Merry Christmas! OBDII Android/iOS freeware recommendations

[arlen holder]

Merry Christmas!

What would be your OBDII hardware + Android/iOS freeware recommendation?

I do OBDII the old-fashioned way, where, someday, it would be nice, I
think, to have a free app with a universal paid-for transmitter.

Do you know of a good price-to-performance cross-platform-compatible
transmitter that can transmit to both Android & iOS OBD receiver freeware?

I don't know the best cross-platform price-to-performance tradeoffs.

I would guess...
o ELM (or something similar most likely) transmitter (most likely BT?)
o iOS/Android freeware, most likely open source as the receiver & display

What would be your OBDII hardware + Android/iOS freeware recommendation?

 

[Scott Dorsey]

arlen holder <arlen@arlen.com> wrote:

Merry Christmas!

What would be your OBDII hardware + Android/iOS freeware recommendation?

None. It's pretty much all garbage and the screen on your cellphone is too
small to see more than one plot at a time. If you're looking at multiple
signals and trying to correlate them (say looking at the MAP signal vs.
the O2 sensor voltage) you can't.

Bite the bullet, spend the money, get a proper system with good vendor
support for your car. I could recommend a system that is very good for
Mercedes but it won't necessarily have good support for the Ford commands.
Either get a standalone system or one that will work on a laptop with a
big enough screen that you can see what you're doing.

>I don't know the best cross-platform price-to-performance tradeoffs.

Check the vendors, find someone who has support for your car and look at the
list of available signals. Look at the ones with the longest list.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

 

[nospam]

In article <pvu4li$54t$1@panix2.panix.com>, Scott Dorsey
<kludge@panix.com> wrote:

What would be your OBDII hardware + Android/iOS freeware recommendation?

None. It's pretty much all garbage and the screen on your cellphone is too
small to see more than one plot at a time. If you're looking at multiple
signals and trying to correlate them (say looking at the MAP signal vs.
the O2 sensor voltage) you can't.

although some (most) apps are garbage, not all of them are. some are
quite good. use a tablet if a phone is too small. multiple signals can
be tracked if desired.

 

[sms]

On 12/25/2018 12:27 PM, arlen holder wrote:

Merry Christmas!

What would be your OBDII hardware + Android/iOS freeware recommendation?

I would ante up for Torque Pro. I would not use the free application.

For hardware, buy the Carista. It seems to have less issues connecting
to Bluetooth than the $2 el-cheapo ELM327 devices which do work but
sometimes have a problem when reconnecting after the vehicle is turned
off, requiring unpairing then re-pairing.

There's a big advantage to the Carista if you have one of the vehicles
that they support extra functionality on, but that functionality is not
free.

<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YVHGTBM>

The Carista is BLE so it will work with the iPhone (but Torque Pro is
not available on iOS), while the less expensive models are Bluetooth
only, and require SPP which iOS doesn't support.

 

[nospam]

In article <q00dig$dni$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

(but Torque Pro is
not available on iOS),

who cares. there are *many* other obd apps on ios, some of which are
much better than torque.

while the less expensive models are Bluetooth
only,

they're all bluetooth.

some are bluetooth classic while others support both bluetooth classic
and bluetooth le (aka bluetooth 4), with a minor, if any, difference in
price.

> and require SPP which iOS doesn't support.

no need, since bluetooth le obsoletes spp and works much better all
around, even on android.

 

[sms]

On 12/26/2018 9:25 AM, sms wrote:

On 12/25/2018 12:27 PM, arlen holder wrote:
Merry Christmas!

What would be your OBDII hardware + Android/iOS freeware recommendation?

I would ante up for Torque Pro. I would not use the free application.

For hardware, buy the Carista. It seems to have less issues connecting
to Bluetooth than the $2 el-cheapo ELM327 devices which do work but
sometimes have a problem when reconnecting after the vehicle is turned
off, requiring unpairing then re-pairing.

There's a big advantage to the Carista if you have one of the vehicles
that they support extra functionality on, but that functionality is not
free.

Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW. Carista gives you a month of their app for free and of
course you could sign up for a month if you ever need that functionality
for a short time. The extended functionality includes vehicle
customization that would normally have to be done at a dealer, as well
as some additional non-standard diagnostics.
<https://caristaapp.com/all-vehicles>

 

[arlen holder]

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 09:45:41 -0800, sms wrote:

Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW.

Thanks for the Carista recommendation and the warning that iOS doesn't
support some of the standard protocols.

Mostly I'll be on Android (it's always easier than iOS) but my iPads have
larger screens than my Android phablet does.

I do have a bimmer, but this question is mostly for other cars, as I
already have _all_ the BMW EDIABAS based factory (mostly in German) &
dealer software that my model uses, where I use INPA & Progman mostly
(where Progman requires emulation), but also I have downloads for DIS/GT1 &
EasyDIS (which also requires emulation) in addition to NCSExpert & NCS
Dummies and ToolSet32 & WinKFP & ToolSet32 - where I'm just looking at my
software archive as I've gathered a lot over the years since the links tend
to die quickly. (Most of the time, I just use INPA as I rarely need to
program the dozen or so electrical control units).

This software was originally written for RS232, but it's all USB cabling
nowadays, where my older bimmer is K-Line but most D-CAN cables with the
FTDI chip are backwards compatible.

For the other cars though, I don't have the dealer & factory software, so I
just use the old-style (cabled) OBDII readers with live data, but I am
always wanting to see the data on my phone while I'm driving, particularly
with intermittent issues which set triggers in modules which aren't deleted
with a normal OBDII clear.

 

[nospam]

In article <q00hlr$c2n$1@news.mixmin.net>, arlen holder
<arlen@arlen.com> wrote:

Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW.

Thanks for the Carista recommendation and the warning that iOS doesn't
support some of the standard protocols.

ios supports the more advanced protocols. most (but not all) android
devices also support them. spp is *obsolete*.

 

[William Gothberg]

In article <261220181344014176%nospam@nospam.invalid>,
nospam@nospam.invalid says...

In article <q00hlr$c2n$1@news.mixmin.net>, arlen holder
arlen@arlen.com> wrote:


Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW.

Thanks for the Carista recommendation and the warning that iOS doesn't
support some of the standard protocols.

ios supports the more advanced protocols. most (but not all) android
devices also support them. spp is *obsolete*.

I have a walmart phone.

 

[nospam]

In article <MPG.368d7a70cf02ade87f1@news.eternal-september.org>,
William Gothberg <WG@internet.com> wrote:

> I have a walmart phone.

walmart sells phones from other manufacturers. they don't make their
own.

 

[William Gothberg]

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:46:41 -0000, William Gothberg <WG@internet.com> wrote:

In article <261220181344014176%nospam@nospam.invalid>,
nospam@nospam.invalid says...

In article <q00hlr$c2n$1@news.mixmin.net>, arlen holder
arlen@arlen.com> wrote:


Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW.

Thanks for the Carista recommendation and the warning that iOS doesn't
support some of the standard protocols.

ios supports the more advanced protocols. most (but not all) android
devices also support them. spp is *obsolete*.

I have a walmart phone.

Fuck off, you're a fake William Gothberg, did you think I wouldn't notice?

 

[William Gothberg]

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:48:11 -0000, nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

In article <MPG.368d7a70cf02ade87f1@news.eternal-september.org>,
William Gothberg <WG@internet.com> wrote:

I have a walmart phone.

walmart sells phones from other manufacturers. they don't make their
own.

Congratulations, you've replied to the Fake William Gothberg.

 

[sms]

On 12/26/2018 10:35 AM, arlen holder wrote:

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 09:45:41 -0800, sms wrote:

Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW.

Thanks for the Carista recommendation and the warning that iOS doesn't
support some of the standard protocols.

Mostly I'll be on Android (it's always easier than iOS) but my iPads have
larger screens than my Android phablet does.

I do have a bimmer, but this question is mostly for other cars, as I
already have _all_ the BMW EDIABAS based factory (mostly in German) &
dealer software that my model uses, where I use INPA & Progman mostly
(where Progman requires emulation), but also I have downloads for DIS/GT1 &
EasyDIS (which also requires emulation) in addition to NCSExpert & NCS
Dummies and ToolSet32 & WinKFP & ToolSet32 - where I'm just looking at my
software archive as I've gathered a lot over the years since the links tend
to die quickly. (Most of the time, I just use INPA as I rarely need to
program the dozen or so electrical control units).

This software was originally written for RS232, but it's all USB cabling
nowadays, where my older bimmer is K-Line but most D-CAN cables with the
FTDI chip are backwards compatible.

For the other cars though, I don't have the dealer & factory software, so I
just use the old-style (cabled) OBDII readers with live data, but I am
always wanting to see the data on my phone while I'm driving, particularly
with intermittent issues which set triggers in modules which aren't deleted
with a normal OBDII clear.

Torque Pro is a really awesome app. An Android phone and a Bluetooth
OBD-II dongle is much superior to the cheap OBD-II readers.

One really nice thing is being to set alarms for things like engine
temperature.

I keep seeing people ask "is there an equivalent to Torque Pro for iOS?"
No there isn't. There are iOS Apps for OBD-II but nothing as good as
Torque Pro.


---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

 

[nospam]

In article <q00oal$b47$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

I keep seeing people ask "is there an equivalent to Torque Pro for iOS?"
No there isn't. There are iOS Apps for OBD-II but nothing as good as
Torque Pro.

nonsense. not only are there equivalents, there are even better options.

 

[Scott Dorsey]

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

Specifically, you get the dealer-level functionality (which goes beyond
the standard OBD-II functionality) on Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mini, Scion,
Toyota and VW. Carista gives you a month of their app for free and of
course you could sign up for a month if you ever need that functionality
for a short time. The extended functionality includes vehicle
customization that would normally have to be done at a dealer, as well
as some additional non-standard diagnostics.

In the case of Carista, there is a -lot- of stuff that the BMW dealer can
configure with their system that Carista can't touch. And forget trying
to do transmission diagnostics. But for the most part Carista lets you
see the engine parameters that you need to see and a reasonable number of
non-engine things, and it's hard to beat the price. Still, you're stuck
with that tiny little screen and the flake-o hardware interface.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

 

[arlen holder]

On 26 Dec 2018 20:30:58 -0500, Scott Dorsey wrote:

there is a -lot- of stuff that the BMW dealer can
configure with their system that Carista can't touch. And forget trying
to do transmission diagnostics.

I use INPA, almost exclusively, for the bimmer, where we have to
distinguish OBD from everything else for this particular question.

The question here was really only about OBD, since I assume everyone who
wants to check things like their VANOS timing or their transmission shift
points or doorlock preferences, will already have the factory/dealer
software for checking and setting these myriad non-OBD things.

You start with the Bentleys & INPA, where BT OBD is merely a convenience.

 

[arlen holder]

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:30:14 -0500, nospam wrote:

> nonsense. not only are there equivalents, there are even better options.

Please just name one (link) if that's the case.

 

[sms]

On 12/26/2018 7:03 PM, arlen holder wrote:

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:30:14 -0500, nospam wrote:

nonsense. not only are there equivalents, there are even better options.

Please just name one (link) if that's the case.

LOL, you often see inquiries for an iOS app with all the functionality
of Torque Pro. Unfortunately there's no such animal. I don't know why
the author doesn't port it to iOS with the appropriate caveats regarding
which OBD-II dongles will work with the iOS version (you can use Wi-Fi
dongles or BLE dongles, which are six times as expensive, but still not
outrageously priced).

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/engine-link-obd-ii-vehicle/id591557194?mt=8
is rated 2.4 out of 5. They do explain that only certain types of OBD-II
dongles will work.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque&hl=en_US
is rated 4.5 out of 5. It just has a lot more functionality.

Still puzzled as to why the Bluetooth SPP profile was left out of iOS.
No one has ever had a good answer to that.

 

[nospam]

In article <q03127$qp3$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

nonsense. not only are there equivalents, there are even better options.

Please just name one (link) if that's the case.

LOL, you often see inquiries for an iOS app with all the functionality
of Torque Pro. Unfortunately there's no such animal.

no, you don't 'often see inquiries' and there definitely are such apps
on ios.

I don't know why
the author doesn't port it to iOS

because he doesn't have the resources and/or skills to develop and
support two apps on two different platforms. or, he's simply not
interested.

with the appropriate caveats regarding
which OBD-II dongles will work with the iOS version (you can use Wi-Fi
dongles or BLE dongles, which are six times as expensive, but still not
outrageously priced).

nonsense.

they're about the same price, maybe a couple of bucks more for a
bluetooth le version, which is also much easier to set up and use than
bluetooth classic.

the wifi adapters are more expensive, however, they are intended for
use with something that doesn't have bluetooth, such as most windows
laptops (all mac laptops have bluetooth le and classic).

Still puzzled as to why the Bluetooth SPP profile was left out of iOS.
No one has ever had a good answer to that.

plenty of people have.

the answer is simple: spp is obsolete, having been replaced by the far
more capable bluetooth le.

writing apps to use le is *very* easy. not so with spp.

 

[arlen holder]

On Thu, 27 Dec 2018 12:27:06 -0500, nospam wrote:

no, you don't 'often see inquiries' and there definitely are such apps
on ios.

Hi nospam,
Doesn't it strike you as odd that you make claim after claim after claim,
over the years, and _none_ of your claims ever turns out to be true?

Meanwhile, sms and I make claims, which we back up with cites.

It doesn't strike you as odd that you don't act like a normal adult does?

because he doesn't have the resources and/or skills to develop and
support two apps on two different platforms. or, he's simply not
interested.

Or it can't be done on iOS the way he wants it done (e.g., Bluetooth SPP),
or he doesn't want to put up with Apple's bullshit, or ... whatever
conjecture you want to devise.

What's odd about you nospam is that you can never speak on facts.

The fact is that the functionality sms speaks of doesn't exist on iOS, and
all your denials of that obvious fact don't change that obvious fact.

they're about the same price, maybe a couple of bucks more for a
bluetooth le version, which is also much easier to set up and use than
bluetooth classic.

The last time you made similar idiotic fact-free claims was when you
claimed there was functionality for a buck that turned out to be yet
another baseless claim by you nospam, to add to the heap of baseless
claims.
o Name a single iOS app functionality that you can get for a buck, that isn't already on Android, for free
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/aUyeuaPI9pc/KHQx-ecNBAAJ>

Your credibility, nospam, is worse than that of the monkey.

the answer is simple: spp is obsolete, having been replaced by the far
more capable bluetooth le.

You Apple Apologists, nospam, always makes myriad excuses for the limited
functionality of iOS versus Android.

It's why we summarized the Apple/Android delta, accurately, as:
o Hardware (about the same, Apple slightly less functional in general)
o Apps (about the same for Mom & Pop - not even close for power users)
o Storage (a completely different paradigm - no way to compare logically)
<https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.ipad/ahrT3Qpy_aE/cjFcFbxZDAAJ>