Software Team Needs a Revamp

[photoquests]

I love my R1S but the only thing keeping me from getting another Rivian in the future is the software. There’s still way too many bugs at this stage of the vehicle’s lifespan. Not to mention the UI design and usability. I really feel like Rivian needs to make some tough staffing decisions in this department if they really want to take the next big step. Anyone else feel the same? Trying not to be a hater just trying to have an honest discussion.

i have rebooted the display once in my 6 months and 6000 miles of ownership and I have had one instance of the adaptive headlights throwing an error message. Other than that everything has worked well, Alexa commands make traveling mostly hands-off the screen and I don’t notice any significant lag when switching between screens other than the streaming audio. I started my computer interfacing on a Commodore 64 and up through most every other OS as well as Novell through Windows and SAAS networks, so from experience I would disagree with your premise. The hardware and software interfaces are well suited to managing the user driving experience and the bugs are really feature creep that is not fully developed. You might consider a different OS like the GM platform if cutting edge technology is not your cup of tea.

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[advxplr]

I'm hyper critical of software quality and I've been overall very impressed with Rivian's UI design and reliability. I have had my R1T Gen 2 for about a month now and have had a couple of glitches and reboots, but nothing major. My biggest issue is the unlock/lock proximity, but that's another story.

I'd actually be really interested in helping Rivian improve their software. Aside from in-vehicle beta software, it would be awesome if there was a trusted tester program to participate in QA and bug bashes.

Does anyone know if there's a direct channel for bug reports and feedback submissions aside from support?

 

[tate16t]

Via the mobile app toward the bottom of the home page there’s a share feedback option.

 

[Lawrence-of-Blaine]

This is exaggerated. Compared to every other vehicle manufacturer besides Tesla, Rivian's software is superior in every way. Teslas have drawbacks for different reasons, and their software lacks basic features that Rivian offers. In my opinion, it's a wash. You bought a computer with wheels. Sometimes computers need to be rebooted.

Every computer I've ever owned has required a reboot at least once a week. I don't see how this is unusual or unexpected.

Without trying to make this into a Mac vs. PC debate, I’d be very frustrated (as a Mac user) if I was forced to reboot my computer at least once a week. That’s NOT ok, and the OP has every right to be frustrated. My Gen 1 R1S has not needed ANY reboots in 18 months and over 20,000 miles of ownership.
So I’m with the OP on this. Obviously we’re not all experiencing the same issues so yeah, there’s something wrong with his software set. Very wrong.

 

[1pinhigh]

I love my R1S but the only thing keeping me from getting another Rivian in the future is the software. There’s still way too many bugs at this stage of the vehicle’s lifespan. Not to mention the UI design and usability. I really feel like Rivian needs to make some tough staffing decisions in this department if they really want to take the next big step. Anyone else feel the same? Trying not to be a hater just trying to have an honest discussion.

I'm in total agreement that the software quality control at Rivian could be better. Since getting the latest update, the features I use daily such as comfort exit, mirror tilting in reverse and kneeling when parked continue to be hit and miss! The drivers seat goes to my set position about 30-40% of the time when I get in after sitting overnight in the garage or when parked. I end up having to "restore" my seat and steering wheel position using the driver profile on the main screen.

I realize my issues are minor compared to others, however, you'd think in a $100K vehicle things would work correctly. I don't have that problem with any of the settings or features in my wife's VW Atlas, which is only half the cost!

 

[Ralph]

I didn't read everything prior; but I suspect that lack of faster and better quality has something to do with the joint venture with VW. Due to what was/is at stake, there is no doubt that senior people were put on the proof of concept first and now real development and integration.

At some point Rivian owners should see some benefit from the JV effort, mostly to Gen 2 vehicles.

 

[Pwrman]

Quality wise, I've had very few issues with my Gen 1; rebooting only once while driving; and the UI has improved in speed over time.

Having said that, I'm very disappointed in the de-contenting efforts. What was originally promising to be a better UI than any other offering via Alexa voice commands (rather than having to fumble through a touch screen while trying to drive), this capability was drastically cut back and now costs a monthly subscription to get basic voice & navigation connectivity that other vehicles can automatically get with Apple Carplay.

 

[godfodder0901]

Having said that, I'm very disappointed in the de-contenting efforts. What was originally promising to be a better UI than any other offering via Alexa voice commands (rather than having to fumble through a touch screen while trying to drive), this capability was drastically cut back and now costs a monthly subscription to get basic voice & navigation connectivity that other vehicles can automatically get with Apple Carplay.

This statement isn't true. You don't pay the subscription for voice features, you pay for the data plan. If you tether, i.e. provide your own data, the features you mention work great.

 

[VSG]

And, it was explicitly stated all along right from the beginning that the data plan was included free on a temporary basis. That temporary basis lasted far longer than we expected. There is no nefarious "de-contenting" here. Just the opposite - Rivian gave us free data for years longer than they said they would. Thank you Rivian.

 

[archiboy]

I have read about 1/4 of the posts on this thread and wanted to chime in. My hope is that this is something read by the Rivian team as constructive criticism.

I have nearly 60k miles on my Gen1 R1T. I share what I believe to be the emotional critique of the OP. I think the Rivian UI is the weak link of the overall experience. That said, I'd buy another Rivian tomorrow if I needed a new car/truck.

Hear are my concerns (in no particular order). And if it means anything I've been involved with software UI design dating back to interactive CD's.... (I'm too old to understand current technologies).

1) putting my truck into reverse to dis-engage autopilot.... really bad idea.
2) putting my truck into park and engaging the windshield washer are identical tactical button pushes (one on the right one on the left)... really bad idea
3) visual, font style, sizes, and color selection are not nearly as readable as on my Tesla.
4) Connectivity between BT phone and UI is far from seamless, and in someways creates dangerous scenarios. (The lack of Apple/Android integration has been beaten to death, no need to rehash here). My point is it needs to be fixed.

 

[McLovin]

For those saying they rarely reboot their computer, regardless of OS, do you ever install updates? Every OS I’ve ever used/use, and I currently develop on Fedora 42, requires a reboot after installing an update.

I’ve had Chrome freeze my Linux box multiple times, and a hard reset is the only thing that brings it back.

I’m not discounting the OP’s experience with the R1S, but in my 10 months of ownership (2024 R1T), I’ve only had an issue with Apple Music where I had to log out & back in again. Other than that, 0 issues with the software.

 

[Pwrman]

This statement isn't true. You don't pay the subscription for voice features, you pay for the data plan. If you tether, i.e. provide your own data, the features you mention work great.

I never said the subscription is for voice. For those that know how technology works, voice requires data connectivity, as I stated .

 

[godfodder0901]

I never said the subscription is for voice. For those that know how technology works, voice requires data connectivity, as I stated .

You stated that a Rivian subscription was required for voice, but this is patently false. You are trying to mislead others and make claims that aren't true.

For those that know how technology works, you can use your phone to tether to the truck and use that data connectivity for voice, as I stated...

 

[VSG]

I never said the subscription is for voice

You actually literally said just that:

now costs a monthly subscription to get basic voice & navigation connectivity

And that's false - you get these for free.

And specifically, I have "basic voice & navigation" in my R1T right now and I'm not paying for a Connect+ subscription.

 

[Pwrman]

You stated that a Rivian subscription was required for voice, but this is patently false. You are trying to mislead others and make claims that aren't true.

I'm not going to entertain your trolling if you can't even read accurately, and then when corrected, you can't even take the time to re-read and understand a statement. Here is a hint to the incompetent: connectivity = data access.

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