Tesla hacker @greentheonly recently decompiled Tesla's firmware for software update 2023.44.1 and found a few goodies under the hood.
Green found references to various media player improvements and an upcoming feature for that makes clever use of the in-cabin camera.
Shaka: Tesla's New Media Player
Tesla began switching to a web-based media player last year with Apple Music and has slowly migrated their audio services to the new player.
However, now Tesla is switching to a different open-sourced web player called Shaka.
While the design of the player is separate and is expected to remain the same, Shaka offers advances such as deep support for various audio and video codecs, including those with DRM.
Shaka isn't just an audio player and could be used for video playback as well. Shaka also offers support for subtitles, ads and more. It'd be interesting to see if Tesla is thinking about creating an audio service that is supported by ads and doesn't require premium connectivity. It's not clear which features Shaka features Tesla will leverage, but their software engineers are likely switching to Shaka for ease of development and better support.
Apple Podcasts
Another notable find is a mention of Apple Podcasts, which isn't currently available in Tesla's music services. Apple Podcasts is going to be its own individual app and isn't expected to require an Apple Music subscription. It'll allow users to easily listen to existing podcasts and sync their progress if they use the Podcasts app on iOS.
We now know that Apple Podcasts will be part of the 2023 Holiday Update.
Customizable Playback Speeds
There are also planned updates around variable playback speeds for media content, including 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x speed options. As Green indicated, this feature offers greater flexibility in how users consume media, allowing for a personalized listening experience. It remains unclear whether these playback speeds will be available across all platforms or solely for Apple Podcasts.
Automatically Determine Use of HOV Lanes
In an innovative application of in-car technology, this update suggests the use of the cabin camera to turn High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane usage automatically. This feature would be contingent on additional cabin camera permissions. However, if you want Autopilot, (or presumably Full Self Driving) to ride in the HOV lane, it will be able to determine its eligibility automatically.
Activating Autopilot for HOV lanes is currently a manual process. However, considering that eligibility for many states' HOV lanes depends on the vehicle's occupancy, it's smart to utilize the cabin camera to automatically count passengers.
Since some states offer HOV lane use to EVs, even if they don't meet the occupant threshold, this new feature will likely be an option. Tesla may simply change the HOV lane use option from a toggle to a new setting that offers three options - Always, Never, Auto (Based on Occupants).
While references to these enhancements were found in Tesla software update 2023.44, they're not available quite yet. However, considering that there are already references to these new features in a production update, it may not be long before these features are exposed.
Tesla's holiday update is right around the corner and could arrive as early as this week. Some of these features may be a present from Santa Musk himself.
