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

[bredi]

A little RainX or the like on the camera helps a lot.

Really? I tried it and it got the film vaseline look and I had to remove it. How did you apply it?

 

[bredi]

UI FAIL - When you take a UI and split the UI to half the screen real estate, it is less "efficient" and less useful. Especially when one isn't using the Nav.

UI FAIL - Assuming NAV should be "Baked" is a major lack of user understanding. Especially when one also has a second "screen" to see NAV info, audible turn by turn announcements and the ability to send the Nav destination via phone. (which is a great feature).

UI / SAFETY FAIL - The most egregious lack of UI design is defining the camera as an "APP".
The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature. It is fundamentally the one feature both my wife and I keep open and at the top when we drive.
If anything, the camera should be the 'app" that is baked into the background, with an overlay for other apps.

Taking ones eye further off the road is also a safety concern. To see the camera, you need to tap a small button to get to it, then the Camera "App" which takes your eye further from the road even longer.

The NAV is an "APP". Only active when one wants to use it. Hidden when not needed.

The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature.
The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature.
The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature.

 

[Magomboman]

For those of my fellow Tesla Owners that desire change but don't submit the concern:

 

[jhoughton1]

A rollback is not a solution. A fixed 9.1 is a solution.

Agree completely. An upgrade with restored autonomy and maybe...voice commands like Siri or Alexa so we can do away with buttons altogether? But in the meantime, a rollback would be nice. I feel marginally less safe on the road with v. 9.

 

[evma582]

I'd like to understand why they made the design decision, beyond just unifying the UI with M3. There could be EAP/FSD resource reasons or maybe it's a compromise to get 360 on the IC that required borrowing CPU power elsewhere. Sounds like there was similar reaction from v7 to v8 with some of the development choices, so it'd be good if Tesla would explain a) why they made the change; b) why they believe this is an improvement. End of the day, they'll develop as they wish, same as Apple, Google, etc. They should be taking more care with the changes and communication of them as we're not dealing with smartphones that get swapped out every 1-2 years. The car is a long-term commitment and they need to respect that.

I don't plan on willingly going to v9 anytime soon because of the limitation. I've done the executive escalation, though I really don't expect them to recode the dual-app functionality. The loss in customization is a blow and the willingness to mess with driver's preferences will edge me to look at other EVs sooner rather than later.

Tesla touts OTA as an advantage. It seems a good portion of the community is now seeing its flaws.

 

[rickyarrow]

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

agree

 

[croman]

I'd like to understand why they made the design decision, beyond just unifying the UI with M3. There could be EAP/FSD resource reasons or maybe it's a compromise to get 360 on the IC that required borrowing CPU power elsewhere. Sounds like there was similar reaction from v7 to v8 with some of the development choices, so it'd be good if Tesla would explain a) why they made the change; b) why they believe this is an improvement. End of the day, they'll develop as they wish, same as Apple, Google, etc. They should be taking more care with the changes and communication of them as we're not dealing with smartphones that get swapped out every 1-2 years. The car is a long-term commitment and they need to respect that.

I don't plan on willingly going to v9 anytime soon because of the limitation. I've done the executive escalation, though I really don't expect them to recode the dual-app functionality. The loss in customization is a blow and the willingness to mess with driver's preferences will edge me to look at other EVs sooner rather than later.

Tesla touts OTA as an advantage. It seems a good portion of the community is now seeing its flaws.

IC has its own CPU. Its not resource allocation.

 

[EJFjr]

Wife came home bummed about the new UI...."where is the camera? why can't I pick? what about being able to flip top and bottom? Not a step forward and now a disappointed driver.

 

[MP3Mike]

IC has its own CPU. Its not resource allocation.

Not on MCU2 vehicles.

 

[jhoughton1]

The ability to rollback vehicles to the last stable release is something Tesla should support. This would give owners more control over their vehicles - and if a new release introduced a major bug, the owner could initiate the rollback themselves - and get back to what they were using before.

However, a software release is updating all of the onboard processors, so rolling back to previous releases isn't that simple - and there's a risk that the rollback might not properly get installed on all of the processors, risking leaving the vehicle in an unusable state. Which is why it seems highly unlikely Tesla would do any large scale rollbacks to V8.

But rollback is a useful feature - and something Tesla should include in a future software release. Supporting rollback to arbitrary previous releases isn't practical, because there wouldn't be any way for Tesla to every test that. They could, however, always test rolling back to a specific previous release - something they could do as part of their internal and external testing.

The other improvement Tesla should make - providing information on what's contained in a software update BEFORE you install it. This should include the version number of the software awaiting installation - and a display of the release notes.

And, the release notes should be more informative than "minor bug fixes and feature improvements" - listing the specific bugs & features that were changed. Without that documentation, it's left to owners to try to figure out what has changed, which isn't a good strategy when trying to determine how AP has changed in a new release...

As for the complaints about V9 and restoring some of the lost UI features - the top/bottom app windows are probably gone and won't come back. Tesla will likely also continue with the navigation app being the primary app - because the navigation software is a critical element to implement EAP/FSD.

Tesla will likely also continue with the navigation app being the primary app - because the navigation software is a critical element to implement EAP/FSD.

My Model S doesn't even have enough cameras for EAP or FSD. I don't want this update!!

 

[jhoughton1]

Last we heard Tesla implemented an anti-rollback feature in the firmware, so you actually can't install an older version even if you got it pushed to your car. (It isn't entirely uncommon I know that HP has done it on some of their printers and other network equipment.)

So I sort of question whether what @jhoughton1 was told is true or not. (My guess is that it is not true.)

Quite possibly they just wanted to shut me up and get me off the phone. Still, if dissatisfaction of the type seen here is widespread, they're not going to be able to ignore everyone.

 

[Lasairfion]

Perhaps add it on MoreTesla ?

 

[RonJoven]

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

 

[RonJoven]

We have both an S and a 3 and are very angry that with v9.0 we lose our ability to split and switch screen views. We always drive with rear camera on top and media on bottom. Camera view is important on the S especially since it has blind spots. We only need the map displayed when we are using navigator, which is seldom. I hope TESLA get's the word that most of us would like the ability to chose our screen display, even if it means going back to a previous version''s screen display choices. Being forced to have the map screen on at all times is very irritating and a driving distraction.

 

[jhoughton1]

So far, all I get is when trying to post to "escalate" is "Something went wrong, please try again later." Hopefully this is because their servers are swamped with other pissed-off people. I will keep trying.

 

[hill]

I am a bit puzzled, what’s the fascination with what’s behind you? ....snip....

nothing - if one's thinking is so narrow that they can't conceptualize that every owner sees out the side & rear view mirror differently
- whereas the "up top" camera is the best alternative to rear view blind spots. sorry that's so inconceivable.

Camera view is also smaller than before, and resolution seems to have taken a hit. Agree with plea to bring back camera-on-top mode, at previous size (not smaller window like on v9)

Apparently true. WE have markers on the garage floor that require the reverse camera guide lines to cross that threshold. Bam no longer accurate as the garage door detects the nose of the car protruding into the path of the garage door as it attempts to close, then immediately auto reverses back up.

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. ......snip....

is there anyone who's owned a Tesla for more than 12 months that hasn't gotten different 'truth' replies from each & every SC in their state - once they ask any question.
"A dozen or so" - really?
The local SC told us just today (in a rather low voice so his co-workers couldn't hear him) yea, we're averaging around 80 complaints from every SC in the state - every day.
but if any single SC employee's story works for someone ... sure, go with that, if it make for happiness.

The FIRST story we got? On Monday?
"NO - it's impossible to roll back".
Really? So, you don't know that some of the pro Tesla hackers make copies of each & every update? And roll back as needed?
(ooops - time for a new 'truth') oh, er - well ... tesla no longer supports Version 8, so it's not possible - that's what i meant to say.
right.

Some of the talent on this board that has copied & does roll backs ought to make a couple hundred dollar$$ for the 30 minutes or so necessary to undo this mess .... you know .... for the 15 people that have complained (excuse me, 'whined') about it.
.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Following @Tech_Guy 's suggestion, I sent a note the other day using the executive escalation widget in my account on the Tesla website - I offered a logical case why bringing back two-app support makes sense vs forcing a maps-always-on UI on everyone (btw I also signed @selfbp 's petition)

I think it's worthwhile others with the same concern about v9.0 to contact Tesla if you haven't already done so, to amplify the feedback.

Today I received an email reply from someone in Executive Care dept of Fremont, including a reference number to my submission, acknowledgment of my concerns and assurance that feedback is valued and will be heard by the appropriate dept, etc. Sure, you might say that's just a polite boilerplate reply, and of course there's absolutely no guarantee anything will happen. But at least I know they received my comments. I may also take them up on their offer to email or phone them with further comments. BTW that’s more than I’ve ever gotten back before when reporting other reproducible bugs to the [email protected] email address - never even got an auto-reply from that address in the past in spite of several attempts.

I'm not yet ready to get my hopes up this will be resolved to our satisfaction, but we should at least let them know what we think since they likely don't follow these forums. Besides, as long as there's still the tiniest chance they'll bring back the two-app capability, there's still hope for the following:

I know for a fact that they watch this forum. From personal experience. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[GuyHall]

The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature. It is fundamental.

To see the camera, you need to tap a small button to get to it, then the Camera "App" which takes your eye further from the road even longer.

Any time you use an app the camera disappears. Change a station, etc.

I have been a Tesla S and X owner for 5 years and been one of your biggest supporters. I have shown my S or X at several hundred events. I have spent 100 of hours helping your sales reps and delivery specialists at end of qtr pushes and events. Even this next week my X is scheduled to be loaned to the local utility for 4 days to be included in an international auto show.

I have never had a complaint like this before.

The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature.
The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature.
The Camera is NOT and APP. It is a safety feature.

 

[RayW]

I'm convinced v9 was written by a bunch of kids w/Model 3's who never spent more than 10mins in an S/X and didn't realized there are fundamental differences in the screens and how they are used by many owners.

 

[booradlly]

Sign the Petition