Tesla made it easier to reset Autopilot ‘nag’ with latest software update

Tesla has been tuning its Autopilot alerts, more commonly known as ‘nag’ in the Tesla community, in recent software updates.

Now the company made it easier for drivers to make the nag go away when not holding the steering the wheel.

Following accidents on Autopilot that seemed to indicate that some owners are becoming too complacent with the driver assist system and they are not paying enough attention anymore, Tesla introduced more “nag”  in recent updates.

Autopilot has been sending out ‘Hold Steering Wheel’ alerts at increasingly shorter intervals when it doesn’t detect hands on the steering wheel.

As we previously reported, some owners felt like Tesla’s detection of hands on the wheel had actually improved, but others felt like it was the other way around and complained to Tesla.

In June, Tesla ended up changing the “Hold Steering Wheel” alert to now displaying “Apply light force to steering wheel” in order to better communicate how Autopilot detects your hands on the steering wheel and make Autopilot nag go away.

The sensors on the steering wheel don’t actually respond to someone just gripping the wheel. It detects torque on the wheel and therefore, a slight force needs to move the wheel up or down.

But in the new 2018.34 software update, Tesla updated it so that any interaction with the steering wheel, like using the scrolls or buttons, can count and reset the Autopilot nag.

Some owners had been complaining that they sometimes weren’t able to apply the right amount of pressure on the steering wheel for Autopilot to remove the nag while not deactivating Autosteer.

Now it looks like they could opt to just use the scrolls or buttons to make the system know that they are still there and paying attention.

Electrek’s Take

As we’ve previously discussed, the new level of nag is a bummer for owners who use Autopilot appropriately – meaning drivers who always stay attentive and who are ready to take control.

But unfortunately, there too many people who don’t pay attention and however inefficient, this is Tesla’s best way to get people to pay attention at this moment.

At least it looks like Tesla is trying to make it a little more convenient with this latest update. Some might prefer to just turn the volume up and down really quickly then applying pressure to the wheel.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below and as usual, please always pay attention and be ready to take control when using Autopilot.