Tesla has started rolling out a version of its mobile app built for larger screens, bringing a dedicated layout to the iPad, Apple’s new iPhone Duo foldable and Android tablets and foldables for the first time.
The update was announced by Alex Guichet, a Tesla designer who works on the interface for Tesla Energy and Tesla Charging. In a post on X, he wrote that the Tesla App “is rolling out now for iPad, iPhone Duo, and Android Tablets and Foldables,” and added, “Finally on the big screens you bring around with you.”
Until now, iPad owners had to settle for the iPhone version of the app enlarged to fill the display, so the change answers a request Tesla owners have raised for some time.
A two-column design for cars and homes
The screenshots Guichet shared were both captured on an iPad, and they split the app into two columns, with a menu running down the left side and a large 3D view taking up the right.
On the vehicle screen, the menu lists Controls, Climate, Location, Self-Driving, Summon, Charging, Set Schedules, Security and Drivers, and Safety Score. The car sits on the right with shortcuts for the frunk, trunk and locks, and a row of Flash, Honk, Start and Vent buttons runs along the bottom.
Homes with a Powerwall 3 get a similar look. In that view the left column carries Home Status, Home Controls, Energy, Impact, Virtual Power Plant, Settings and Go Off-Grid, and the right side displays the house with live energy moving between the solar panels, the Powerwall, the grid and a Model S charging in the garage.
So is the redesign finished? Not yet, according to Guichet. In a follow-up post he said Tesla’s team “rethought many screens across the app to fill a bigger size,” and added, “We’re still brainstorming, and will update and polish more in future releases.”
A slow rollout without a new download
Owners who still see the old layout may only need to wait. Guichet later wrote that the release would be a slow rollout that “may take an extra week or two for everyone to get it” as the team confirms every screen works, and he joked that the app is larger than most people think.
Tesla appears to be switching on the tablet layout from its end instead of shipping it in a new download, which fits the gradual rollout Guichet described. Even so, keeping the app current through the App Store or Google Play is a sensible step for owners.
Timing tied to the iPhone Duo
The rollout arrives just two days before Apple’s first foldable iPhone reaches stores. According to Apple, the iPhone Duo opened for pre-orders on Oct. 16 and goes on sale Friday, Oct. 23, with an inner display 50% larger than the one on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Without a tablet layout, the Tesla app would have joined the many phone apps that simply stretch to fill a screen of that size. And with buyers now unfolding a much wider display, the timing gives Tesla owners a version that fits the device from day one.
A busy stretch for the Tesla app
Tablet support follows several other recent changes to the app. In September, version 4.61.0 brought passkey sign-in with Face ID or Touch ID, and around the same time Tesla Charging confirmed that Supercharger Site Maps had reached the app, giving phone users the same stall-level station view found on the car’s display.
Before that, Apple Watch owners received their own app in December 2024 with version 4.39.5, which added watch key support so drivers could lock, unlock and start their cars without an iPhone, along with controls for charging, climate and the frunk.
We’ve launched an official Tesla Owners Online Forum. Join early and claim your "Founding Fuel" badge.
