Tesla to Add Grok Text Messaging Support

Tesla has been evolving its voice features from simple commands into a conversational assistant powered by Grok. Since SpaceXAI’s chatbot appeared on vehicle displays, Tesla has steadily broadened what drivers can do without taking their hands off the wheel. New documentation now indicates that text messaging is the next capability on the way.

The feature is referenced in Tesla’s official Model Y owner’s manual, which expands on Grok’s abilities when the assistant is set to the Assistant personality. Among the listed functions, Tesla states:

“Text messaging: Ask Grok to send a text message to a contact or phone number (for example, “Text Mom saying on my way”).”

Grok already handles many in-vehicle actions and can place phone calls, but text messaging is not yet supported. According to the owner’s manual, Grok currently offers:

• Navigation: Ask Grok to search for a location or add/remove a destination from your navigation route.
• Phone calls: Ask Grok to call a contact or dial a phone number (for example, "Call John Doe" or "Dial 650-555-1234").
• Media search and play: Ask Grok to search for and play media content.
• Controls panel search: Ask Grok about your Tesla to search and navigate to vehicle settings in the Controls panel.
• Vehicle commands: Ask Grok to adjust common vehicle controls such as climate temperature, seat heating and cooling, steering wheel heating, and the glove box.
• Vehicle questions: Ask Grok questions about your vehicle. Grok can answer using information from the Owner's Manual.

From General Knowledge to In-Cabin Control

Grok has become a core element of the in-cabin experience since Tesla first debuted it in update 2025.26 last year. Initially limited to the U.S., availability soon expanded to Canada, then to Australia and New Zealand, and more recently to the entirety of Europe and several Asian countries.

Over time, the assistant advanced from answering general questions to actively helping manage the car. Voice-only navigation arrived, enabling drivers to set routes and add waypoints by speaking. Tesla then added location-based reminders powered by Grok, so drivers could request prompts such as a reminder to take groceries out of the frunk upon arriving home.

Integration deepened further when Tesla added vehicle commands earlier this summer, giving Grok access to features like climate controls, defrosters, and toggles within the settings menus.

A Stepping Stone to FSD Integration

Tesla vehicles have long supported voice-to-text dictation via connected Bluetooth phones and standard voice commands. By handling communication through Grok, the system can interpret conversational context, refine phrasing, and compose messages more naturally, letting drivers speak normally while staying focused on the road.

Managing incoming and outgoing SMS is part of a broader roadmap. Tesla appears to be working on Grok Bot integration to link vehicle cabins with external AI agents, and Elon Musk has previously confirmed that Grok will be able to control Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in future updates.

There is no timeline yet for the rollout of Grok text messaging. A new FSD-powered Automatic Collision Evasion function recently surfaced in the owner’s manual and went live earlier this week. With text messaging already documented in the manual, a forthcoming over-the-air update could enable the feature for drivers.