backup camera always on at the bottom. I am continually annoyed that when I select a new app the app usually overlays the top nav window. I am constantly re-selecting the app I need and dragging it into place. That, coupled with the appearing and disappearing app toolbar on the top, has made me hate the current UI. I have sent e-mails to all at Tesla who might listen, and you will see older posts on this.

 

[Saghost]

It's supposed to be that some apps have priority. The nav and backup camera are supposed to open up top, always.

If either of them is open, anything else you select opens on the bottom.

If neither of them is open, I believe others default to opening on top? Not sure about that, because I always have Nav open.

Tesla changed it to work that way a couple firmware versions back - it used to open everything up top unless told to do otherwise.

As others have said, you have several options for forcing it to behave as you'd prefer, but no way to dry a long term preference.

 

[P-town_P85]

I am constantly re-selecting the app I need and dragging it into place.

Bottom right corner, the icon that looks like a browser’s refresh button with two circular arrows..., it swaps the two panels’ location.

 

[AWDtsla]

This used to work right. Tesla broke it because they wanted to show off a bigger navigation display, something no one needed. Nav goes on top. Everything else goes on bottom.

 

[beegee]

This used to work right. Tesla broke it because they wanted to show off a bigger navigation display, something no one needed. Nav goes on top. Everything else goes on bottom.

Nav and camera on top

 

[f-stop]

The Nav and Rear Camera have some priority over the other apps (Music, Calendar, Energy, Web, Phone).
For convenience, let's refer to those first 2 apps as "high" priority, and the latter 5 as "low" priority... it may help you remember what happens as described below..

Here are the general rules that pressing the app icons seem to follow:

1) If you press the icon for either the Nav or Camera AND it's corresponding app isn't already open, it will always open in the Top (high) half of the screen, replacing whatever was there (whether what was there already was "high" or" low" priority - i.e. the Nav will replace the Camera in top position, and vice versa)

2) If you press the icon for one of the 5 "low" priority apps AND it's corresponding app isn't already open, it will always open that app in the Bottom (low) half of the screen, no matter what is already displayed on the Top half.

3) If you press the icon for ANY of the apps AND that app is already open anywhere on the screen, it will toggle that app** between fullscreen and halfscreen, and back with each successive press

**Note that the Rear Camera and Energy apps are unique in that they cannot be expanded to full screen, unlike the other apps - they can only display as half screen. So if you press either of their icons when their app is already open anywhere on screen, it does nothing.

Aside from these behaviours when you press the app icons...
- you can manually drag any app to either Top or Bottom half of the screen. Just press&hold the icon then drag from the top row of icons to the desired Top or Bottom half of the screen and release
- you can manually zoom/expand any expandable app (i.e anything except Camera and Energy) by tapping on the little zoom icon in the lower left of its half-screen (zoom icon is a small rectangle inside a slightly larger rectangle)
- you can manually swap the Top and Bottom half screen contents by tapping on the little swap icon in the lower right of either half-screen (swap icon is two arrows arranged counterclockwise in a circle)

I believe this captures all the app behaviours on the top and bottom halfs of the 17" screen in v8.1
(my car is currently on 2018.4.1 ec044c8)

 

[AWDtsla]

If you have to document how the UI works, it's just a FAIL. Take a hint, Tesla.

 

[GaryREM]

If you have to document how the UI works, it's just a FAIL. Take a hint, Tesla.

This seems trivial and consistent. I can't understand why are people so confused. I swear it's been this way since 2013.

It's got video feedback that tells you what it is going to do.

It works great!

There are plenty of examples of fail. I can't see where this is a problem.

 

[AWDtsla]

This seems trivial and consistent. I can't understand why are people so confused. I swear it's been this way since 2013.

It most certainly has not. The change was only introduced circa 2016.

It's got video feedback that tells you what it is going to do.

It works great!

There are plenty of examples of fail. I can't see where this is a problem.

If you insist it's always been that way, nothing more to say. 2+2=5, Winston.

 

[Peter_M]

I still don't like this change that they did in Sept 2016 with 8.0. Before that, tapping an icon always opened the app in the top. Tap and hold - same thing. Drag down - open in the bottom. Or use the swap button. Simple.

Now it's confusing in two ways: some apps open in the top (camera and nav) and some open in the bottom. And the worst part is that for the "bottom" apps, the subtle difference between a brief tap and a slightly more deliberate press makes the app go to different places. Unless you're very careful to do short taps, it can seem random where the app goes.

The only way to get predictability without memorizing all the rules is to always press and hold, and drag down if you want the app to go to the bottom. Not exactly intuitive and convenient...

I wish they would just go back to the old way - all apps open in the top unless you drag them down.

 

[David29]

The Nav and Rear Camera have some priority over the other apps (Music, Calendar, Energy, Web, Phone).
For convenience, let's refer to those first 2 apps as "high" priority, and the latter 5 as "low" priority... it may help you remember what happens as described below..

Here are the general rules that pressing the app icons seem to follow:

1) If you press the icon for either the Nav or Camera AND it's corresponding app isn't already open, it will always open in the Top (high) half of the screen, replacing whatever was there (whether what was there already was "high" or" low" priority - i.e. the Nav will replace the Camera in top position, and vice versa)

2) If you press the icon for one of the 5 "low" priority apps AND it's corresponding app isn't already open, it will always open that app in the Bottom (low) half of the screen, no matter what is already displayed on the Top half.

3) If you press the icon for ANY of the apps AND that app is already open anywhere on the screen, it will toggle that app** between fullscreen and halfscreen, and back with each successive press

**Note that the Rear Camera and Energy apps are unique in that they cannot be expanded to full screen, unlike the other apps - they can only display as half screen. So if you press either of their icons when their app is already open anywhere on screen, it does nothing.

Aside from these behaviours when you press the app icons...
- you can manually drag any app to either Top or Bottom half of the screen. Just press&hold the icon then drag from the top row of icons to the desired Top or Bottom half of the screen and release
- you can manually zoom/expand any expandable app (i.e anything except Camera and Energy) by tapping on the little zoom icon in the lower left of its half-screen (zoom icon is a small rectangle inside a slightly larger rectangle)
- you can manually swap the Top and Bottom half screen contents by tapping on the little swap icon in the lower right of either half-screen (swap icon is two arrows arranged counterclockwise in a circle)

I believe this captures all the app behaviours on the top and bottom halfs of the 17" screen in v8.1
(my car is currently on 2018.4.1 ec044c8)

I agree that this is indeed the way it works, and the way it has worked for a long time.
BUT just every once in a while, something opens in the top even if i have the nav screen open, and moves the maps to the bottom.
i have not figured out when/why that happens.
But it is so infrequent that i just fix it and move on. I figure I did something wrong, or failed to see something, etc. Not a big deal, even though it is disconcerting for a few seconds. Click and drag always works.

 

[AAARSINIC]

Agreed with some of the above. Nav and backup camera default to the top. The rest the bottom. I didn’t know you could drag them around to position. Good info.

 

[jaguar36]

I love the way it works now. I always want the Nav on top. I'm very glad they changed it from before when I was always fiddling with window location.

 

[Peter_M]

I agree that this is indeed the way it works, and the way it has worked for a long time.
BUT just every once in a while, something opens in the top even if i have the nav screen open, and moves the maps to the bottom.
i have not figured out when/why that happens.
But it is so infrequent that i just fix it and move on. I figure I did something wrong, or failed to see something, etc. Not a big deal, even though it is disconcerting for a few seconds. Click and drag always works.

See my post above yours. You're probably pressing on the icon for slightly longer sometimes, which makes it go to the top.

 

[GaryREM]

It most certainly has not. The change was only introduced circa 2016.



If you insist it's always been that way, nothing more to say. 2+2=5, Winston.

So, are we saying the change was that instead of windows defaulting to the top half with a tap, only the nav and camera do?

Still don't understand the problem. I would suspect that most people like the nav on top and the new behavior supports that.