Torque Pro

Overview

Torque Pro, by Ian Hawkins, is one of the oldest Android OBD apps. It turns an Android phone or tablet and a plug-in adapter into an engine scan tool, a customisable gauge display and a data logger, for a one-time price of about $4.95 in the US.

It suits Android owners who want live gauges, logging, GPS tracks and alarms, or who are willing to add their own PIDs and scripts.

It does not suit iPhone or iPad users (it is Android only), or anyone who needs coding, bidirectional tests, service functions or ECU programming. An independent review rates it as engine-only for fault codes, with no ABS, airbag or other system coverage. The maker claims better ABS and knock sensor support in Pro than in Lite, but does not claim full-system diagnostics.

Supported vehicles

• It uses the OBD2 standard, not brand-specific diagnostics. The maker's rule of thumb is most petrol vehicles after 1996 and most diesels after 2004, with some VW diesels from 2001. Those dates are based on US emissions rules. An independent review gives 2001 for EU petrol and 2004 for EU diesel.
• To confirm, look for "OBD2" on the label in the engine bay.
• The sensors you see depend on what the ECU exposes. Transmission temperature, for example, is vehicle dependent, and the maker mentions it for some GM and Ford vehicles.
• The maker also lists two non-OBD2 interfaces: Track Electronics ConsultBT for Nissan Consult, and WBH-BT4 for VW, Seat and Audi native protocols.

Functions

Reading and clearing

• Read and clear engine fault codes and the check engine light, with a built-in code description database.

Live data and logging

• Dashboards you lay out yourself, with gauges, graphs, themes, a head-up display mode and voice alarms (for example on high coolant temperature).
• Logging to CSV or KML, GPS-tagged tracks, and live upload to your own web server or the maker's web viewer.
• Performance widgets for horsepower, torque, 0-60 and quarter mile, plus CO2 and MPG readouts.
• Video with an OBD overlay through the separate Track Recorder plugin. Exporting that video uses a PC sync tool that the wiki describes as beta.

Extending it

• Custom PIDs. The maker's page (from 2011) describes a CSV with Name, ShortName, ModeAndPID, Equation, Min Value, Max Value, Units and OBD Header, where the header can target a module such as TCM or 7E0. You need to know the correct values for your car. App data has since moved out of the old .torque folder, and version 1.12.88 added an import for older files in the backup settings.
• CAN monitor mode with DBC import, plus a hybrid OBD and CAN mode that is slower but logs both. The changelog says OBDLink adapters are quickest at this.
• Sandboxed scripting from version 1.12.32, for always-running scripts and dashboard buttons.
• Third-party plugins. The wiki lists Advanced EX packs for Toyota, Mitsubishi, Renault, Infiniti, Nissan, Kia, Fiat and Hyundai, a pack for 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 and 6, Realtime Charts, Shift Lights, Knock Detector and TorqueScan (finds extended PID locations in an ECU). That list was last edited in January 2022, so confirm a plugin is still available and supports your car before relying on it.
• An AIDL API for other apps and a simple Telnet interface for developers.

Not included: coding, bidirectional tests, service functions and ECU programming, according to an independent review.

What you need

• An Android device. The Play listing data shows Android 4.1 or later.
• An adapter. The maker supports ELM327-compatible units and others:
  • Classic Bluetooth: the maker names the OBDLink series as the fastest non-BLE Bluetooth adapters, and quotes up to 100 PIDs per second for the OBDLink MX.
  • Bluetooth LE: supported, but discouraged. The changelog says BLE "is not well suited for OBD2", and the maker lists the OBDLink CX as working but slower. One review says BLE adapters do not work at all, which conflicts with the maker's own list.
  • USB: the fastest type, according to the maker. It needs an FTDI or Prolific chip, Android USB host support and the Pro version.
  • Wi-Fi: the maker lists a Vgate Wi-Fi adapter in infrastructure mode, not ad-hoc.
• The maker lists these as not working: Garmin EcoRoute (too slow), GoPoint BT1 and Actron U-Scan (not ELM327), and the EXZA "new" HHOBD Mini Bluetooth 2020.

Real cost

• Torque Pro: about $4.95 one-time on Google Play (US price). The maker says updates are always free, and the sources checked show no subscription or per-vehicle fee.
• Torque Lite: free, with adverts.
• The adapter is a separate purchase. The maker warns that $20-$60 generic clones vary in quality and advises buying from a seller with a good returns policy.
• Some third-party plugins have their own paid versions.

Pro or Lite

The maker says Pro adds horsepower and torque, 0-60 and quarter mile tests, graphs, map and track views, extra dials, no adverts, USB adapters, diesel MPG, better ABS and knock sensor support, transmission temperature on some makes, and turbo boost on more vehicles.

Lite is meant for testing your car and adapter before buying, so it is still worth trying first, with two cautions. Its listing was last updated on 13 January 2018, while Pro was updated on 3 February 2025. The maker also says Lite may not work on some Nissan, Chrysler and Subaru ECUs. A failure in Lite therefore does not prove Pro will fail.

Getting started

1. Plug in the adapter. The ignition can be on with the engine off.
2. Pair it in Android's Bluetooth settings first. Common PINs are 0000 and 1234.
3. In Torque, open the OBD2 adapter settings, set Connection Type to Bluetooth and choose the paired adapter.
4. Quit and restart the app. The maker says it is connected when the flashing icons at the top right turn solid blue.

Common problems

• Displays pause at random, or connections are unreliable: the maker says this is most likely the adapter.
• Two adapters clash: clones with the Bluetooth address 11:22:33:DD:EE:FF will not work near another adapter with the same address.
• Connection trouble on Ford J1850 PWM vehicles: the maker says some clones have bugs on this protocol.
• Adapter not found on Android 14 or 15: an independent review says owner reports often come down to the adapter not being paired in system settings first. Also grant the Bluetooth permission when asked.
• Logging interrupted when the screen sleeps on Android 14: the same review suggests keeping the app in the foreground.
• Themes stopped working: the maker says Android 12 restrictions require theme authors to update their themes.
• CAN bus warnings while logging: one forum user reported them on their car in 2023. The developer's advice was to set the vehicle profile protocol to "automatic - fast" or to the car's actual protocol. This is a single report, but stop logging if warnings appear while driving.
• OBD speed differs from the speedometer: the maker explains that factory speedometers over-read. OBD and GPS speed are usually within about 0.5 mph, and a larger gap typically points to wheels that differ from factory size.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

• Very low one-time price.
• Customisation: dashboards, alarms, custom PIDs, CAN monitoring, scripting and plugins.
• Broad adapter support, and a changelog with many workarounds for faulty adapters.

Limitations

• Android only.
• Generic OBD-II only, unless you add custom PIDs or plugins. It will not read ABS or airbag modules out of the box, and it does not do coding.
• The interface looks dated. One review says first-time users need time to learn the menus, and another calls watching several live values at once awkward.
• Updates are infrequent. Version 1.12.108 was still the Play release when checked on 6 November 2026. A changelog copy from June 2025 lists fixes planned for 1.12.109, including floating displays, background GPS, the web viewer and scripting, so those may still be issues in the current release.
• Much of the wiki is old. Some pages date from 2011 and 2012, so prices and menu names there may be out of date.

How it compares

Car Scanner ELM OBD2 is also a low-cost app for ELM327-style adapters, but it runs on iPhone as well as Android. One independent review prefers it, citing smoother display of several live values, broader features and some coding on certain cars. Another review prefers Torque Pro for the depth of its customisation and plugins.