Rivian R2’s New Pet Cam Watches Your Dog, Not Your Spouse

Electric vehicle maker Rivian is rolling out a clever new feature for its upcoming R2 model, and it’s designed with privacy in mind. The Pet Cam, announced this week, lets owners check on their furry passengers through a smartphone app—but only if a pet is actually in the car.

The 2027 Rivian R2, which began arriving in customer driveways today, comes with the necessary hardware built in. The software for Pet Mode, which keeps the climate control running while the car is locked, will follow in about a month. The Pet Cam feature itself is expected later this year, according to Rivian’s Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid.

“Getting the R2 out the door was the priority,” Bensaid told The Drive.

The system uses a new RGB camera hidden in the rearview mirror. That same camera also monitors the driver when the car’s hands-free assist system is active. But here’s the twist: the camera only activates for Pet Cam when it detects a pet. If a human is in the cabin, the feature stays off.

“We need to be extremely careful about privacy,” Bensaid said. “The feature will not be on if there’s a human.” He added that the camera is off by default and requires an opt-in. Owners can turn Pet Cam on and off through the Rivian app, and an indicator on the screen lights up whenever the camera is recording.

Bensaid didn’t mince words about why the restriction matters. “We don’t want to give anyone a tool to spy on a spouse,” he said. “That includes protecting against cases like domestic violence.”

The system uses image recognition, weight sensors, and other tech to tell a pet from a person. Notably, the larger and more expensive R1 models won’t get Pet Cam for now, because they use an infrared camera that can’t pull double duty.

For Rivian owners, it means one less reason to worry about leaving Fido in the car on a warm day. As your local auto care experts at Boca Auto Care, we’re always watching for new tech that makes life easier—and safer—for you and your pets.