Rivian Software Update 2026.36

Rivian's 2026.36 update for Gen 1 and Gen 2 R1 adds Gmail support for Rivian Assistant, remote Pet Comfort controls in the mobile app, and Electric Era chargers in navigation. Gen 2 owners also get smarter Universal Hands-Free attention warnings and better cold weather climate control.

First Noticed Public Release TBD

Navigation Improvements

  • You can now name and re-order your saved locations, which you access through the Favorites menu or Rivian Assistant.
  • The charger category search now uses the same charger filters and pins as the map of charging stations .
  • Sites that may require multiple plug-in attempts for a successful charge now appear with lower charging scores. Where possible, scores also factor in your vehicles specific charge port type.
  • Electric Era now appears as a fast-charging network across 16 states, located at retail locations such as Chevron, Costco, and Love's.

New Mobile App Controls for Pet Comfort

Now you can use the Rivian mobile app version 3.17 or later to turn Pet Comfort on and off when you're away from your vehicle.

Rivian Assistant Improvements

  • Secondary Google Calendar support: Rivian Assistant now has access to events from more than just your primary Google Calendar. If your linked Google account includes other calendars, like a family calendar, a shared team calendar, or a holiday calendar, you can choose which ones Rivian Assistant references when you ask about your schedule. To add a secondary calendar, go to Rivian Intelligence in the Rivian mobile app.
  • Gmail integration: Rivian Assistant now connects with Gmail, so you can read, search, and get summaries of your emails hands-free while driving. To link your Gmail account, go to Rivian Intelligence in the Rivian mobile app. You can also view your connected account from the center display in your vehicle.
  • Contact disambiguation: When you ask Rivian Assistant to call or message someone who shares a name with another contact or has multiple saved numbers, it now shows you a quick list to choose from on the center display instead of walking you through several spoken confirmations.

Additional Improvements

  • Autonomy
    • Attention warnings during Universal Hands-Free and Highway Assist now dynamically adjust their timing and escalation based on real-time road and traffic complexity, delivering a more intuitive drive.Gen 2 Only
    • Improved the Driver Attention Detection model to respond more accurately when you're wearing sunglasses.
  • Vehicle access
    • Improved the reliability and quality of roomy entry and exit and mirror tilt behavior.Gen 2 Only
    • The vehicle now reliably warns you that the liftgate, front trunk, or a door is open, even if one of the other closures isn't reporting properly.Gen 2 Only
    • Your doors no longer automatically lock when you shift out of P (Park) while the driver door is open, so you won't get locked out at a car wash or if you step out briefly.
  • ClimateGen 2 Only
    • Made general climate control improvements to provide consistent cabin comfort in cold weather.Gen 2 Only
  • Apple Music
    • Improved load times for library and search, organized menus more predictably, and improved the reliability of artwork and song details.
    • Fixed the main issues that caused playback to stop, pause unexpectedly, or lose audio after phone calls, network drops, or extended periods when the vehicle was off.
    • Fixed an issue that caused some users to have trouble signing into their accounts.
    • Fixed a rare issue where media playback failed to start or stopped after 15 seconds.
  • Spotify
    • Increased the number of albums available on the Artist page.
    • Fixed an issue where tapping album art on the media player didn't open the album or podcast page for the currently playing track.
  • Media
    • Made general stability improvements to the Media tab in quick controls.
  • Gear Guard Live Cam (available to Connect+ subscribers only)
    • Improved stream start reliability.
    • Reduced connection times.
    • Significantly increased responsiveness when switching cameras.
  • Garages
    • Fixed an issue that caused the garage door opener setup to get stuck on the pairing screen instead of timing out.
    • Fixed an issue that caused the buttons in the pairing flow to overlap.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the vehicle to incorrectly display the message, Service vehicle to change drive modes, when switching drive modes.
  • Fixed a rare issue that caused cloud-based mobile app commands to fail on shared digital keys.Gen 2 Only
author avatar
Jose Castillo Founder and Editor
Jose Castillo is the founder of RivianTrackr and has owned and driven Rivians since early in the brand's consumer history. He currently drives an R1S and an R2 in Florida and uses Universal Hands-Free every day. As a credentialed Rivian journalist, he has covered the R2 First Drive in Park City and SXSW firsthand and has spoken directly with Rivian's software and autonomy leadership.
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