My 2025 R1S Is a Great Vehicle Being Undermined by Its Software, Apple Music "Doesn't Remember Your Shuffle Setting," And I'm Considering Trading It In

There’s something both noble and tragic about watching a new automaker try to rewrite the rules in real time. Rivian, the electric truck and SUV builder out of Normal, Illinois, has done the improbable: built a legitimate, desirable, and capable EV from scratch. 

Why Rivian R1S and R1T Software Lags Behind Tesla’s: A 2025 Owner’s Perspective

The R1S and R1T are, without a doubt, special machines. But Rivian, like every other newcomer before it, now finds itself caught in the cruelest game in the car world, comparison. And while it holds its own against century-old OEMs, it’s Tesla that casts the longest shadow, especially when it comes to the software that underpins the modern driving experience.

One owner went to the r/Rivian subreddit to see if anyone else felt the same way: 

“As a 2025 R1S owner, I want to love this vehicle, and in a lot of ways, I do. It’s unique, thoughtfully designed, and checks a lot of boxes. But every time I get in and use the infotainment system, I’m reminded how far behind the software still is. It’s the one thing that consistently frustrates me, and it’s hard to ignore.

The interface is laggy and clunky, with too many taps required for even basic functions. Apps don’t launch smoothly, screen presses sometimes don’t register, and the whole experience lacks the polish you’d expect from a tech-forward EV. Coming from a Tesla, the difference is jarring. Tesla’s infotainment is fast, intuitive, and requires far less effort to use while driving. Rivian feels like a step back.

Apple Music is a prime example of what’s wrong: it doesn’t remember your shuffle setting, so you get the same first song in your playlist every time you get in. You have to tap multiple times just to enable shuffle after music has already started playing. It’s clunky, repetitive, and distracting. Sometimes it struggles to load at all. This is the kind of thing that kills the experience over time.

Then, the latest 2025.18 update rolls out, and instead of fixing any of the core issues, it adds an Energy app. Okay, great, but meanwhile, the auto screen brightness at night is now broken, and I find myself manually adjusting it on every evening drive. That never used to be a problem. We don’t need new features right now, we need stability, responsiveness, and a user experience that isn’t frustrating.

It’s starting to make me question the priorities of the software team. I appreciate Rivian trying to innovate, but why are we focusing on traffic visuals and analytics apps when the basic UX still feels half-baked? I seriously wonder if the people making these decisions are using these vehicles as their daily drivers.

And I haven’t forgotten about Apple Car Key, announced nearly a year ago for Gen 2 vehicles, still not available. No communication, no timeline, just silence. It’s features like that that actually improve daily usability. Why is that still missing?

I’ve even thought about trading in my R1S for the R1T, I think the truck fits my needs better. But I just can’t do it while the software feels this unfinished. And if things haven’t improved by the end of my lease, I’m not sure I’ll stick with Rivian. I want to, but they need to meet us halfway.

Rivian has built something special in many respects. But software matters. It’s not a side feature, it’s part of the core driving experience. And right now, that experience feels like it’s been deprioritized. I’m hoping this changes fast.”

The original poster made a well-articulated critique from someone who desperately wants to stick with the brand. And that’s what makes it matter. When a buyer spends six figures and posts a treatise on Reddit instead of just trading the car in quietly, you listen. 

The core of the frustration isn’t the presence of bugs, it’s the priorities behind them. Shuffle settings. Screen taps. Broken brightness controls after an update. These aren’t luxury nitpicks, they’re death by a thousand cuts in a vehicle that otherwise feels so damn close to greatness.

And yet, Rivian’s defenders arrived swiftly and with perspective. "Some of you guys need to go drive non-Teslas..." wrote one commenter, defending the interface. 

“Rivian’s is miles ahead of every other car I have owned/driven.” 

Another jabbed, “Yeah, go drive a Subaru or something and lmk what you think about their software lol.” 

2025 Rivian Software Updates: Energy App, Charging Speeds, Smart Turn Signals & UI Refinements

• In May/June 2025, the update introduced a revamped Energy app—separate “Charging” and “Energy Monitor” tabs with detailed real-time energy usage, charge curves, and battery preconditioning. DC fast‑charging speeds were also boosted, with the Gen 2 Large Pack now capable of up to 215 kW 
• The 2025.10 release in April 2025 added “Smart Turn Signal” automation, improved audible cues (“Go Chime”), Gear Guard refinements, and nuanced comfort tuning for both Gen 1 and Gen 2 models 
• The 2024.39–47 series rolled out enhancements like better lane‑change on command, Google Cast/YouTube, infotainment stability, driver display refreshes, and upgraded Gen 2 lane‑change 
• Gen 2 R1S units got a consolidated ECU layout (dropping from 17 to 7), a powerful XMM2 chipset delivering 3× neural performance and 4K infotainment, alongside more responsive UI and AV‑capable processing in the 2025.14 update

It’s true, stack Rivian’s UI against Toyota, Honda, Ford, or VW, and it looks like the dashboard of the International Space Station. And if you haven’t been behind the wheel of a Polestar 3 lately, spoiler alert: don’t, you might not fully appreciate what Rivian has already pulled off in barely three years of production.

Perspective matters. Tesla's infotainment dominance didn't happen overnight. As one Redditor noted, 

“Tesla has nearly a 10-year start on Rivian, but the strides Rivian has made... are tremendous... It isn’t realistic to expect everything to be perfect on day one.”

Comparing Rivian’s UX Growing Pains to Tesla’s Early Days

And he’s not wrong. Even Tesla’s early Model S had software quirks that would make a modern R1T owner blush. But in 2025, when your $90,000 SUV comes with over-the-air updates and no physical buttons, the software is the car. And if the UX is clunky or broken, it’s not a cosmetic issue, it’s structural.

Still, the “just drive the thing” camp makes a valid point. “Everything is set to auto and it just works,” wrote one R1T owner.

 “Destinations are sent from my phone... climate is scheduled... driving is frankly what I do in my Rivian.” 

Another chimed in, 

“My UI interface is the navigation, AC, and Spotify. All are fine with some annoyances… Everything else has been set and forgotten.” 

For some, the R1S is less a rolling computer and more a magic carpet, seamless, powerful, and unbothered by touchscreen quirks.

Rivian’s Software Evolution: Key UX Improvements and Feature Rollouts in 2025

And Rivian is listening. The company’s software update cadence has been relentless and meaningful. Recent patches have introduced tire size configurability through the screen, a huge win for adventurers. 

Manual preconditioning for DC fast charging, light customization, and improved climate scheduling have all arrived faster than most legacy brands could draft a PowerPoint about them. These are useful, practical upgrades for real drivers. And Rivian has rolled them out across both Gen 1 and Gen 2 models, not just the new hotness.

Rivian R1S Pricing & Performance Breakdown: Dual, Tri & Quad-Motor Specs

• Dual‑Motor base model starts around $75,900, Tri‑Motor near $107,700, and the upcoming Quad‑Motor (Quad Max) exceeds $107K, with refundable $3,000 deposits currently accepted.
• The Dual‑Motor variant delivers ~665 hp and 829 lb‑ft (Performance pack); Tri‑Motor ~850 hp/1,103 lb‑ft; Quad‑Motor over 1,000 hp with 1,198 lb‑ft, achieving 0‑60 mph in ~2.6 s.
• Dimensions & Capability – Measures ~202″ long, 79″ wide, 72″ tall, 121″ wheelbase, curb weight ~6,671 lb (Dual Max), towing capacity ~7,700 lb, seats seven, ground clearance ~14.9″, plus expansive cargo and frunk space.
• Quad versions include torque-vectoring air suspension, “Camp Mode” self-leveling, enhanced off-road agility, zonal wiring for reduced complexity, and robust autonomy hardware.

But that doesn’t mean the complaints are invalid. When an update adds an Energy app but breaks screen brightness, or when Apple Car Key goes a full year without materializing, it’s fair to question the roadmap. Prioritization matters. The original poster said it best: “Don’t give me auto signal turn off on freeways only. It needs to be all the time like Tesla.” 

Rivian sits at a crossroads, caught between being “good for a startup” and being judged against companies that are rewriting the rules of what cars are. And frankly, that’s a good problem to have. Because if people are comparing your first SUV to a Tesla Model X, that means you’re already in the ring with the champs. But championship status demands relentless execution. 

And Rivian, smart, scrappy, promising Rivian, needs to make sure its software lives up to the machines it’s building. The R1S isn’t just a vehicle. It’s a statement. It’s time the interface stopped stepping on its message.

Image Sources: Rivian Newsroom

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.