New icon spotted; Is Tesla announcing Apple Music?

Apple Music is one of the most requested features by Tesla owners.

Tesla already supports a variety of music services, including Spotify, Slacker, SiriusXM (for Model S and Model X), TuneIn and Caraoke (by Stringray). These services are in addition to Bluetooth and FM radio support.

Apple Music is the second largest music streaming service worldwide with an estimated 88 million subscribers. It’s currently behind Spotify and ahead of Amazon Music and YouTube Music respectively.

Apple Music Icon?

When Zoom announced that Tesla will soon support their meeting software in their vehicles, they showed off a video of Zoom being used inside of a Tesla.

The video featured a woman parking her car and joining a meeting in her Model Y. When Zoom displayed the Tesla screen it also showed off the Tesla app launcher, which looked exactly how we’d expect, except for one small icon.

The new icon looks very similar to Apple Music’s logo. The new icon was only displayed during the first segment of the Zoom demo, as when they cut back to the Tesla screen a second time, the icons in the launcher had changed.

What Does This Mean?

Although the icon displayed in the Tesla launcher is very similar to Apple Music’s logo, it’s not a perfect match.

Besides the color being in grayscale, the top bar connecting the music notes is also thinner than what Apple uses in the Apple Music logo.

A music icon in the Tesla launcher isn’t completely new. Before Tesla’s launch of its v11 software late last year, Tesla used a single music icon in the launcher. Whenever someone wanted to play any music they’d first have to tap Music and then choose their music service.

Although Tesla’s old music icon is similar to what’s displayed in the Zoom video, it’s not a perfect match either. Tesla’s old icon had musical notes with a smaller head and it didn’t include a rounded square background like Apple Music does.

Interestingly, the music icon in the launcher is not only grayscale but also misaligned when compared to the other icons. This could mean that it’s either a teaser or a mock and not something that would appear in production.

One possibility is that Tesla is indeed adding Apple Music and this is an early version of it that was either added as an easter egg or left in accidentally.

However, there are other possibilities. According to sources Tesla is expected to launch another holiday update later this year with new features.

It’s possible that Tesla is giving us more flexibility with the launcher, enabling us to have a single music icon instead of having to pick individual music services.

Did we just receive a hint that Apple Music is arriving on Teslas? We’re not sure. The new icon seems like a placeholder, and since it doesn’t match Apple’s logo perfectly, it’s hard to determine whether this will actually be for Apple Music. Whatever it is, the logo is awfully close to Apple’s logo and if it’s not intended for Apple Music, Apple may not be thrilled with its use.

Elon Musk has talked about his disapproval of Apple’s AppStore fees numerous times in the past. It’s clear the two companies don’t have the best relationship and that could be one reason why Tesla hasn’t implemented Apple Music, AirPlay or CarPlay in their vehicles, but at the same time, customers are demanding Apple Music integration. What will Tesla do? We’re hoping they’re listening to their fans and adding Apple Music.

Unfortunately, accidents happen. There are more and more Teslas on the road every day. Consequently, more of them are likely to be involved in collisions. A Tesla write-off is quite a bit much more than your average vehicle write-off. Tesla previously banished salvaged vehicles from its robust Supercharger network (v4 Superchargers coming) and other third-party charging stations due to liability reasons. But that may be about to change.

Electrek has acquired internal documents outlining a new inspection process to allow salvaged Teslas back on the network. Electrek, a popular electric vehicle and green energy site, reports that the document is titled “Salvaged-Titled Vehicle Fast Charging Safety Inspection.” It explains a two-step process of inspecting the high-voltage battery pack and all the charging components. If the car passes, it’s back on the grid; if not, the components can be fixed at Tesla at the owner’s expense.

The document, reportedly distributed to employees, lists the steps the car will go through. The Salvaged-Title Vehicle Fast-Charging Safety Inspection will commence after the Tesla has passed the Salvage-Titled Vehicle High Voltage Safety Inspection. It is also clear that if the owner does not authorize the repairs at Tesla, the inspection will stop, and the vehicle will fail the report. The document states: “Diagnosis and component rectification are not included in this inspection procedure and may be performed only at customer expense.”

How much two inspections would run has yet to be discovered, but fair to say it would increase the cost of salvaged vehicles. These units are usually purchased by people who can get them repaired at a reasonable price. However, the inspection and other repairs identified during the double inspection could move the price tag a little too much for some prospective buyers. That said, Teslas have a massive battery pack that stores a lot of energy. An expert should inspect them to prove it is safe and roadworthy.

It seems that Tesla is adapting as it grows. For example, it gave free access to all its Service Manuals on its website in May 2022. That move alone encourages more people who like to fix cars to try a salvaged Tesla. While the company would likely much rather sell more new vehicles than invest in certifying salvaged cars, this latest document reveals that the demand must be growing, and Tesla has to address it.

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Elon has previously announced that video conference capabilities will be available in Teslas, but Zoom has now officially announced its video conferencing software will be available in Teslas soon.

Zoom made the announcement during its annual 2022 event, Zoomtopia.

Although Zoom made the announcement, it looks like the integration is being developed by Tesla.

Tesla looks to be leveraging Zoom’s popular web interface for this new feature. This means that Zoom will function much like Netflix and Youtube currently do in the vehicle, where it’s run in a chromeless browser and Tesla essentially builds on top of this.

The Zoom app is expected to become a part of Tesla Theater when it’s released and is largely expected to function the same way, such as requiring Premium Connectivity and only being available while the vehicle is parked.

Camera and Resolution

Instead of requiring a separate camera, the Zoom app appears to utilize the vehicle’s interior camera, which means it’ll be the first time we have direct access to the cabin camera video stream, although hacks by GreenTheOnly have previously shown the capabilities of the camera.

The vehicle’s cabin camera has a resolution of 1280×960, which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. However, Tesla may be cropping this camera feed to 16:9, which means it’ll end up with a resolution of 1280×720, or 720p.

The only remaining cameras that will not be directly accessible by the driver will be the b-pillar cameras and two of the front-facing cameras.

Controls

The new Zoom controls are similar to those when on a phone call. In a Model 3 and Model Y, the controls will appear on the bottom left corner of the display and feature options to toggle the video and mic on and off.

The last two buttons appear to be used to view the participants on the call and end the meeting.

In the video, it was also shown that Zoom meeting links will now appear on your vehicle’s calendar if available. Tapping on the link will automatically launch Zoom and start the meeting.

Vehicle Support

Since this new feature will likely rely on the vehicle’s cabin camera, it will most likely be limited to the Model 3, Model Y and the new Model S and Model X.

During the announcement, Zoom said the feature was coming to “all new Tesla models soon.”

It’s not clear whether this means Zoom will only be offered on MCU3-based vehicles, or older models with Atom processors as well. However, given the similarity to other streaming apps, we expect this feature to be offered on MCU 2 and MCU 3 cars.

Elon previously alluded to video conferencing being added back in 2020 and the first MCU 3 vehicle was introduced in June 2021.

App Store

When a Zoom icon was found earlier this year in a Tesla interface video it sparked rumors of an app store coming to Teslas.

However, we don’t believe that’s what’s happening here. While an app store may be an idea that is being developed at Tesla, we think this Zoom integration will simply be another app that is offered in addition to YouTube and others.

Release Date

Zoom and Tesla haven’t shared an official timeframe for release of this feature, but Zoom did mention the feature would be available soon during its keynote.

It’s possible Zoom let the cat out of the bag with this announcement and that it was planned as one of the surprise features in Tesla’s upcoming 2022 Christmas update.

Zoom in Action

Watch Zoom’s segment on its Tesla video conferencing integration below.