Rivian R1T OTA Tracker: All the New Features and Updates For the Electric Truck

For the vast majority of automotive history, one thing was true: Once the car left the factory, all changes were on the customer. Sure, automakers sold factory-approved parts through dealers, but customers had to purchase and install them separately. Then, the Tesla Model S happened. With it came over-the-air (OTA) software updates, and they weren't just bug fixes. Entire new features are added to the cars by the automaker years after leaving the factory, most of them free (so far). Now, lots of automakers are doing it. Some, like Rivian, are absolutely cranking them out—our long-term 2022 Rivian R1T has received 16 since we got it.

Early on, Rivian committed to releasing an OTA software update for its vehicles every month. Since January 2022, the company has automatically pushed 17 updates to the R1T EV pickup, and if you're doing the math, you'll notice some months had two updates. At the same time, the company has been consistently updating its mobile app, as both vehicle and app updates often involve the same new or revised features.

To keep things organized and easy to find, we're compiling all the updates in this one post that'll be updated as long as we have the truck. To make it a comprehensive list, we've also included the three updates that went out before we got our truck. You can get the lowdown on your current software version in the Settings app on the truck, and every new update comes with a list of new features and fixes before you install it.

What We Think: We love all the things we can do from the mobile app and adding the ability to change the charging schedule and open the Gear Tunnel doors remotely is certainly helpful. We also love being able to send addresses to the truck's built-in navigation system from Google and Apple Maps on our phone, so the addition of Yelp is a welcome one. We also love the Camp Courtesy feature given how bright the R1T's exterior lights are and are happy to have it turn off automatically in case we forget when leaving the campground.

What We Think: Moving the Gear Guard security camera feature to its own app makes sense and declutters the vehicle app. Turning the forward-facing camera into a dash cam was a no-brainer, though we notice it records a ton of "events" that are really non-events, so there's always a notification about new recordings to review. We love the ability to set a custom charging limit from the truck or the mobile app, and we appreciate the warning chime when trying to lock the truck and a door isn't closed all the way rather than just not locking. Burying the trip odometers two layers deep in a different app is obnoxious for us since we use them constantly to track our mileage. Having the climate control wait to crank up the fan is a clever and much appreciated feature on cold days, as is automatically turning off seat heaters and coolers. The bug that was screwing up the mobile app was getting super annoying and we're glad to see it squashed. Though it's late in our loan, we appreciate the ability to officially name our truck "Doc" and have it show up in both the truck and the mobile app.

What We Think: We only noticed one of these bugs, the one that caused the charge port door to close the moment you unplugged. It only caught our hand once and immediately stopped without hurting us. Nice to not have to worry about it any more.

What We Think: We're looking forward to being able to drop the tailgate from the phone app during runs to the home improvement store, while Plug and Charge is super convenient if there happens to be a Rivian charger nearby (there aren't any near us). Adding Tesla Superchargers with compatible Magic Dock adapters (all 11 of them nationwide) is nice if you live near one but potentially a game-changer in the future if Tesla expands the network. The continued updates to Highway Assist have made it function so much better that we've actually started using it regularly again.

What We Think: Our truck apparently didn't need this update as it was never offered and eventually a newer update was pushed instead.

What We Think: As we've noted in another story on our truck, the proximity locking and unlocking feature has been in dire need of improvement, and updates up to and including this one have helped. It's still not as good as the competition, but it's a lot better than where it started. Likewise, Highway Assist, which used to have trouble centering the truck in the lane on anything but a perfectly straight road, now works a lot better.

What We Think: The extra EPA range unlocked with software improvements was the headline news, but we didn't see much of a difference on our truck. The vehicle customizes its range estimates to your driving style, and our range didn't go up much despite the software update. We saw a lot more improvement in the key fob functionality, which had been absolutely terrible in the past, either taking way too long to register a command or not registering it at all. Still not great but much, much better. Speeding up the power window closure was nice as it was noticeably slow, and the ability to turn on the seat coolers remotely will be a lifesaver in the coming months.

What We Think: Adding a Snow driving mode just in time for winter was a smart move, but we like being able to remotely turn on the seat and steering wheel heaters even better. What we really, really like, though, is the ability to actually send addresses from our phone apps to the truck. Before this update, you could look up a charger in the Rivian phone app but couldn't send it to the truck. Same with destinations in Google and Apple Maps. Now you can plan your road trip from your phone and send it to the truck, where the onboard route planner will add in any needed charging stops. No more typing it all back in when you get in the truck.

What We Think: This is one of the less exciting updates as it mostly consisted of bug fixes, the most pressing of which was automatically restarting charging when the limit is changed via the phone app. The Roomy entry and exit feature is a nice addition that many luxury vehicles have and was conspicuously absent until now. Speeding up the route planner and disabling the window switches in Pet mode were also good for our stress levels.

What We Think: This was a big update, but all anyone wanted to talk about was the Halloween mode. A riddle at the end of the update notes told you where to find a temporary icon that turned everything spooky. It was the kind of silly fun that Tesla has so successfully brought to car software, and shows it doesn't all have to be bug fixes and functional improvements. On that front, we were happy to see the very useful updates to the radio interface and the ability to control charging from the phone app, which is especially useful when you forget to change the charge limit before you leave the vehicle. We thought we'd like the Kneel feature, but it takes forever to pump the truck back up to its normal ride height, and you're warned not to drive until then lest you damage something, so we ended up turning it off.

What We Think: A lot of the new features added via OTA updates have been useful, but none gets used more often than cabin preconditioning. Being able to start the heater or air conditioning before you head out to the vehicle is a lifesaver in the depths of summer and winter. We're also happy to finally be able to turn off the rear parking sensors when towing since they're useless and annoying with a trailer attached. This is also the update that finally, finally fixed all the FM radio problems, from dropping out at random or refusing to play at startup.

What We Think: The Camping app is a major addition we'd heard whispers of for some time. Most notable here is the ability to turn the truck all the way off (except for keyless entry) with the Stay Off feature, which dramatically reduces range loss when the vehicle sits for days at a time, especially in cold weather. We also really appreciated the ability to leave the power outlets on when not in the cab and the ability to turn off all the super-bright exterior lights, which normally come on automatically when the truck is unlocked and would light up multiple campsites. We also really like the ability to vent the windows and open the frunk from the phone app, and we're hoping to be able to drop the tailgate and open or close the power tonneau cover from the app in the future. The ability to see the battery percentage as well as remaining range satisfies both personality types, and we're glad the FM radio is getting fixed again and that the volume stops changing every time we get in the truck.

What We Think: Everyone loves to harp on the time it takes to charge an EV, so we were excited to see the charging speed increase again, though we find the truck is rarely in the perfect condition necessary to get maximum charging speed. Even when it does max out, it doesn't stay there long before it slows down to protect the battery from excessive wear. We were also excited about automatic ride height control, which automatically lowers the truck at higher speeds to increase aerodynamic efficiency and save energy. We'd experienced the bugs in the cabin vents, the door handles, and the audio controls, so we were happy to have them fixed. Likewise, we were getting annoyed with the truck constantly releveling itself at stoplights, so it was nice to see that go away.

What We Think: Dog owners on staff were thrilled to see the addition of Pet mode, which keeps the climate control running when you leave the truck and displays a big message on the infotainment screen letting everyone know your pet isn't freezing or roasting in the truck. Off-roaders on staff were equally thrilled the truck would stop putting itself back in All-Purpose mode every time they got out to check an obstacle on the trail before proceeding. Since we track all our charging very closely, the Energy app and the Session Summary feature have been super helpful in quantifying charging costs, especially at home and when using the mobile charging cord.

What We Think: Battery preconditioning is a super handy feature that gets the battery up or down to its optimal temperature before you reach a DC Fast charger, resulting in faster charging. You have to make sure you put a charger as your destination in the navigation for it to work, but it's worth it on a road trip. Turning down the sensitivity of the proximity locking and unlocking system at home is also handy, especially if you use your cell phone as your key, as we noticed it constantly locks and unlocks in the driveway every time our phone got within range, which was at least 10 feet by our estimation. Not a lot of folks drive on sand regularly, but a dedicated mode that allows more wheelspin is a huge upgrade when you do. We'd been affected by the audio staying on when the vehicle was parked and locked, and it was nice to have that squashed.

What We Think: Built-in garage door openers are a popular feature the R1T initially shipped without, so it was nice to see a garage door icon suddenly appear in the top left corner of the infotainment display. Same for automatic high-beams, which help save you from forgetting to turn the high-beams off when a car is approaching. We also appreciated the ability to turn off the pulsing green lights during charging, which gets really annoying at night and which we'd been asking for since our Trans-America Trail adventure. We'd been having a lot of problems with the FM radio going offline that this update finally fixed.

What We Think: Finally, we experienced an OTA update for ourselves. This one brought some pretty big changes, namely an upgrade to 500-amp, 200-kW charging on public DC fast chargers. Rivian had been promising for years its vehicles would be capable of charging at 300 kW, and this update started to make good on the promise, shortening charging times significantly. We also deeply appreciated the new Low ride height option in Conserve mode, which had until then dropped the suspension to its absolute lowest level and made the ride quality awful. Since we wash our long-term vehicles regularly, an all-in-one Car Wash mode that closes the windows, locks the charge port doors, and turns off the automatic wipers has been quite handy down at the local drive-through car wash.

What We Think: This was the last update sent out before we got our R1T, and it fixed several minor disappointments we'd had with the truck during our previous evaluations. The rear screen, which handles rear-seat climate control, had been switched on but locked out since the truck went on sale and was finally functional. Similarly, all R1Ts shipped with lots of exterior cameras but only a functioning backup camera, so we were excited to finally have a 360-degree camera for tight parking lots. We'd also been asking for a trip odometer since our Trans-America Trail adventure, so we were happy to finally get one even if it's buried in the Vehicle app on the infotainment screen instead of the instrument cluster.

What We Think: This update also came out before we got our truck, but we especially like the addition of a tire pressure monitoring screen. It's now one of three screens you can have on the left side of the instrument cluster, the other two being efficiency and navigation. Screens are switched by holding down the leftmost button on the steering wheel, which you'd never know unless you read the manual (which no one does) or someone told you.

What We Think: This update came out before we got our truck, so we couldn't do a back-to-back comparison of the changes. We did notice during our Truck of the Year testing in October 2021 the navigation didn't offer alternate, time-saving routes, so we're happy this feature is now available.