Petition to demand "camera on top, media player on bottom" be retained in UI

[cbwbird]

Rain certainly, not so much snow but some (as when I drove up to Thunder Bay last year), and I haven't found it to be a big problem. Rain mixed with mud would be an issue, but that's very rare for me. So it could be an issue in 1-2% of the my driving, when I have to rely on only the mirrors. Yes, setting the wing mirrors using the head wobble method also eliminates the blind spots and is a good secondary check, but looking in only one place (the centre display as the first place to see either side) is faster and more convenient.

You are just trying to see if something is there, not read the license plate number. The raindrops distort, but you can still tell if there is something there.

Yes we have an S and an X. Blind spots are worse on my X so I use my camera all the time. If it gets dirty I wipe it off but that’s really rare for me

 

[danp]

+1 on refusing to update to V9 as I always drive with the camera on top and rarely use nav unless I'm going somewhere new.

This "unification" of the S/X UI with the 3 has good intentions, but I think they forgot to think about the customer and how it actually impacts usability. I really can't imagine they would not have gotten this feedback loud and clear if they actually beta tested with a representative sample of the S/X user base.

 

[cbwbird]

Id suggest that everyone submit an executive escalation to get some attention to this issue

to do this log into your Tesla account and then select to manage your car. In the support section use the drop down to select "escalate this concern for executive review" and enter your concern.


Heres what I submitted as an example...
"
Hello,

I have an issue with the new 9.0 software. I like to keep the rear view camera or the web browser on the top half of my screen when driving. It seems like this is no longer allowed with v9.0. I can’t seem to get anything but the map on the top portion of the screen. You have decreased the functionality of the 17 inch screen to only allow one user selected app to be displayed on the bottom of the display!? To top that off I RARELY use the in car maps on the main center display for more then a few moments especially since once I’ve entered a destination it displays turn by turn directions on the dashboard behind the steering wheel. At that point I switch the center display to rearview camera or web browser with WAZE. Please restore the ability to choose what applications I display on the top of my center console!

You should not be taking features away from customers, if anything we should have more user interface freedom, not less! For example how about letting us choose where things are displayed etc just like with a phone where you can move your most used applications around to be more functional
"

Done. Thanks for the tip!!

 

[rw99]

Give me flexibility in my UI configuration!

 

[neroden]

I will to try to accumulate a list of names of people who agree (with any other info you give like "stockholder" or "Tesla supporter since XXX") to send in petition form. If you don't give your name I'll just use your TMC handle from here, but I think names would look better (even if it was just "F. Lastname" or "Firstname L.")?

I'm trying to get Tesla's attention here, and I have no idea what the best way to get their attention with a petition is, because I've never been able to get their attention on major issues before. It's not like they have any email address or physical address which the management actually READS. I could probably get this published at CleanTechnica, which I think they might read, or Electrek. Is there anyone here who knows of a particular Twitter account that Musk definitely reads? The owner of that account could put something up. I'm still open for methods of getting it to them -- because usually Tesla upper management *doesn't listen*.

Does someone know of a better petition-making site to do this on? I'm really a total amateur at setting this sort of thing up.

I already know a lot of people who aren't here support this, including Alan Dean Foster, from the relevant Electrek thread:
Alan Dean Foster complaining about this
Most popular comment complaining about this, with many replies

OK, I made a probably-unsuccessful attempt to tweet at Musk and Tesla about this. I really doubt they'll get the message. May try again later.
Nathanael Nerode on Twitter

I can't link to that tweet on Electrek because Fred's blocked me (sigh) but others should feel free.

 

[cbwbird]

I received a software update notice last night but fortunately I saw a lot of these threads this morning talking about the split screen UI change, so for now I’m holding off installing. Not sure how long before I’m driven crazy by the on screen sw update dialog box that pops up almost every time I start or stop the car

In the meantime today still on 8.1 I drove around with the (useless to me, around town) maps on top and rear camera on bottom, to “simulate” V9 for those of us that like rear camera on while driving. Useless down there on the bottom of the screen. Come on Tesla, give us back the option when not needing the Nav to put ANY app up top.

I feel like the maps in v9 are even larger than they were in the original split screen so that was smart to see what it would be like but it's even worse in my opinion than if you did it on a split screen before. It's just bigger than necessary now particularly because there's no way to get rid of it. So now you're either just dragging another app a little higher to cover the map more or you have a huge map and a smaller app at the bottom. Sucks if you don't see the music channels well like me.

 

[cbwbird]

I will to try to accumulate a list of names of people who agree (with any other info you give like "stockholder" or "Tesla supporter since XXX") to send in petition form. If you don't give your name I'll just use your TMC handle from here, but I think names would look better (even if it was just "F. Lastname" or "Firstname L.")?

I'm trying to get Tesla's attention here, and I have no idea what the best way to get their attention with a petition is, because I've never been able to get their attention on major issues before. It's not like they have any email address or physical address which the management actually READS. I could probably get this published at CleanTechnica, which I think they might read, or Electrek. Is there anyone here who knows of a particular Twitter account that Musk definitely reads? The owner of that account could put something up. I'm still open for methods of getting it to them -- because usually Tesla upper management *doesn't listen*.

Does someone know of a better petition-making site to do this on? I'm really a total amateur at setting this sort of thing up.

I already know a lot of people who aren't here support this, including Alan Dean Foster, from the relevant Electrek thread:
Alan Dean Foster complaining about this
Most popular comment complaining about this, with many replies

OK, I made a probably-unsuccessful attempt to tweet at Musk and Tesla about this. I really doubt they'll get the message. May try again later.
Nathanael Nerode on Twitter

I can't link to that tweet on Electrek because Fred's blocked me (sigh) but others should feel free.

Sign my name. Chris White. Model X purchased Sept 30, 2017 and Model S purchased December 2016

 

[cbwbird]

I am a bit puzzled, what’s the fascination with what’s behind you? I don’t think I have ever put my rear camera on the screen other than to show people you can have the rear camera in the screen.

I get why people are annoyed about now being able to place whatever you want whereever you want like v9 I am just interested to know why people have the rear view camera in all the time?

Blind spots in Model X are tough. The camera helps tremendously particularly on the interstates. It's a must for me for safety and my teenage son driving as well.

 

[cbwbird]

That is definitely not true. Have you taken a poll? I keep maps up every day. I navigate to home and work every day because traffic affects which way i go to get to home or work. Its different most days. Also when i am out driving without navigating, i want to see traffic speeds as i dart around to do errands and such.

This is exactly why it should be an option but not the default. Many use it but many also DO NOT use it and stinks to be forced to use it 24/7

 

[cbwbird]

I am 100% in agreement that getting rid of the ability to run two apps OTHER than maps is a huge loss. I like to have music up top and camera down low all the time. I need music up top because I have Sirius XM and the stations are harder to read for me when they are low. And now they seem even smaller down there and I hate when I want to use my camera which is always, I can't see my music and vice versa because the map that I don't even want dominates the screen. I have to take my eyes off the road to switch back to music when I want to change the channel and then put the camera back on. It's terrible.

 

[KArnold]

I will to try to accumulate a list of names of people who agree (with any other info you give like "stockholder" or "Tesla supporter since XXX") to send in petition form

Did I miss it or exactly what is the wording of the petition? Personally I don't care much about the camera being on top, but I'd sign a "view 2 apps of my choosing simultaneously" petition. Maybe start a new thread with a poll?

 

[jhoughton1]

Tesla Folks,

I haven’t upgraded to V9 yet, but my understanding is the screen no longer splits for viewing the rear camera and the map at the same time. If this is so, it’s a safety hazard because the rear camera is used to see the blind spots and I won’t compromise safety.

I do wish Tesla would hire an interface designer that has actually driven a car and realizes information needs to be seen at a glance rather than having to stare at the screen for several seconds to read the low contrast instrument cluster or tiny font size on the map. Whomever is designing the interface now should be moved to a job that he or she is more suited to.

The best interface was the very first interface that came with the car. It did everything perfect (except for the small map font sizes) from an interface perspective. I am very disappointed in the interface design direction Tesla is taking.

Jerry

Many of us use this layout; camera on all the time, and media player (or energy app) on, no map needed.

Messages from Tesla indicate that they are breaking this in "version 9" of the software by forcing the map to cover half the screen and only allowing one other app to be up at a time.

This is a petition from Tesla Model S owners.

Tesla: Don't make this change -- it constitutes damage to our cars, by removing valuable functionality. We demand that Tesla retain the ability to have the camera and media player apps up simultaneously, and we request that they maintain this in future versions of the software. If you do not retain this functionality, we demand permanent warranty support for cars running the older (full-functionality) version of the software.

Anyone who agrees, please add your name and whatever other identifiying information might be useful. We can also discuss how best to send this message to Tesla (who are notoriously poor at listenting to customers).


Nathanael Nerode
Tesla Model S owner since 2013

I didn't realize that the camera was no longer at the top. What a stupid decision.[/QUOTE]

I am astonished at the bone-headedness of this update. It was obviously programmed by someone sitting at a computer screen and not someone actually driving an automobile. The "simplification" of the various controls not only makes one-step processes into two-step processes, it seems determined that we should look at the bottom of the screen instead of the top whenever possible. The worst of these is the way the rear-facing camera is locked into the bottom of the screen. What, pray tell, was wrong with the previous (take your pick) configuration?? There is now more eye-time off the road ahead -- how is that an improvement? The emphasis is also on navigation -- I drive in the city where I was born 70 years ago, and though navigation is convenient occasionally, most of the time I don't need it.

I called and after an extremely long hold asked if there were any way I could roll back the update. I think y'all know what the answer was.

So...if there's a petition afoot, count me in! To all the folks here who say, "Oh, you just don't like change," yeah...you're right. Change that takes autonomy away from me I do not like.

 

[tinm]

2013 S owner.

I always always always always drive with the camera app in the top half of the 17" screen. Always. For all the reasons mentioned upthread.

If V9 forces a change, then V9 is a showstopper and I won't download.

I've texted a Tesla software engineer I know who works on the 17" screen apps. He's been texting me over the past few days wondering if I got V9 yet and I've been like, no, thank goodness and he's like huh? So here's another reason it's a showstopper for me. Hoping I can convince him how really bad this change is. It's like what I have called the creeping iOSification of MacOS for years: now we're starting to see the creeping Model3ification of Model S. Fight, i say, unite and fight!

 

[garrett5688]

Did I miss it or exactly what is the wording of the petition? Personally I don't care much about the camera being on top, but I'd sign a "view 2 apps of my choosing simultaneously" petition. Maybe start a new thread with a poll?

Agreed. While I personally want the camera on top, what we all really want back is the option to split screen ANY 2 apps, top or bottom.

 

[tinm]

You know, the weird thing is: surely the Model S computer records what apps you have running in what windows, and records statistics over time. (Like, they would know that I have never, ever even once fired up the Calendar app, and use the Phone app about once a year.) Surely Tesla knows the percentage of owners who have the camera running A LOT or ALL THE TIME like me. Surely they have the analytics. Surely they can see that users use all sorts of combinations of two apps in the two halves of the display, and enjoy the freedom of doing so.

Or does the data not say that?

Or does Tesla not have the data?

Who owns the User Experience at Tesla now? Did they do any research? Who'd they talk to?

 

[garrett5688]

It's interesting to me that while they no longer let you have the camera on top at all times, they do let you CLOSE the rear view camera while reversing. In the name of safety !!!

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

Tesla Escalation VP(TEVP): Hey TEVP#2, take a look at this message.
TEVP#2: How many messages have we gotten about this?
TEVP: Maybe a dozen or so
TEVP#2: I just went the TMC forum. Look at all these whiners about a camera being at the top of the screen.
TEVP: Are you serious? Let me see
TEVP#2: Yep, they even created Petition.
TEVP: Wow...
TEVP#2: How many cars have we rolled this out to so far?
TEVP: About 15 thousand or so.
TEVP#2: hahahahahaha
TEVP: hahahahahahaha
TEVP#2: Send a response that is professional but politely tells them its not gonna happen.
TEVP: Got it.

From a historical perspective Tesla has caved quite a few times to pressure.

Not always, but I think this one is a pretty reasonable request.

 

[tinm]

Texted with Tesla software engineer on these V9 concerns we've been discussing. He says to tweet Elon.

So I shall tweet. Recommend we all do. Remind him that "pre AP-2 owners" are the early-adopter Model S owners to got Tesla to where it is today. We care. We want our apps arranged however we want on our 17" screens. We don't want to have to skip downloading V9.

 

[selfbp]

Im in

 

[kendallpb]

Sign me up for the petition. I'm not a stockholder, but I'm something IMHO as important - an owner since Feb. 2013 of a Model S. Also a long-time Tesla believer, supporter, and talker-upper.

BTW I told my other half the deets and got a "WUT tell me that e-mail [the one someone posted for North America support] so I can complain to Tesla!" And my other half doesn't normally do that sort of thing. ;-)

So my comment represents both a Model S owner and a Model X owner who're unhappy with this change.

Also I'm annoyed because until/unless they fix it, I have to remember "don't take the car in for service," since service usually does software updates. Usually that's nice. Usually. ;-)