Tesla Voice Commands Explained

Tesla have widened their voice command capabilities and are trying to introduce natural language capabilities. As a result many variations of a phrase can execute the same command.

Before we just list the typical commands, it's worth noting that the Tesla voice command system can be extremely temperamental. Some users report it not understanding them at all, some think it only responds to an American accent, some seem to think it is just hit and miss whether it understands what you are saying. Frustratingly the car also sometimes displays a perfectly valid command on the screen and then fails to understand it when it comes to performing the command.

We believe one of the common problems with variable performance is when the car has poor communication with Tesla back at base. Poor connectivity seems to easily break the capability, either decoding the spoken word into words, or understanding the command those words represent.

To initiate a voice command on a Model S and Model X, simply tap the voice button on the upper right side of the steering wheel. For Model 3 and Y owners, press the right scroll button on your steering wheel. One of the common mistakes is not waiting until you hear the tone before speaking your command.

While we have listed a number of commands, there is a clear pattern with them and you just need to know the name Tesla want you to use for the object e.g. windscreen or windshield wipers, and then the words Tesla likes for starting/stopping, on/off etc. You are not going to remember all of the commands, but familiarising yourself with the style of command format will make things easier.

List of instructions

The basic instructions, verbs or doing words that can be used with many of the objects in the commands are:

You can also use Natural language commands such as "I am cold" or "take me to McDonalds" to explain your issue or what you want and the car will try and help./p>

List of objects

The range of objects that can be controlled are:

  • Calander
  • Browser
  • Energy App
  • Sat Nav
  • Aircon, A/C, Climate control, Fan or HVAC
  • Temperature, including Driver Temperature and Passenger Temperature
  • Climate
  • Steering wheel
  • Various Modes like Dog, Camper etc
  • Air vents
  • windshield or windscreen (vents)
  • Recirculate
  • Biodefence
  • Pedal and steering settings
  • Controls
  • Any entertainement option including Arcade, Netflix, Tidal, Youtube etc
  • Volume
  • Navigation
  • Lights
  • Sunroof
As you can see the list is pretty much exhaustive, and if you can think of the name of what you want to change, then picking the obvious action generally works.

It is worth noting that it can be buggy, and sometimes the complete opposite of what you say will happen. Examples include "Increase volume by 3" may set the volume to 3, and locations may look for key words rather than place names e.g. "go to worksop" may go to "work". But you get the idea.

List of commands

The list of commands we could give would be vast and we don't actually think very helpful if you remember the basic rules, but here's a variety to see the rules in action.

Category
Command
Apps and Settings
Open browser/phone/camera/lock settings..
Apps and Settings
Search Google for the weather..
Apps and Settings
Go to tesla.com...
Apps and Settings
Show trips
Apps and Settings
Open/close display settings
Apps and Settings
Open/close drivers menu
Apps and Settings
Show me tire/tyre pressures
Apps and Settings
Open/close owner's manual
Apps and Settings
Open/close calender
Apps and Settings
Open/close charging screen
Apps and Settings
Open/close energy app
Apps and Settings
Open/close toybox
Car Controls
Activate sentry mode
Car Controls
Increase screen brightness
Car Controls
Turn on windshield wipers/increase wiper speed
Car Controls
Fold/unfold side mirrors
Car Controls
Open charge port
Car Controls
Lock doors
Car Controls
Adjust mirrors
Car Controls
Adjust steering wheel
Car Controls
Lock/unlock doors
Car Controls
Set wipers to auto/1/2/3/4
Car Controls
Turn on/off windshield wipers
Car Controls
Speed up/slow down wipers
Car Controls
Wipers min/max
Car Controls
Turn on/off front/rear defroster
Car Controls
Show reversing/backup camera
Open trunk/frunk
Show reversing/backup camera
Climate Controls
Set the temperature/fan..
Climate Controls
Turn on the air conditioning
Climate Controls
Turn on dog mode/camp mode
Climate Controls
Make it warmer
Climate Controls
Set the drivers seat warmer/heater to..
Climate Controls
Set seat x to heat y
Climate Controls
Increase/decrease the fan speed
Climate Controls
I'm cold/warm/hot
Climate Controls
Make it hotter/warmer/cooler/colder
Climate Controls
Turn on recirculate
Navigation
Go home/to work
Navigation
Take me to...
Navigation
Drive me to...
Navigation
Navigate to...
Navigation
Zoom in/out
Navigation
Display superchargers
Navigation
Where are the superchargers
Navigation
Stop/cancel navigation
Navigation
Mute voice navigation
Phone
Call
Phone
Text message
Phone
Show text messages
Media
Open music/netflix/etc
Media
Play
Media
Search for..
Media
Mute media

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