Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) update, version 14.2.1, is already raising eyebrows — and not for its driving behaviour, but for what it seems to allow drivers to do. According to Tesla owner and watcher @Teslaconomics, the new update appears to let drivers text while the system handles the wheel.
“Wait… am I able to text and drive on FSD v14.2.1??? I’ve been on my phone for an extended period of time…” @Teslaconomics posted on X earlier today. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded directly, saying, “Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes.”
The exchange highlights a major shift in how Tesla is tuning its driver-attention monitoring. FSD 14.2.1 is the newest iteration of the company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software, rolling out to early testers as of last week after version 14.2 the week before. Early reviews of 14.2 already praised smoother maneuvers and a more human-like driving feel, but 14.2.1 appears to go even further — easing off driver monitoring when conditions allow. In some situations, that now means drivers can momentarily look away from the road, or even send a text, without triggering the usual “pay attention” nags.
This also lines up with Musk’s earlier promise that FSD 14 would “nag you much less,” signaling a gradual handover of responsibility from the driver to the system — at least when traffic conditions are ideal.
All of this comes as Tesla pushes toward unlocking Unsupervised FSD. At the company’s 2025 shareholder meeting last month, Musk said Tesla was only “a few months away” from removing the supervision requirement entirely, pending regulatory approval and technical validation. Musk has also hyped the upcoming FSD 14.3 release as “the last big piece” of the autonomy puzzle, suggesting that an even more capable version is just around the corner. When 14.3 lands in the coming weeks, we’ll likely see how much further Tesla is willing to relax driver attention rules.
While the idea of texting behind the wheel still sounds controversial (not to mention illegal), Tesla’s latest software continues to blur the lines between driver assistance and full autonomy — and 14.2.1 may be the clearest sign yet of where the company believes things are headed.
