On April 8, Tesla code researcher greentheonly discovered clues about a new feature that Tesla plans to introduce in the latest software update's firmware. This feature will help drivers more easily detect emergency vehicles. Greentheonly stated that the 2025.8.x firmware includes an updated emergency vehicle siren detection and warning function. This function will issue an alert when it detects a siren and automatically lower the volume of any media being played by the driver, making it easier for them to hear the siren. Additionally, an alert will appear on the display. He also mentioned that for this feature to work properly, the vehicle's microphone permission needs to be enabled. It is worth noting that the sound detection data remains within the vehicle and is neither saved nor transmitted unless data sharing is enabled.
It is known that, except for the new Model Y, Tesla currently only has one built-in microphone and no external microphones. However, the vehicle's cameras are expected to assist in the detection of emergency vehicles. Furthermore, it is anticipated that this new feature will remain active regardless of whether the Supervised FSD and Autopilot features are enabled.