Rivian R2 Gets a Pet Cam — but You'll Need a Subscription to Use It

Rivian R2 owners can now check on a dog left in the car without walking back to it. Software update 2026.36 adds Pet Cam, a live video feed of the cabin inside the Rivian app, to the midsize SUV we recently compared with the Tesla Model Y. The catch is in the release notes, not the announcement: the feature only works with a paid Connect+ subscription.

Pet Cam uses the R2's high-definition color interior camera. The live stream sits in the Gear Guard section of the app and carries a badge showing the cabin temperature in real time. For a faster check, the app dashboard and the phone's lock screen show still snapshots of the cabin that refresh regularly, Rivian says.

The camera only streams while the pet climate setting is running. Rivian's announcement calls that setting Pet Mode; the R2 release notes call it Pet Comfort. Anyone still sitting in the vehicle can shut the stream off with one tap on the center display.

The subscription catch

Rivian's announcement doesn't mention a fee. The release notes for the 2027 R2 do, in one line: "Pet Cam requires an active Connect+ subscription."

Connect+ costs $14.99 a month or $149.99 a year after a two-month trial, according to Rivian's support site. The plan keeps absorbing new features. The weather app and Mobile Live Trips that arrived with update 2026.31 sit behind it too.

Rivian isn't alone in charging for a remote look at a parked car. Tesla's Live Camera view in Sentry Mode requires Premium Connectivity. Paid software extras are spreading well beyond cameras, down to Audi's $39.99-a-year display themes.

What R1T and R1S owners get

Pet Cam is exclusive to the R2. Every Rivian, including first- and second-generation R1T and R1S models, gets a smaller upgrade: Pet Mode can now be switched on or off remotely from the app, version 3.17 or later. The app asks for a confirming tap each time, so the climate system isn't shut off by accident.

That covers the owner who walks away and forgets to turn the mode on. Rivian says more than 60 percent of its owners travel with a dog.

The same update brings three other changes to the R2:

• Rivian Assistant, the AI voice assistant already offered on R1 models. It works in English only and needs Connect+ or an active trial.
• A custom opening height for the power liftgate.
• Electric Era fast chargers in the navigation system, across 16 states.

Rivian describes the rollout as just beginning on eligible R1 and R2 vehicles and hasn't given a completion date. It also hasn't said whether Pet Cam will reach the R1T and R1S.