AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla's 2026 Summer Update is transforming Grok from a chatty co-pilot into a genuinely hands-on assistant. With software version 2026.26, which began reaching the fleet on July 26, drivers can now ask Grok to control the car itself — placing phone calls, playing music, adjusting the climate, opening the glovebox, and searching the Controls panel, all by voice.
It is the moment Tesla's in-car assistant has been building toward for a year, and it arrives as the company keeps pushing rapid over-the-air improvements to owners worldwide, following the international expansion of features like FSD v14 Lite.
Grok Grows Beyond the Screen
When Tesla first added Grok, it lived on the touchscreen as a conversational helper — answering questions and setting destinations, but never touching the car's physical systems. The Spring Update introduced the "Hey Grok" wake word. Now 2026.26 closes the gap, letting drivers manage cabin functions through natural speech without reaching for a button.
The capability is powered by the AMD Ryzen infotainment computer, whose GPU horsepower makes real-time, on-device language-model inference fast enough to feel instant. It is a showcase of how Tesla's vertically integrated hardware and software let it ship features that would be difficult for automakers stitching together third-party systems.
Smarter Navigation for Everyone
Beyond Grok, the update delivers upgrades that reach across the fleet. Preferred Routes now weighs roads a driver has used before when several paths exist, while Automatic Navigation learns recurring destinations — a school run, a gym stop — and begins routing toward them automatically. Owners also gain Supercharger search by station name, Rear Display Lock, Custom Wraps upload from the mobile app, a Set Arrival Energy target, and Camera Preview.
