The Tesla app finally gets a real iPad and tablet layout, just in time for the foldable iPhone Duo

For years, opening the Tesla app on an iPad meant looking at a stretched-out phone app. That is about to change. On October 21, Tesla designer Alex Guichet announced on X that a new large-screen layout is rolling out now for iPad, iPhone Duo, and Android tablets and foldables.

Guichet, who works on the interface for Tesla Energy and Tesla Charging, said the team 'rethought many screens' across the app to make use of the extra space.

What the new layout looks like

The big-screen app uses two columns. On the left is a main menu with the same sections as the phone app: Controls, Climate, Location, Self-Driving, Summon, Charging, Set Schedules, Security & Drivers and Safety Score. On the right is a large 3D view of your car.

• The menu stays visible. Open Charging, for example, and the charging menu remains on the left while the details fill the rest of the screen.
• Quick status at a glance. The menu shows details such as the cabin temperature and the share of your driving done on FSD.
• A richer car view. The 3D model is more detailed than on the phone and looks like the parked screen inside the car, with a background that matches your paint colour and reflections on the ground. You can open the frunk or trunk, lock and unlock, and check charging from it.
• Quick controls. Below the car are buttons for Flash, Honk, Start and Vent, plus a more visible Customize Controls button.
• Tyre pressures on the car. A new Show psi button puts the tyre pressures directly on the 3D view.

Energy owners and charging stats

Tesla Energy customers get the same treatment. On a Powerwall home, the menu lists Home Status, Home Controls, Energy, Impact, Virtual Power Plant, Settings and Go Off-Grid. The Home Status screen shows a 3D house with live power flows between solar panels, the Powerwall, the grid, the house and a car charging in the garage.

The Charge Stats screen also benefits. It now shows a full-width map of the Superchargers you have visited, with your total energy charged, total spent, estimated savings versus gasoline and a monthly breakdown that is easier to read on a big screen.

Why now: the iPhone Duo

The timing is no accident. Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, opened for pre-orders on October 16 and goes on sale on October 23. Its inner display is about 50% larger than that of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Without a proper layout, the Tesla app would simply stretch to fill it.

On the Duo's inner screen, the new layout shows charging details, the live camera and recent dashcam clips on the left, with the car on the right. Fold the phone shut and the outer screen switches back to the normal phone layout.

When do you get it?

The rollout is gradual. Guichet said it 'may take an extra week or two' for everyone to get the new design, while Tesla checks that each screen works on every display size. When it was announced, the App Store still listed version 4.61.6 from October 8, which suggests Tesla is switching the layout on from its side rather than through a separate download. The App Store listing also still mentioned only iPhone and Apple Watch as supported devices.

Tesla's main accounts had not yet announced the change, and Guichet said the team is still working on further refinements.

Why it matters

The Tesla app is more than a remote control. It is the key to the car, the window into a Powerwall home and, for many owners, the place where they check charging costs and camera footage. A layout built for larger screens makes all of that easier to use, and shows Tesla is paying attention to the growing number of foldables and tablets.

What to watch next

• A formal App Store update that adds iPad to the list of supported devices.
• More detail on the Android tablet and foldable versions, which have not been shown in screenshots yet.
• Further design changes, which Guichet has promised in future releases.