New Software: Road Cam

Your 360° vehicle cameras are now rolling as you do

By Rivian

May 2^nd, 2023

Our latest software update enables the Gear Guard security system to record and save all the video you could want from the vehicle’s cameras while you’re on the move.

There are a number of other improvements in this software update, and we’ll touch on those here, too, but let’s look at what’s new in the Gear Guard app.

Now when you open Gear Guard, you’ll see four options: Road Cam, Incidents, Motion Cam, and the Alarm function. In addition, the Gear Guard character is now more interactive and carries the appropriate tools to help with his expanding role.

Gear Guard has long been in charge of your vehicle’s Motion Cam and Alarm functions while you are away from your R1T or R1S. With this software update, his role has expanded to include a Road Cam, which enables Gear Guard to record and save video while you’re driving, and Incidents, which records and saves videos of driving incidents.

Here’s everything else you need to know about the new Gear Guard App with Road Cam.

What it does

Road Cam and Incidents use your vehicle’s Gear Guard cameras to record video of everything they see while you’re driving. Road Cam enables you to record and save videos of all your journeys. Incidents saves video of certain driving events, such as collisions or hard braking.

What it does to the vehicle

When you install a USB-C drive and turn Road Cam on, the Gear Guard cameras can record and save video of entire trips (up to the maximum space available on your external drive). When something catches your eye, tap the Save Clip button on your center display, and Gear Guard will make a two-minute video clip. You can then watch the two-minute clip directly on your center display or download it — and all the remaining video you’ve captured — with the external drive to watch it on a computer.

When Incidents is on, Gear Guard cameras continuously record video, but no footage is saved. Incidents constantly monitors vehicle dynamics to identify incidents, and if one occurs, saves video of the event. For example, if you are cut off in traffic and have to slam on the brakes, this near-impact scenario would trigger the anti-lock braking system and, in turn, activate Incidents. The fifteen seconds of video that was recorded prior to the event would be saved, and Incidents would also save video of the following 1 minute 45 seconds. These Incidents videos are saved directly to your R1T or R1S internal hard drive; no USB-C drive is necessary.

When to use it

Road Cam is excellent for capturing everything you want to remember — think scenic drives, off-road adventures, and road trips through landscapes so beautiful you have to see to believe. If watching video of your daily commute tickles your fancy, Road Cam can save that, too.

Incidents works best as your always-on backup for a worst-case scenario. Keep this feature on and it will be there when you need it.

When not to use it

If you’re driving in an area where privacy or confidentiality is an issue, you can easily turn off Road Cam or Incidents from the Gear Guard features screen.

As part of this update, we’re also launching the following features and enhancements to improve your experience:

Live Chat: Rivian Support Service Advisors are now available through Live Chat 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Rivian mobile app version 1.13 or later. While you’re chatting with a real human service advisor, you can use other apps on your mobile and your Rivian Support Service chat will remain active. Rivian owners can also chat with our Customer Service team live during their regular business hours.
Charge Limit Slider: Set a custom charging value between 50 and 100% so you can tailor your charge to your regular commute. When using paid charging stations, you won’t need to pay for more charge than you need.
Charge Scheduling: Modify your charging schedule, and the amperage to use during a scheduled charging session, directly from the mobile app.
Driver+ Improvements: Driver+ cameras can continue operating in a much wider range of conditions. This means that more functionality is available even when there are smudges or splashes on the windshield due to rain, or glare on the camera. In these situations, drivers must continue to monitor the road ahead.
Name your vehicle: From your center console, go to Settings, tap About, then press Edit. From your mobile app’s vehicle tab, pull up the dashboard and scroll to Vehicle Information, then press Edit. You can choose a name up to 32 characters long, and if you enter the name from your mobile app, you can use emojis.
Service Mode: The Service Center may activate this mode to block actions from the mobile app that may interfere while service technicians are working on your vehicle.