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R2 Launch Will Be Missing Several R1 Software Features
At the R2 First Drive event we learned that the R2 will arrive without a handful of software features that current R1 owners use regularly, and Rivian has indicated several of them will not be available for at least the first month of ownership.
The features missing at launch include Rivian Assistant, Climate Hold, and Pet Mode. Gear Guard will be present but with limited functionality. The SiriusXM app will not be available at launch, and neither will Google Casting or YouTube. And if you like camping, there’s no Camp Mode app either.
Most of these are features R1 owners use day to day. Pet Mode and Climate Hold both tie into the climate system, and the in-vehicle media apps have become a regular part of how a lot of people use their Rivian.
Rivian has described these as features arriving after launch rather than ones being dropped, with roughly the first month of ownership being the rough window before the gaps begin to close. Specific dates for each feature were not provided.
More clarity on the timeline should come once R2 deliveries begin and the software starts updating in customer vehicles.
It’s concerning that the software stack would already be so bifurcated. Not having Climate Hold, Pet Mode, or Camping Mode is a big miss imo. These are features that set EVs apart from their ICE counterparts.
This is absolutely mind boggling to me. HOW could the new software leave out features like Climate Hold and Pet Mode. How could OS2 be so different that these features are missing? Honestly, Rivian’s done a lot of amazing things but they always seem to find a way to step on theirs d*cks when it comes time to bring it over the finish line. Years ago it was announcing a price increase to launch edition that they had to back track. Then it was announcing LIDAR would be “late” to the R2 but not to worry about that just order one without. Now, the R2 is coming out with the latest and greatest software but missing key features that OS1 has. HOW does this happen? How could climate hold and pet mode be missing? How could Assistant be missing – it was just launched! How could gear guard be coming up short? If they had to completely rewrite the stack, i could see “fringe” features being lower priority and in a rush, they’ll just have to wait, these are key features that were hard fought in R1. WTF.
No biggie. The features are not being dropped. The alternative is for the company to miss delivery dates. Compromises are part of business as is the ability to meet targets. With OTA updates the missing features at launch will come soon enough. No drama. Relax and drive well.
Glad to hear it is a fast follow. Went to look at R2 today, and was bit worried those features were missing. I knew there will be a software update coming to add them, and hopefully much more.