OBD2 Diagnostics with an Android Headunit

Having an Android Headunit in your car means you can connect it to your vehicle’s OBD2 port. The advantage of running the OBD2 app on your headunit is that it can run permanently and monitor the engine in real-time. You can check gas mileage, engine temperature, fault codes, open and closed loop O2 fault finding, and more.

The Hardware

It would be best to have a Bluetooth OBD2 adaptor to monitor the engine performance with your Android headunit. The adaptor can be permanently connected to the vehicle’s OBD port without ill effects, but not all vehicles allow you to hide the connected OBD adaptor behind an access panel.

The Software

Use Torque Pro or your favorite Android OBD software.
Ford owners can try the ForScan app for their vehicles with a suitable Ford OBD2 adaptor for an even greater level of vehicle information.

The Problems

Firstly you must ensure your vehicle is OBD2 compliant. It may have the right shape connector for OBD, but this is no guarantee it will work. The best test is to try a generic OBD reader on the port. Some later-model vehicles are not fully compliant with OBD, so it is best to check first. Even buying a cheap OBD2 adaptor and pairing it with a phone will check for vehicle OBD2 compatibility. If the data flow, the vehicle is compatible with OBD2.

Secondly, pairing issues are with some Android headunits and the generic OBD2 adaptors. The headunit asks for a PIN, and you can’t enter it, or it doesn’t ask for a PIN and won’t pair.

The Solution

If one is available in the listing, the problem is solved by buying your OBD2 reader from the Android headunit vendor at the same time as buying the headunit. Specify that they must be compatible.

This is the sure fire way to get a compatible OBD Bluetooth reader.

Are you feeling lucky?

You can try your existing OBD Bluetooth or buy a generic one; sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. It is often due to the BT name ‘OBD’ not matching what the headunit wants to see. Sometimes it’s a BT PIN force problem. But if you are not feeling lucky, the best advice is to buy the BT OBD from the vendor of the Android headunit if it is listed as an option.

Marshmallow
Marshmallow
I am an android-headunits.com staff blogger. I have been using Android on my devices for many years and have learned a lot about the features and best hardware to keep up with the latest Android versions. I also make the coffee ☕

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