The OBDLink® app provides enhanced diagnostics for many vehicle types, which let you access additional modules and parameters that are not included in the SAE OBD-II standard. Common examples are reading and clearing codes for ABS (anti-lock braking system), SRS (supplemental restraint system), and TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). 

Note: We recently updated the OBDLink app and made improvements to its features and how it looks. The icons on the app's home screen now have a yellow accent instead of blue (iOS) and green (Android) accents. This revised article matches the updated app’s screens and features. Download the latest version of the OBDLink app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) to take advantage of the updated app's features and performance. 

Follow the steps in this article to: 

  1. Download enhanced diagnostics
  2. Select vehicle network
  3. View diagnostics

Note: Enhanced OEM Add-Ons are available primarily for vehicles sold in North America. If you need help determining whether an add-on is supported for your vehicle, refer to the articles below. 


Note: This article is focused on the OBDLink® MX+ adapter, because enhanced diagnostics for many vehicles are included free of charge in the OBDLink app with your purchase. Add-ons that are exclusive to OBDLink MX+ include: GM; Honda, Acura; and Hyundai, Kia. If you have another OBDLink adapter model, then you can purchase add-on diagnostics, but they are not guaranteed to access all OEM-specific PIDs and DTCs. For example, if you have an OBDLink LX adapter and a Ford vehicle, you can purchase the Ford add-on, however, you will not be able to read certain Ford PIDs that come from the MS-CAN network. 


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Download enhanced diagnostics

Before you begin, be sure to: 

  • Start your vehicle and connect your phone/tablet to your OBDLink adapter.
  • Make sure your phone/tablet is not streaming to any other Bluetooth/BLE devices.


  1. When you connect to your OBDLink adapter for the first time, a dialog appears with options to edit the settings for your vehicle and to download enhanced OEM add-ons. Tap Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons.
    Note: If you don’t see the option to get enhanced OEM add-ons, then your vehicle is not supported for enhanced diagnostics. Standard OBD-II diagnostics are available for your vehicle. Skip to the View diagnostics section.
    iOSAndroid
    iOS screen showing a New Vehicle Connected message. The Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons option is highlighted. iOS screen showing a New Vehicle Connected message. The Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons option is highlighted.

  2. If this is not the first time you connected to your OBDLink adapter, navigate to Settings > Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons.
    iOS screenshot of the Settings menu. The Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons option is highlighted. Android screenshot of the Settings menu. The Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons option is highlighted.

  3. Browse the list and tap your vehicle manufacturer.
    iOS screen showing Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons options. The Ford, Lincoln, Mercury option is highlighted. Android screen showing Get Enhanced OEM Add-Ons options. The Ford, Lincoln, Mercury option is highlighted.

    Note: You may see a notification for add-ons that are exclusive to the OBDLink MX+ adapter, including GM; Honda, Acura; and Hyundai, Kia. For example, if you are connecting a GM vehicle, then you must use an OBDLink MX+ adapter to use the exclusive add-ons.
    iOS confirmation screen showing a message about GM add-ons. The OK button is highlighted.

  4. Browse the list and tap your vehicle’s model year.
    iOS screen listing Ford, Lincoln, Mercury enhanced diagnostics by model year. The Ford 2012 button is highlighted. Android screen listing Ford, Lincoln, Mercury enhanced diagnostics by model year. The Ford 2012 button is highlighted.

  5. Tap Choose to select the diagnostics for your vehicle.
    iOS screen showing Ford 2012 Enhanced Diagnostics information. The Choose button is highlighted. Android screen showing Ford 2012 Enhanced Diagnostics information. The Choose button is highlighted.

  6. You may see a notification message about a free add-on for your adapter. We recommend that you tap GET FREE ADD-ON to use all your OBDLink adapter features.
    iOS screen showing Free Add-On Available message.  Diagnostics information. The Get Free Add-on button is highlighted. Android screen showing Free Add-On Available message.  Diagnostics information. The Get Free Add-on button is highlighted.

  7. Tap Get to download diagnostics for your vehicle. It may take 1-2 minutes to download.
    iOS screen showing Ford 2012 Enhanced Diagnostics information. The Get button is highlighted. Android screen showing Ford 2012 Enhanced Diagnostics information. The Get button is highlighted.

    If your adapter is Connected to the OBDLink app, you may see a notification like the one shown below.
    Tap Disconnect and the OBDLink app will disconnect your adapter and continue to download enhanced diagnostics.
    iOS screen showing Download Requires Disconnect message. The Disconnect button is highlighted. Android screen showing Download Requires Disconnect message. The Disconnect button is highlighted.

  8. When the download is complete, you will see the diagnostics are installed.
    iOS screen showing Ford 2012 Enhanced Diagnostics information. The Installed button is highlighted.Android screen showing Ford 2012 Enhanced Diagnostics information. The Installed button is highlighted.
    Tap the back arrow (<) two times to return to the home screen.


Continue with the steps in the next section.


Select vehicle network

Note: Skip to the View diagnostics section if your vehicle manufacturer is one of the following:

  • GM
  • Honda, Acura
  • Hyundai, Kia

You do not need to select a vehicle network for these manufacturers.

  1. Confirm that your phone/tablet is Connected to the OBDLink adapter.
    iOS home screen. The Connected button is highlighted. Android home screen. The Connected button is highlighted.

  2. You will see a dialog asking to select a vehicle diagnostic network. Select the network that has the modules you are looking for.
    We recommend that you select Generic OBD2 for everyday use. Scroll down and tap CONNECT.
    iOS screen showing Enhanced Network selection options. Generic OBD2 is checked. The Connect button is highlighted. Android screen showing Enhanced Network selection options. Generic OBD2 is checked. The Connect button is highlighted.

  3. If OEM Live Parameters (described in the OEM-Specific Enhanced Diagnostics Support Coverage PDF) are supported for your vehicle, the first time you connect to an enhanced network, the OBDLink app will scan your vehicle for supported enhanced Parameter IDs (PIDs). This scan may take 1-2 minutes. The scan results are saved so that you do not have to repeat the scan the next time you connect.
    Tap Yes to allow the OBDLink app to start scanning for enhanced PIDs.
    You may not see the example Scanning message shown below because the scan happens quickly.

    iOS screen showing a Warning message about scanning for PIDs. The Yes button is highlighted. Android screen showing a Warning message about scanning for PIDs. The Yes button is highlighted.
    iOS screen showing a Scanning message.Android screen showing a Scanning message.

After the scan completes, continue with the next section to read trouble codes.


Tip:
To connect to a different diagnostic network, navigate to Settings > Vehicle Editor > Enhanced Network > Tap Select

iOS Vehicle Editor screen. In the Enhanced Network section, the Prompt Select button is highlighted.
Android Vehicle Editor screen. In the Enhanced Network section, the Prompt Select button is highlighted.


Prompt is the default option, which allows you to choose a diagnostic network each time you connect to your vehicle. 

To change the default option, tap the network you want and tap OK

In the example below, we tapped Generic OBD2 and OK. The second screenshot shows the option is set to Generic OBD2

iOS Enhanced Network selection screen. The Generic OBD2 area is highlighted. The OK button is highlighted.
Android Enhanced Network selection screen. The Generic OBD2 area is highlighted. The OK button is highlighted.
iOS Enhanced Network selection screen. The Generic OBD2 option is highlighted.
Android Enhanced Network selection screen. The Generic OBD2 option is highlighted.


View diagnostics

  1. Confirm that your phone/tablet is Connected to the OBDLink adapter. Tap Diagnostics in the main screen.
    iOS home screen. The Connected button and the Diagnostics selection are highlighted. Android home screen. The Connected button and the Diagnostics selection are highlighted.

  2. You will see a warning message similar to the one shown below. Tap Yes when you’re ready to continue.
    iOS Warning message about not running the engine during diagnostic testing. The Yes button is highlighted.Android Warning message about not running the engine during diagnostic testing. The Yes button is highlighted.

Trouble codes

OBDLink Diagnostics opens up on the Trouble Codes tab. 

You will see one of the following screens if there are no diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) to display. You may need to scroll down to see the complete status.

iOS screen showing the Trouble Codes tab. There is a green checkmark indicating all tests passed.
Android screen showing the Trouble Codes tab. There is a green checkmark indicating all tests passed.

    

If there are DTCs, you will see a screen similar to the example below, which also has a button to Clear Codes.

Android screen showing Trouble Codes tab when trouble codes are detected.


Warning: You should only clear codes with the ignition ON and the engine OFF. You should never try to clear codes with the engine running.

Tap a trouble code to open a screen with more information. The screenshot below shows basic information for P0100.

Android screen showing information about the P0100 trouble code. The Online Lookup button is highlighted.


Tap Online Lookup to read more about the DTC definition. The screenshot below shows detailed information for P0100.

Browser screen showing results of online lookup for the P0100 OBD Trouble Code.  

Tap Menu (iOS) or 3 vertical dots (Android) in the upper right corner, then tap Help to learn about reading trouble codes, including the status definitions.

iOS screen showing the Trouble Codes tab. The Menu button is highlighted.Android screen showing the Trouble Codes tab. The Menu button (3 vertical dots) is highlighted.


Freeze frame

When a DTC is generated, the ECU will capture a set of PID values. The freeze frame data may help you understand what was happening at the time the DTC was generated. 

The freeze frame data is deleted when you clear codes. 

Freeze frame data is not visible on this tab after you disconnect, but it can be viewed on the Report tab.

The example below shows that the engine coolant temperature, engine RPM, and vehicle speed were in the high range when the P0100 DTC was generated. You can use this data along with the generated DTC to troubleshoot the reported issue. 

iOS screen showing Freeze Frame tab.
Android screen showing Freeze Frame tab.


PID values

Vehicle speed in MPH and engine RPM are displayed on this tab by default. 

The gold numbers in the example screenshots below indicate low, average, and high values for the displayed PIDs.

Tap Menu (iOS) or 3 vertical dots (Android) in the upper right corner for these options:

  • Select PIDs to add PIDs to this tab.
  • Reset Min/Average/Max to reset the values of the current PIDs to 0.
  • Edit to delete PIDs from this tab.
iOS screen showing the PID Values tab. The Menu button is highlighted.
Android screen showing the PID Values tab. The menu (3 dots) button is highlighted.
iOS screen showing the PID Values tab. The menu options are highlighted.
Android screen showing the PID Values tab. The menu options are highlighted.


Report

Tap Menu (iOS) or 3 vertical dots (Android) in the upper right corner for these options: 

  • Refresh to generate the report. It can take 1-2 minutes for the complete diagnostics report to load.
    You can also refresh by swiping down on your device screen. 
  • Store to save the report. You can enter a report name. 
  • Load to view a saved report on your device. You can select from multiple saved reports.
  • Share to send the report in HTML format to email or other applications.
iOS screen showing the Reports tab. The Menu button is highlighted.
Android screen showing the Reports tab. The Disc icon and Menu button (3 vertical dots) are highlighted.
iOS screen. The Report menu options are highlighted.
Android screen. The Report menu options are highlighted.


The screenshot on the left shows the report loading, while the screenshot on the right shows the complete report. Scroll down to see all the report categories. Tap one of the report categories to view more details.

Android screen showing the Report tab when the report is loading.Android screen showing the Report tab when the report is complete.


Monitor tests example

This report reviews test results against state-specific readiness values. 

iOS screen showing the I M Readiness report.
Android screen showing the I M Readiness report.

Tip: Here's how to select the readiness standard for your state. On the Home screen, tap Monitors > Menu (iOS) / 3 vertical dots (Android) > Readiness Standard. 

iOS screen showing Monitor menu options. Readiness Standard is highlighted.Android screen showing Monitor menu options. Readiness Standard is highlighted.


Trouble codes example

This report lists the DTCs captured by the OBDLink app. Scroll down to see all the information. 

iOS screen showing Trouble Codes report.
Android screen showing Trouble Codes report.


Freeze frame example

This report lists certain PID values that occurred at the same time as the DTC.

iOS screen showing a Freeze Frame report.
Android screen showing a Freeze Frame report.


Oxygen sensors example

This report shows oxygen sensor data for vehicles that are earlier than model year 2008 and that don't use the CAN bus. (This data is also called Mode $05 data.)

The screenshot shows an example of a vehicle that doesn't support oxygen sensor test results. 

Android screen showing a diagnostics report. The Oxygen Sensors portion is highlighted.


On-board monitoring example

This report shows oxygen sensor data for vehicles that are model year 2008 and higher and that use the CAN bus. (This data is also called Mode $06 data.)

The screenshot on the left shows an example of a vehicle that doesn't support on-board monitoring.

iOS screen showing a diagnostics report. The On-Board Monitoring portion is highlighted.
Android screen showing an On-Board Monitoring test report.

Vehicle information example

This report lists details about your vehicle. (This data is also called Mode $09 data.)

iOS screen showing a Vehicle Information test report.
Android screen showing a Vehicle Information test report.


PID snapshot example

This screen lists the PIDs and values reported by the vehicle. You can use these values for troubleshooting.

iOS screen showing a PID Values test report.
iOS screen showing a PID Values test report.


Learn more


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