Rivian has officially started delivering its mass-market R2 SUV to customers. With the first handoffs taking place on Tuesday, owners are finally getting a taste of the new platform. For those considering an order, the R2 is also hitting Rivian spaces for demo drives to let people experience it in person.
To celebrate the start of R2 customer deliveries, Rivian's Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid, posted a video on X showing the new vehicle’s software greeting owners. Bensaid noted, "Onboarding experience in RivianOS 2.0. The first handshake between R2 and its owner!"
Inside the Onboarding Process
The short clip gives a glimpse at the R2’s interface. The initial setup wizard walks users through a sleek sequence to personalize the vehicle. First, a stylized animation introduces the vehicle, prompting the driver to name it.
From there, the instructions transition to pairing a phone via the Rivian mobile app and configuring a digital key, establishing phone-as-a-key access for locking and unlocking.
Onboarding experience in RivianOS 2.0. The first handshake between R2 and its owner! pic.twitter.com/qSNyG0BYNh
— Wassym Bensaid (@WassymBensaid) June 10, 2026
What is particularly interesting is the steering wheel tutorial. The software demonstrates how to interact with the new physical dials on the R2's Haptic Halo steering wheel. The on-screen graphic shows that the large rollers are multifunctional, allowing drivers to scroll up, tilt left, tilt right, or push in to trigger different features.
Coming to the Rest of the Fleet
The R2 comes with RivianOS 2.0 right out of the gate, giving it a distinct software advantage at launch. However, Rivian has confirmed that the next-generation operating system will eventually make its way to the R1 line as well. R1 owners will get the refreshed UI, though they will miss out on features requiring hardware exclusive to the R2, like the new Pet Cam feature for those of us with furry friends or the PIN-protected glovebox locking functionality.
R2 mass production is currently ramping up at Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, factory. The online R2 order configurator has been live since last month for reservation holders. RivianOS 2.0 is expected to add more features as time goes on, potentially even paving the way for the curated automotive app store that Bensaid recently hinted at.
