Tesla's voice recognition and voice commands are an area that could use some improvements. But it looks like Tesla's aware of it as a recent software update has provided notable improvements in China.
With update 2023.26, Tesla made several improvements that were exclusive to China. They included improved voice recognition, smarter voice commands, and improvements to online routing, along with a refresh to the Chinese app, Himalaya app.
Enhanced Online Routing
Part of the update improvements to online routing that adapts to traffic and road condition fluctuations in real-time. By activating the 'Online Routing' option, users gain access to more efficient routing and foresight into the road ahead. This enhancement is exclusive to China, although it's not clear how it differs from the online routing with traffic considerations that is already available in the U.S. and other countries. In the release notes Tesla describes the features as:
Online Routing now reflects real-time changes in traffic and road conditions. So Navigation provides better routes and responds faster to changes on your route.
To get the most current route conditions, Navigation > Online Routing must be turned on.
Context-Based Voice Commands
Tesla is changing the game with a revamped voice command feature that seamlessly understands the context of a user's request without the prerequisite of specific command words. This means that uttering a destination name will automatically initiate navigation to that destination, instead of having to say 'Navigate to... ".
The vehicle will also be able to understand what you're saying based on previous commands. For example, if you set the climate temperature to 70°, you'll be able to adjust it afterward by simply saying, "lower."
Voice commands are enhanced to better understand your requests. For example, you can directly say"故宫博物院" to start navigation, or say "有点吵" to decrease the volume. You can use "空调22" to set the temperature, and then say “再低点儿" to continue adjusting.
To initiate a voice command, press the voice recognition button on the steering wheel and begin speaking after the tone.
Other Regions
While it's not clear whether the online routing updates in China are Tesla bringing China up to speed, or if they're improving Tesla's routing experience, the voice commands are a clear improvement.
With context-based voice commands, Tesla greatly improved their voice command system, although it still lags behind a true voice assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant. Tesla is known for introducing new features in limited regions before rolling them out more widely. This is hopefully one of those cases, and we'll soon see these improvements rolled out in other parts of the world as well.
