Download application for Android

Android application

OpenCarData collects, stores & disseminates Real-World OBD (On Board Diagnostics) auto data. To acquire your car's OBD-II data we use an Android handset. The software for the handset is freely available from this site. On your mobile browse to: http://opencardata.com/ocd.apk

Alternatively you can download the application to your desktop computer and transfer the file to your Android manually.

Installing the application

When installing the application, your handset will ask for several permissions:

  • Internet
  • Bluetooth
  • Location
    • You will need to allow & enable all of them for the installation & operation to succeed.

    Configuring the application

    The OpenCarData Android application is pretty straight forward. You will find 3 main menu items:

  • Enable | Check the box to enable/disable sending your OBD data to our server.
  • CarID | Here you enter your car's vehicle registration number. A password is not yet mandatory.
  • OBD-key | Here you select and pair with the bleutooth OBD connector. Some connectors prompt for a password, which can be found in the documentation of your OBD device.

    • Database download

    We create weekly database dumps to download in full. This weeks zip file can be downloaded here

    System requirements

    Your car

    In theory OBD is available in cars from 1996 onwards, however different manufacturers have implemented different standards in their cars.

    A base layer of OBD data is required from OBD-II onwards. A good representation of the standard PID's & values's that are available on all cars can be found here: Wikipedia OBD-II PID's

    It can be a real challenge to find the actual OBD connector in your car. The exact location of the OBD connector varies from vehicle to vehicle, but it will be within a few feet of the driver and it will have easy access. Most often you can find your OBD connector somewhere below the steering column, either above the pedals or perhaps inside a fuse box by the driver's knee. Your OBD connector will probably be in plain view, but some connectors are covered.

    You will be looking for a socket similar to this:

    OBD Connectors

    We have used this particular model for testing (OBD-key). It is a standard 16-pin OBD-II Socket with Bleutooth interface. Many other brands & models are out there. Keep us posted of your experience in working with them.

    Your Android

    You need Android OS version 2.0 and up. We have experimented with V1.2 but the bluetooth stack was not outfitted to do the work.