Rivian lets owners fully disable vehicle cellular connectivity via settings (Canada) or a service appointment (US eSIM removal), at the cost of navigation, lane keeping, and OTA updates.
Key Takeaways
Canadian Rivian owners can toggle off all cellular data in the vehicle’s Settings > Data and Privacy menu; US owners must visit a Rivian Service location to disable the eSIM.
Disabling connectivity blocks data leaving the vehicle but also disables navigation, lane keeping assistance, and over-the-air software updates.
Active Rivian subscriptions like Connect+ are unaffected by disabling connectivity and must be cancelled separately.
OTA updates deliver new features, performance improvements, safety enhancements, and bug fixes, so opting out carries real functional tradeoffs.
Hacker News Comment Review
The Canada/US disparity (toggle vs. service appointment) drew scrutiny; commenters see the asymmetry as a regulatory compliance artifact rather than a principled design choice.
Losing lane keeping assistance when going offline raised debate: some read it as a punitive dark pattern, others argue live road-condition data may genuinely feed the feature.
A broader concern emerged around safety recalls: if the eSIM is disabled and a safety-critical software fix is issued, it is unclear whether dealers can push updates via J2534 passthrough the way ICE emissions software updates work, leaving a potential regulatory and liability gap.
Notable Comments
@bri3d: Raises the J2534 passthrough gap: ICE cars mandate over-the-wire emissions update paths, but EVs lack an equivalent mandate, leaving offline owners potentially unable to receive safety recalls.
@VortexLain: “Having to choose between being spied on and having no connectivity at all is a false dichotomy” – argues granular telemetry-off controls should exist independent of full disconnection.
