Rivian Lets You Check on Your Dog from Your PhoneRivianRivian added a Pet Comfort Mode to its R1S and R1T four years ago. To activate it, when you've parked the car and are heading out to get your frosted latte cappuccino half-caff frappadeli with double-squirt sugar goop, but you don't want to bring the dog in with you, you just tap the little "paws" icon on the Rivian homescreen and set the temp. Bowser's environment will be thermally controlled for the three minutes or however long you're out of his reach.But for even more obsessive pet owners, Rivian now offers a new app that lets you watch Bowser on your phone the whole time."Stepping away from your car shouldn't mean worrying about your favorite furry co-pilot," Rivian said, noting that over 60 percent of Rivian owners travel with their pet, usually a dog but Rivian doesn't judge, showing cats, ducks, and even a pot-bellied pig in the rear-facing RGB dashcam.Rivian"Pet Mode has long kept your pets cool and comfortable, but now, with the 2026.36 software update, we're taking peace of mind a step further. Meet Pet Cam, a brand-new feature arriving exclusively on R2, so you can keep an eye on whatever you call a pet right from your lock screen—paired alongside fresh mobile app updates for Pet Mode across all Rivian models."Of course, this opens things up to spying on your husband, wife, kids, or the valet parking guy, but we're all already being watched by Big Brother already.Powered by R2's high-definition RGB interior cabin camera, Pet Cam gives you a clear, true-to-life color view of your pet in your vehicle from the Rivian app.Here's how Rivian says it works:Live Stream & Cabin Climate Control—Drop into a live feed right from the Gear Guard section of your Rivian mobile app to watch your pet and get real-time cabin temperature updates.Glanceable App Dashboard—The app dashboard and phone lock screen regularly updates with fresh snapshot images of the cabin so you can check in with a single tap.In-Vehicle Stream Control—Anyone staying behind in the cabin can easily stop the live stream at any time with a single tap on the main center display.That last one sort of limits the app's use as a spy device. You may have to tap into the aftermarket, which offers numerous in-car cameras for use however you want to apply them. But whichever you chose, your pet will thank you, in whatever language it uses.