‘Tesla Android’: Developed by a Third-Party Company
Enabling FSD in Countries Where It Is Not Officially Allowed
“Cannot Guarantee Safety or Liability… Could Be Considered Hacking”
Tesla, the leading company in autonomous driving, currently allows its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature only on a limited basis in South Korea due to regulatory restrictions. This feature is available exclusively on select models such as the Model S and Model X, which are relatively expensive. As a result, most consumers, who purchase the more popular Model 3 and Model Y, are unable to enjoy supervised FSD features. Recently, however, an autonomous driving tool designed for Model 3 and Model Y owners has started to be sold, drawing significant attention. For South Korean Model 3 and Model Y owners, who have only been able to watch autonomous driving in action without being able to use it due to regulatory barriers—despite owning a car equipped with the function—a potential solution has emerged.
The company behind this tool is “Tesla Android,” led by Polish developer Michal Gapiński. Unlike conventional automakers, Tesla does not support convenience features such as Android Auto or CarPlay, so this company had been working on ways to add those functionalities. Now, they have developed a tool that enables the use of FSD in countries where the feature is not officially permitted, simply by plugging in a single USB device. The price is 500 euros (approximately 860,000 won). Of course, in each country, the owner must have purchased the FSD feature for their car. In South Korea, while the FSD function cannot be used except on certain vehicles, it can still be purchased for about 9 million won.
Screenshot from the official website informing that the ‘Tesla Diagnostic Tool’ sold on Tesla Android is experiencing high demand, causing delivery times to take at least 20 days.
Tesla Android has already posted a notice on its official website stating that, due to overwhelming demand, customers will need to wait at least 20 days to receive the tool. It is reported that many South Korean owners have placed orders, and videos of autonomous driving using this tool are being uploaded to various social networking services (SNS).
The main issue is whether it is appropriate to use an unofficial tool to bypass legal restrictions imposed by each country for any reason. In South Korea, there are already owners claiming there is no problem, while others insist it is clearly illegal and have filed complaints with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Safety Report Center.
The concern is understandable, as responsibility for accidents caused by autonomous driving and related regulations remain unclear in South Korea, and insurance coverage is also inadequate. If an accident occurs as a result of using an unauthorized autonomous driving tool, even greater problems could arise.
Experts also warn that using such tools is clearly illegal and that their safety has not been verified.
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Yeom Heung-ryeol, Professor of Information Security at Soonchunhyang University, stated, “Autonomous driving is a product completed through the manufacturer’s own methods, involving integration with maps and cameras. It can be extremely dangerous for a third party to alter this via software. This can be seen as a form of hacking, and since Tesla does not guarantee safety or take responsibility, users should be cautious.”
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
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