Does the car automatically check for updates without WiFi?

If you sign up for TeslaFi you will be immediately notified via email when an update is available to download in your car.

Yes. The car will notify you if an update is available and connect to WiFi to download if.

Great. Do you know if it notifies in the mobile app too?

Yes

You should get any in-cut update notification on your phone as well

Just turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot and click on download update.

You only need to be on WiFi to download an update. You do not need to be on WiFi to be notified that an update is available or to apply an already downloaded update.

Yes, look in the Software tab in your car or the app to see if an update is available. Then, you'll need to connect the car to wifi to download the software to the car. If the download gets interrupted, it will pick up again next time it's connected to wifi. Then, the software needs to be installed, during which you won't be able to use the car for an hour. The default for installation is 3:00 AM that night, but you can change the time, including immediately. I think you have to leave the car and it gives you a minute or two to get out. Note: My first two software downloads got pushed down (through the cars LTE or at Supercharger - I don't know which), didn't need to connect to wifi.

You’ll see a prompt in the app when an update is ready to download, but you will not get a push notification. You’ll get a push notification when the update is ready to be installed.

It still surprises me people buy these cars when they don’t have their own driveway, garage or power source. The whole point is convenience, but without those things then this car is full of INCONVENIENCES lol. Whyyy do it? For appearances? “Look wealthy”?

Great. Thanks folks!

There is no download button, it starts downloading automatically when on WiFi.

You can install an update while still in the car. You don’t need to get out.

This feels unnecessarily hostile. Not everyone has a driveway, garage, or home charging setup, and that doesn't make this question unreasonable or their ownership performative. Lots of people live in apartments or cities and still choose EVs for practical reasons like lower running costs, public/workplace charging, or just preference. Even if just safety is your only concern, these vehicles have some of the highest safety ratings on the road (if not the highest). They asked about update notifications, not for judgment about their housing situation lol

While that is true, you forgot about FSD. If you need that, there’s literally no alternative.

You'll see that the car has an available update in 2 ways. 1) when you log into the app, you'll see it. It's not aoush notification. 2)you'll see a yellow arrow pointing down to a bar on the top of the screen in the car. I live in NYC and can't get wifi in my lot. I switched to Usmobile and get unlimited Hotspot. I leave my phone on the car for the download. I just turn off Bluetooth so that no one can walk in and take the car.

The update from v13 to v14 was almost 20GB. That's way beyond what my phone data plan covers for hot spot use. It will do it but I'll end up being throttled to the point where my phone is useless until the next month.

Sounds like you need an unlimited phone plan. Alternatively drive your Tesla to a service center and it will update on their parking lot Wi-Fi. Might also work at a supercharger location but I’ve found those to be really slow. To know when an update is available you can look online. There are a couple of websites that track it - Google for names.

I'm not the OP. I have wifi at home. I do have an unlimited phone data plan but they count hot spot data differently and there's a limit on that.