Car Scanner ELM OBD2

Car Scanner ELM OBD2 Review: Deep Data and Coding, Gated by Your Adapter

What the free tier reads, and Pro from $3.99 to $7.99

The download is free and runs Google AdMob ads; full access needs a Car Scanner Pro purchase. The US App Store lists $3.99 for six months, $4.99 for a year and $7.99 for a Forever tier, plus Low and Mid price tiers at $6.99. The developer's FAQ says the tiers unlock the same features, so the difference is simply what you choose to pay. Check the current price in the app; it varies by region. Google Play Pass subscribers get the Android build without ads or purchases. Recent Google Play reviews describe Pro prompts after the first scan, and several buyers say Pro added nothing for ABS, airbag or transmission data. Pro cannot change that: the sensor list is requested from the car's ECU on every connection, so the app shows only what your model reports.

Coding and Service on MQB, PQ26 and MLB-EVO Volkswagens

Pick any Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda or Seat connection profile, connect, and a Coding and Service menu appears with a platform picker for MQB, PQ26 and MLB-EVO cars, plus the Touareg NF and Tiguan I facelifts. Outside that group the list is shorter: Toyota and Lexus with CAN bus, some Renault and Dacia models, a CVT oil degradation reset for the Mitsubishi Outlander and a service reminder reset for CAN-bus GM cars. Many 2021-and-later cars accept a new value only with the hood open and the handbrake set, and an active Bluetooth link to the car radio can cut adapter speed fivefold. Almost every change and its original value land in a coding history, and a Backup command saves all blocks first. Carista, by comparison, puts its coding behind a Pro subscription of $59.99 a year.

ELM327 clones, AdMob and a license tied to one store

The developer's adapter guide says iPhones cannot use classic Bluetooth ELM327 adapters in any app, only Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi or MFi models such as the OBDLink MX+, priced around $100. It also warns against adapters under $10, names containing 'mini' and Bluetooth addresses starting 11:22:33, since bad clones drop data packets and can make an engine run rough; the recommended models carry Amazon affiliate links. Google Play's data safety form lists approximate location and device IDs shared for advertising and analytics, and Apple's label says identifiers may be used to track you across apps. Personalized ads can be switched off under Settings, Information. A Pro license also stays in its store: Google Play, App Store and Huawei AppGallery purchases do not transfer, and a lost store account takes the purchase with it.