• Rivian’s chief software officer confirmed the company’s EVs will get text messaging capabilities in 2025
  • The text messaging solution will utilize native text-to-speech via a new voice tech stack
  • Google Cast and native YouTube application will come in the next software update

Two years ago, Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid told owners and fans that the automaker was working on text-to-speech text messaging abilities.

Two years later and that functionality hasn’t appeared in any Rivian electric vehicles.

In a fireside chat with media and owners in November at the Rivian Space in Los Angeles, Bensaid said native text messaging abilities will come to Rivians in 2025.

Bensaid admitted Rivian has “made several attempts for text to speech,” but the problem, according to Rivian’s CSO, is the existing solutions available in the industry “are not great.”

A solution was in place and ready to ship, but during final testing Bensaid refused to sign off and said “no, we cannot ship,” because it was “fragmented.” The exec said the issue was especially prevalent for Android users, and the team wants to ensure both iOS and Android—despite most Rivian owners apparently having Apple devices, according to Bensaid—have a seamless experience.

Another issue with previous attempts included missing texts. “Supporting group chat is really a nightmare,” Bensaid said. He noted emojis or reactions are also “really a nightmare.”

The problem with today’s solutions is “it’s not a rich experience,” Bensaid said.

Bensaid said the team’s working on a new voice tech stack that will redefine the experience. Text-to-speech capabilities will come on top of this new software stack, and he’s been testing early prototypes for weeks. “It’s way, way different. I mean, honestly, it’s the type of experience that I want to really have,” Bensaid said.

The new voice tech stack will coexist with today’s Alexa implementation, according to Bensaid. The exec noted he sees the future as everything being accessible through the touchscreen and voice, not just one or the other. Bensaid noted that AI offers a tremendous opportunity in this regard.

But it won’t only be text-to-speech. There will be a physical interface on the screen to interact with text messages. Bernsaid wouldn’t elaborate on what that might look like or how it’ll operate aside from noting “it’s really a nice interface.”

“So my message is, please be patient with us,” Bensaid asked of owners. He went on to say Rivian’s implementation will be better than anything else in the industry today.

2025 Rivian R1S2025 Rivian R1S

But that’s all to come. The next software update, according to Bensaid, will enable Google Cast along with native YouTube implementation. Google Cast will come with the support of more than 3,000 applications, except Netflix, which Rivian is still working with Google on, according to the software exec. Dolby Surround Sound is in the cards, but no timeline was given. Rivians already feature Dolby Atmos when using the new Apple Music app.

For the time being, Google Cast will only be on the front screen, but Bensaid said the team’s looking at how to enable it for rear screens. Today, the only rear screen Rivian offers is a small screen mounted on the back of the center console, like in Teslas. Bensaid said enabling Google Cast for the rear seats would make it so the feature could be used by passengers while driving.

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