Tesla Robotaxi App Rolls Out Nationwide, But Only For iPhone Users: Human Monitors Slide Into Driver's Seat For Highway Trips

Customers can join the waitlist as service expands beyond the Austin pilot.
A driverless Tesla Robotaxi, with a man serving as a safety monitor in the front passenger seat, rolls along Laguna Drive in Southeast Austin, Friday, June 27, 2025. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
A driverless Tesla Robotaxi, with a man serving as a safety monitor in the front passenger seat, rolls along Laguna Drive in Southeast Austin, Friday, June 27, 2025. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
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Ramakrishnan M·Stocktwits
Published Sep 04, 2025   |   1:26 AM GMT-04
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Tesla said its Robotaxi app is now available to all iOS users in the U.S., with access set to expand soon, according to the company.

Users can join the waitlist directly through the app, the company's official handle posted on X early Thursday.

Tesla clarified in its FAQ: "If your ride is taking place without a safety driver present in the driver's seat, it is being conducted autonomously." 

The company added: "Safety monitors are only in the driver's seat for trips that involve highway driving, as a self-imposed cautious first step toward expanding to highways."

CEO Elon Musk touted the milestone on X, posting: "Robotaxi app now available for download."

Tesla first launched the service in June in Austin with 10–20 Model Y SUVs, later expanding to offer a non-autonomous rideshare service in San Francisco's Bay Area amid an escalating self-driving battle with Alphabet’s Waymo.

Last month, it increased its Austin robotaxi fleet by 50% and nearly doubled coverage, from 91 to 173 square miles.

Meanwhile, new laws and restrictions for autonomous vehicles took effect in Texas at the start of this month, as self-driving cars increasingly become a more ubiquitous sight on roads.

Tesla’s stock has shed more than 14% this year, with retail sentiment on Stocktwits last at ‘extremely bearish’ levels, dragged by worries about earnings falling short of estimates, slipping sales and Musk’s fractured relationship with President Donald Trump.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: Tesla’s Newly-launched Model Y L Emerges China Growth Driver As Orders Power Past 120,000 

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