Rivian software is (still) an embarrassment and needs to get better fast before R2

[Time2Roll]

Yes mine did some of that. Although I was not trying to program everything day one.

With some patience, zero restarts, zero service all seems to be working as expected. Sometimes it seems we have the expectations of a mechanical switch when this is digital technology that is not even hardwired. More like surfing a wave than running down some stairs to say it is just a bit different every day as the complexity has gone exponential.

Hang in there and try to enjoy the ride.

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[CharonPDX]

I'm thinking there's just something wrong with your specific vehicle. I don't experience any of that.

Yes, there are occasional software updates that have issues. They're generally resolved with the next software update.

 

[rogersmj]

Ok well since the default position here seems to be to attack me as an ignorant person bent on trolling Rivian, despite all of the troubleshooting we’ve done and the support I expressed for the company, I’ll just leave it at that and won’t be commenting anymore.

Peace and happy new year.

 

[hudesigns]

I've had my Rivian for less than 2 weeks, and I already almost can't take it anymore because of the software issues.

Disclaimer/context: I'm a big Rivian fan and have been rooting for them for years. I want them to succeed. I'm also a software architect, recovering developer, and CTO...I am fully aware of how hard it is to build and deliver complex software (not for embedded systems in a vehicle specifically, but I have some similar experience) for your current customers while also building for the future.

I just had to step back and take off the rose-colored glasses we sometimes have as fans of Rivian, because after experiencing the below I don't think I can look a normal person (non-early-adopter type) in the eye and recommend a Rivian.

All of the below issues have persisted after multiple resets of both vehicle and phone, and deletion/reinstallation of the Rivian iOS app.

1. About 70% of the time, the vehicle will not proximity unlock via phone key unless I pull out my phone (iPhone 17) and open the Rivian app. Yes, all the background permissions/Bluetooth settings etc are enabled. Insane that simply unlocking the car is still a problem in 2025. "UWB is supposed to make this better" -- yeah that would be great, if I could actually get the setup prompt. I can't. Besides, Tesla's been doing reliable unlocking via Bluetooth for years.
2. Apple Music stops after every 2-3 songs. It just stops playing until I tap Play again. Sometimes it just refuses to play that song and I have to keep skipping until one will start. Today, I got in the car and it just outright refused to start anything from Apple Music. Frustrating/annoying.
3. FM radio hasn't worked properly a single time. Oh it plays...but the UI is completely broken; we can't control it. It shows the radio as "off" when it's really on, or it stays locked on a single station regardless of what other buttons you push to change it, or sometimes it will change the station but the UI still shows that it's on a different station. Ridiculous.
4. Kneel when Parked only works about half of the time.
5. I can't get it to prefer my profile over my wife's when we both approach the car at the same time.
6. When I do select my profile, half the time it doesn't return my seat to my position. So then I have to re-setup my seat position.
7. Gear Guard setup just...won't. I have what is supposedly a proven compatible storage device, but when it tells me to plug it in, I do, and then nothing happens. No error message, no feedback, no additional information. The setup screen just closes.

There are yet more serious bugs that I (thankfully) have not experienced, like the slow level 2 charging or -- worse -- the wildly inaccurate arrival SoC estimates people have been reporting with the most recent update (2025.46.0). But those bugs are still indirectly affecting me even though I haven't experienced them, because we're leaving on a roadtrip soon, and I'm worried that these bugs might hit me — I'm afraid I won't be able to trust the arrival SoC, for example. Not a relaxing way to start a trip.

And that's the crux of it -- trust. I don't trust that the software in this $100k vehicle is going to work at any given moment, even for basic stuff like unlocking the car. Conversely, in three years, I haven't had any of the above issues in our Tesla, except for one time it wouldn't unlock until I opened the app on my phone. One. Single. Time. Everything else has been absolutely flawless in that vehicle -- audio, driver profile selection, the dashcam system, charging management, all of it. Based on that contrasting experience, I probably won't use my day one R2 reservation to replace our Model Y, and we'll be keeping the Model Y primarily because it's just reliable, and the Rivian isn't.

"It'll get better in the next update" or "it's come so far!" isn't acceptable after five years when we're talking about basic functionality that has been working fine in cars for decades — proximity unlock and FM radio, for example. "It's buggy because it's better tech and still new," again, isn't acceptable after this much time and for how expensive this vehicle is.

I know it's hard. I know it's new. Not an excuse anymore.

As a Rivian investor, I'm honestly more worried about next year now that I own a Rivian. If the mass market R2 experiences these types and volume of bugs, the Rivian brand will be tarnished and the R2 launch will be compromised. (Ironically, studies have shown that people who buy mid-market cars tend to have even less patience for reliability issues than people who buy $100k+ cars, due to lifestyle factors and a few other things.)

I don't post this to sh!t on Rivian, quite the opposite...I'm still rooting for them. But being honest about where things stand is important. They probably know all this, I'm surely not revealing anything that's new to anyone, but just as a reality check of where the overall current customer experience stands (for some people)...it's not great.

Let's hope for a better 2026 with software!

I have 2026 R1S dual max.
1. Have very similar experience with door unlocking situation. It’s unpredictable. After .46 with digital key UWB upgrade proximity seems getting better but not completely. Normally I prefer not using proximity, especially in crowded space. But it’s even less predictable without proximity. I’ve come from Ioniq 5 and not having locking issue. It behaves like this: touch handle once opens driver side, a quick second touch opens all doors, one more touch lock all doors. I never thought about it two and half years so far. With Rivian I think about lock/unlock every time: will proximity work? Just touch handle to unlock? Or using app? When I leave car I remind myself to hear bluebird chirp, and so on. Why not let me touch to open, touch again to lock all doors. Forget about proximity.
2. I don’t use any Rivian supported apps so I just use iPhone to Bluetooth over, Amazon Music, Podcast, YouTube Music, Libby.
3. Similar experience with FM, it hesitates and sticks randomly.
4. I don’t care about kneel but have to remind wife not to touch door handle before it fully kneels.
5. 6. I don’t have multiple profiles yet because car is too tall for my wife and she’s afraid of it.
7. GearGuard external memory works without issue. But I turned off all cameras because I have a phantom power draw problem, 5 days parked in my own garage with 20 kWh loss.

 

[CharonPDX]

Did you read the part in bold? Multiple resets, while troubleshooting on my own and with Rivian.

Wow guys. Didn’t think everyone here would get so defensive.

It's the fact that you post as if your personal experience is absolutely indicative of major problems for everyone.

It isn't.

Yes, some people have problems. Some people have more problems than most. That doesn't mean that there are systemic issues fleet-wide. Presenting it as such - "Rivian software is still an embarrassment" - makes it sounds like your issues are widespread.

"if R2 has these issues" - most R1 don't have these issues, so why jump to the conclusion that R2 will have these issues?

"Windows Vista was full of issues, so obviously Windows 7 will be full of issues" - when the vast majority of people didn't have any issues with Windows Vista. (Or pick your favorite more modern consecutive releases of some major piece of software where one had an undeserved reputation for low quality. Yes, I work in software. No, not for Microsoft.)

 

[VSG]

Did you read the part in bold

No. Too much of a rant. Like most of the other posters, I tried to address some of the obvious things you listed, but you have to be open to the possibility that it's not a Rivian software problem in many cases, it's a problem with your understanding or expectations, or perhaps even a problem with your vehicle. If you're dead set on blaming Rivian for everything, you'll never find a solution.

Didn’t think everyone here would get so defensive.

Did you read my post? I did not get defensive (nor did most responses). I did however criticize your reasoning skills, because you jumped to conclusions that are unwarranted based on the facts you presented.

Sure, go quit the conversation. How about that kneel mode issue? Did I hit the problem on the head? You're welcome.

You will find that the actual Rivian owners in this forum are frequently a better source of first-hand information than the customer support people who probably don't own a Rivian themselves. Searching this forum will lead to a lot of gems of wisdom if you are open to learning. The seat calibration issue, for example - find out how to do that and try it. Unlikely you're going to hear that advice from the customer support representatives on the phone. But that's probably the first thing they will try if you bring it into the service center.

 

[VSG]

Yes, I work in software. No, not for Microsoft.

 

[SteveInBend]

Ok well since the default position here seems to be to attack me as an ignorant person bent on trolling Rivian, despite all of the troubleshooting we’ve done and the support I expressed for the company, I’ll just leave it at that and won’t be commenting anymore.

Peace and happy new year.

I don't know, the large majority of responses seem to be a.) I have a Rivian and haven't experienced all the issues you've encountered or b.) Yeah, I've had some of those issues, too.

Only, a couple, by my reading, could possibly be construded as an "attack" on you.

Peace and have a Happy New Year!

 

[COdogman]

Ok well since the default position here seems to be to attack me as an ignorant person bent on trolling Rivian, despite all of the troubleshooting we’ve done and the support I expressed for the company, I’ll just leave it at that and won’t be commenting anymore.

Peace and happy new year.

Translation:
Since everyone didn’t immediately and fully agree with my personal opinions I’ll take my dolly and go home .

If you’re going to show up and share your hot takes after 2 weeks of ownership as if your experience is common across all Rivian owners, at least be tough enough to stick around and defend your position…. People stating they aren’t experiencing the same issues you are is their right, just like it’s your right to share yours.

 

[Dark-Fx]

A troll post, are you serious? More apologists here than I was expecting. You think the doors not unlocking are operator error? Or the radio displaying that it’s on one station but actually playing another is operator error? Or not setting my seat position when I select my profile?

I spent an hour on the phone with Rivian trying to get the UWB key to activate. That’s when we did all the resetting/reinstalling. App and vehicle are both up to date, obviously. No dice. They’re stumped too.

I think some of you are missing the real point, which is that if the R2 has these issues, it’s going to be a real problem with a mass market rollout, both in terms of brand perception and service load.

I think it's more likely that some of the issues you are having are a hardware problem with your vehicle. Especially if doing a hard reset doesn't fix things like the radio.

 

[McLovin]

I will say…I’ve experienced the occasional proximity unlocking issue every now & then. And you know what? Who the fuck cares? Seriously…so I pull my phone out. Or touch the door handle. Big deal. For years I had to actually put a key into a key hole and turn. And then I had to take my FOB out and push a button…maybe twice because it didn’t work the first time.

Do you know how often I have to pull my hand away from the handle on my wife ‘s A5, then reach back through to get the door to unlock? Practically every other time. Do you know how many times I’ve gone to an Audi forum to complain? (I think you know the answer).

I swear, people need to get a grip on what’s worth complaining about.

 

[Dark-Fx]

And you know what? Who the fuck cares? Seriously…so I pull my phone out

So, when I had my problem a few days ago, it was blizzard conditions and I couldn't shield my phone from the snow falling on it and making the touch screen inoperable. I was this close to pulling out my wallet for the key card. Worst experience I've ever had in the previous 10 minutes. 15 minutes prior my son threw up on the hotel bed.

 

[McLovin]

So, when I had my problem a few days ago, it was blizzard conditions and I couldn't shield my phone from the snow falling on it and making the touch screen inoperable. I was this close to pulling out my wallet for the key card.

And when I was 21, I had to pull out a lighter to try and heat up my key to put in a frozen lock, hoping it would turn. In a blizzard. It didn’t work. So I went to the trunk, which was shielded from the storm, was able to unlock from there, climb in, and start the car (it was an ‘89 Integra hatchback). You know who I complained to? No one. Shit happens.

 

[Dark-Fx]

And when I was 21, I had to pull out a lighter to try and heat up my key to put in a frozen lock, hoping it would turn. In a blizzard. It didn’t work. So I went to the trunk, which was shielded from the storm, was able to unlock from there, climb in, and start the car (it was an ‘89 Integra hatchback). You know who I complained to? No one. Shit happens.

Well, you just complained to me.

 

[McLovin]

Well, you just complained to me.

I did not complain. I told you a story, there’s a difference. Did I blame anyone? Did I call out Acura for a crappy design?

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