Model 3 (2024 and newer): Touchscreen, App & Media

Model 3 has four USB ports. The USB-A port inside the glovebox holds a flash drive for Dashcam and Sentry Mode and also plays audio files. One USB-C port in the rear compartment of the center console and two USB-C ports below the rear cabin vents charge devices. Tesla recommends USB 3.0 compliant cables and advises against USB hubs, since devices on a hub may not charge or be recognized. Two wireless charge pads add up to 15 W.

On cars with a rear touchscreen, rear passengers can control rear climate and fan, the rear seat heaters, the front passenger seat position, media, video streaming, games and a live navigation view, and can pair up to two sets of Bluetooth headphones. From the front, the rear screen remote control app in the bottom bar covers audio, video and climate. To lock the rear screen, we use that app or touch Controls > Display > Lock Rear Display.

1) Stop and shift into Park. 2) Press and hold both steering wheel scroll buttons until the screen turns black; the brake pedal is not needed. 3) Wait for the Tesla logo, then about 30 seconds for the restart. If it still misbehaves after a few minutes, we power cycle the car. Tesla warns to restart only when stopped in Park, because the car status, safety warnings and backup camera are unavailable during the restart.

Where equipped: 1) Park facing the door with the area clear. 2) Touch the transceiver icon at the top of Controls, create a device and name it. 3) Choose Standard, D-Mode or UR-Mode and touch Set Mode. 4) Touch Start and follow the steps, finishing the receiver training within about 30 seconds. 5) Save and test. It handles up to three devices. Tesla warns to use it only with doors that have safety stop and reverse.

We plug a flash drive into a USB port at the front of the center console; on some cars built after about November 1, 2021, those ports only charge, so we use the glovebox USB port. Only flash drives are recognized, formatted as exFAT, since NTFS is not supported. Then we touch Media Player > USB and pick a folder, or switch the source from the Media Player drop-down. Other devices connect over Bluetooth instead.

We fully press the microphone button on the right side of the steering wheel and speak after the chime. Examples: Make it cooler, Turn on the wipers, Lock the doors, Sentry Mode on, Navigate home, Show nearby Superchargers, Call plus a contact name, Listen to plus a song, and Show me the Owner's Manual. Some commands, such as Sentry Mode and Pet Mode, work only in Park. We set the language in Controls > Display > Voice Recognition Language.

With Tesla app version 4.3.1 or later, we open the vehicle home screen, go to Security > Add Driver and follow the onscreen instructions. The extra driver can use an existing Tesla Account or create one in the app, and gets every app feature except purchasing upgrades. To remove access, we go to Security > Manage Drivers. For the app to work with the car, Controls > Safety > Allow Mobile Access must be on.

1) Sit in the car with the touchscreen on and turn on Bluetooth on the unlocked phone. 2) Touch Controls > Bluetooth to scan. 3) Touch Connect next to the phone. 4) Check the number matches on both screens and confirm on the phone. 5) Choose whether to share contacts, calendar and media. Up to 10 phones can be paired, and the car connects to the Priority Device first. Unpairing does not remove the phone as a key.

Yes. Tesla supports mobile phone hotspots, subject to carrier fees and limits. We touch Controls > Wi-Fi, pick the network, enter the password and touch Confirm. After connecting to a hotspot, we can select Remain Connected in Drive to stay online while driving. Public networks that need a web login or terms acceptance are not supported. Known networks reconnect automatically, and Tesla recommends Wi-Fi for software and map updates.

We turn on Trip Planner in the navigation settings, or Controls > Navigation, where available. When a trip needs charging, it adds Supercharger stops with recommended charge times and shows the estimated energy on arrival at each stop. Charging longer or shorter adjusts later stops, and the car preheats the battery when navigating to a Supercharger. If we cannot reach the destination, or a Supercharger on the route has an outage, the car alerts us.

We touch the navigation settings icon, or Controls > Navigation. There, Avoid Tolls routes us away from tolls where possible, Avoid Highways shows a route without highways, and Avoid Ferries routes around ferries. Tesla notes that navigation settings vary by region and vehicle configuration. In the same menu, Online Routing can reroute us around heavy traffic when an alternative saves at least the number of minutes we set.

Arcade games can use the steering wheel buttons, a Bluetooth controller or a USB controller. Bluetooth (Classic) controllers pair the same way as a phone and reconnect automatically, and two Bluetooth devices can connect at once, such as two controllers. On cars built after about November 1, 2021, a USB controller goes in the glovebox USB port, because the center console ports only charge. Tesla warns to use Arcade only while parked.

Theater streams video over Wi-Fi, or over cellular with Tesla's upgraded connectivity. Arcade has games played with the steering wheel buttons or a controller. Toybox has extras such as Light Show, Light Sync, Boombox (on cars with the Pedestrian Warning System), Romance, Sketchpad, TRAX, Mars, Photobooth and Paint Shop. All three work only in Park. Tesla warns never to use them while driving, and not to run Light Show on or near public roads.

Updates download over Wi-Fi, so Tesla recommends staying connected. When a clock icon appears at the top of the touchscreen, we touch it and choose Install Now or set a time; Controls > Software and the Tesla app also work. Model 3 must stay in Park, charging pauses, and some updates take about 30 minutes. Updates do not install with Keep Climate On, Pet Mode or Camp Mode on. Tesla warns not to use the car while it installs.

1) Touch and hold any app in the My Apps area of the bottom bar, or touch the App Launcher if that area is empty. 2) Drag an app or control from the app tray onto My Apps. 3) To remove one, touch and hold it, then touch its X. When My Apps is full, adding an app removes the rightmost one. Seat heaters sit next to the temperature instead. Tesla warns not to adjust touchscreen settings while driving.

At select Supercharger sites, a waitlist queues drivers in the order they joined, on an honor system. If we are navigating to such a site, we are added automatically as we approach; otherwise we tap the touchscreen notification or join in the Tesla app. It needs app 4.56.5 or later with location set to Always and Precise, and car software 2026.14 or later. When it is our turn, we have 3 minutes to plug in.

The release notes appear on the touchscreen after an update finishes. To read the notes for the current software version later, we touch Controls > Software > Release Notes. Tesla strongly recommends reading all release notes, as they may contain safety information or operating instructions. In Controls > Software we can also choose Standard or Advanced update preferences; Advanced gets updates sooner but does not join the early access program.