Automations (iOS)

The Automations tab lists all your active and inactive automations. Tap any automation to view or edit it. Use the + button to create a new one.

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Automation types

Custom Schedule

Sets your Powerwall reserve to a specific percentage at a specific time of day, on selected days of the week. It can also switch your Powerwall’s operating mode, toggle Storm Watch, and — on a Premium or DemandGuard plan — disable or enable grid charging for the moment it fires.

Use case: lower your reserve overnight when grid rates are cheap, raise it before peak hours.

See the Custom Schedule web docs for the full settings reference.

Peak Time

Automatically adjusts your reserve during peak rate hours to maximize battery usage when grid power costs the most.

Use case: avoid pulling from the grid during your utility’s peak pricing window.

DemandGuard

Monitors your demand usage in real time and switches your Powerwall to battery-only mode when you’re approaching your peak demand threshold for the billing period. Resets automatically at the start of each billing period. Grid charging is also paused during the demand window so Tesla can’t quietly pull from the grid mid-period.

Use case: stay below a demand tier or reduce peak demand charges.

Note

24-hour DemandGuard is web-only for now. If your utility measures demand around the clock (common on commercial rate plans), set up the 24-hour automation in the web app. Mobile support is coming.

When creating or editing a DemandGuard automation you choose a Hold strategy — Battery hold (recommended) pauses your battery during a demand event, so it neither charges nor discharges while your home runs on grid power, while Mode switch (classic) toggles Tesla’s operation mode instead. New automations default to Battery hold; existing automations stay on Mode switch until you change them. The form also includes the Demand Floor and Weather Guard options.

Battery hold works by switching your Powerwall into Backup mode — a hidden Tesla mode that pins your battery at its exact charge level, including 81–99%, where Tesla’s own reserve controls can’t hold directly. DemandGuard also picks how it holds you on grid power based on how much solar you’re producing, so it costs you the least battery possible. See How the hold adapts to solar for the full breakdown.

See the DemandGuard web docs for full configuration details — settings are identical between web and iOS.

Battery Threshold

Watches your battery level and charges from the grid when it drops below a percentage you set. Runs during the time windows you configure — great for pre-charging before peak hours or maintaining a minimum overnight reserve.

Use case: ensure your battery is topped up before expensive rate periods start, or keep a minimum charge level during off-peak hours.

See the Battery Threshold web docs for full configuration details.

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Creating an automation

Note

Free accounts can have one active automation at a time. Upgrade to Plus or Pro to run multiple automations simultaneously.

1. Tap + in the top-right corner of the Automations tab.
2. Choose the automation type.
3. Fill in the settings (schedule, reserve percentage, threshold, etc.).
4. Tap Save.

The automation activates immediately and appears in your list.

Tip

If the schedule you’re creating already covers right now (Peak Time or DemandGuard only), the form shows a banner — This automation is currently active — with a Start it immediately on save toggle. Leave it on to run the start actions the moment you save, or turn it off to wait for the automation’s next scheduled start.

Note

Any reserve field — Peak Time, DemandGuard, or Battery Protection — snaps to 80% if you set a value between 81% and 99%. Tesla’s cloud API doesn’t honor that range. Set 100% for a full hold. See Why can’t I set a battery reserve between 81% and 99%?

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Editing an automation

Tap any automation in the list to open its detail view. Make changes and tap Save.

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Enabling and disabling

Each automation card has a toggle switch. Flip it off to pause the automation without deleting it. The automation stays in your list and can be re-enabled at any time.

Note

Flipping a Peak Time or DemandGuard automation on or off while its window is currently active opens a confirmation dialog instead of applying immediately. Turning one on gives you Start now (run the start actions right away) or Enable next start (wait for the next scheduled window); turning one off shows Stop automation — this disables future actions for the rest of the window but does not restore or change your battery reserve.

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Deleting an automation

Open the automation detail view and scroll to the bottom. Tap Delete Automation and confirm.

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Automation history

Every action your automations take is recorded in the Activity Log. Two ways to get there:

• Tap the Alerts tab and switch to Automation or DemandGuard
• Tap the Activity Log card on the Automations screen (next to Battery Protection)

Automation actions also appear in your notification history — the Notifications view in the same Alerts tab.