OBDeleven isn’t compatible with your device anymore…

[Longtallsally]

Contact the developers for more info.

Sheesh, I think I picked the wrong horse in this race…. I was dumb and didn’t realize it was strictly a cloud based solution. OK, that was my fault. Now- admittedly 6 years later- that solution has moved past the cheesy Android tablet I’ve been using and isn’t compatible.

This is not uncommon on any platform, but kinda annoying. I’m not what one would call a “power user” of OBDeleven and really just wanted it as a means of diagnostics and such.

So a couple questions:

- Can/should I just get a new (updated) Android tablet and go again? I’m a little concerned because I’ve had it so long and now it’s fully subscription based that I’ll lose whatever grandfathered capabilities I have.

- Can I use the same dongle on a fruity device (Apple)? This is probably a dippy question, but thought I’d pose it in lieu of doing some googling.

Shoot, should I just start over and get what was the original competitor and the VAGcom tool or whatever it was?

[Longtallsally]

I got an answer to the question on OS:

- I have a white dongle, so I’m confined to Android. Meh, no worries.

Additionally I guess I can use the Application on multiple devices, so I guess I get to do some shopping.

[angrycatmeow]

When obdeleven went subscription shortly after I bought it I said screw it and put the money I would have spent on that subscription into VCDS. I still have obdeleven but it sits in my glovebox as a just in case.

VCDS will eventually pay for itself compared to obdeleven due to the lack of ongoing costs.

Sent from my SM-F956U1 using Tapatalk

[oesman]

I feel like everyone gets OBD11 because it makes it so easy to get started, but VCDS is ultimately way better value and more powerful. It's not even hard to figure out, just not as easy as a phone app.

[Smac770]

What's the actual basis of the incompatibility? The OBDeleven app now requires an Android OS version which your tablet cannot update to? This was my problem with my Motorola Atrix phone. Stuck on the original Android it came with because neither Motorola nor AT&T would get off their ass. Switched to iPhone after I could install nothing on that archaic OS and never looked back (well, still using that same iPhone 7, but now in the same boat as apps keep updating and mandating iOS 16 when Apple won't put iOS 16 on the iPhone 7; Delta and Disney can just f off).

Support for iOS came with the black next gen device. But even then, the iOS app and the Android app are not identical in their UI, and some functions are still not operable on iOS (Apple lock down of app access to hardware functions simply locks the more interesting abilities to just Android users).

And yeah, OBDeleven is completely dead if your device lacks Internet access at the time. There's no locally installed functions. Don't break down in the sticks or an underground cave.

The PRO functionality is linked to your account, not the device. https://support.obdeleven.com/en/art...-user-accounts So if you pick up a next gen device, so long as you're using it with the app logged into your account, it's all the same on the functionality end. Is how I read it.

[Longtallsally]

I got the pro deal or whatever when I originally got the device shortly after I bought the car new in ‘19 and by and large have been happy with it. The annoyances really started when we moved to Germany and technology and the Internet in general are a total hassle here.

But getting back on task, we got the kids Android phones a while back and in using Family Link, having another Android device around- especially with using Gmail and other stuff like that- for the supremely annoying 2 factor (which is actually like 8 factor) authentication is not a bad thing.

We are primarily a fruity house based on getting sucked into that ecosystem years ago and I simply don’t have the time to architect another solution. I’m pretty annoyed with technology in general based on the cat and mouse game you have to play to be secure, but still be able to conduct business. A good number of websites won’t even allow me to access them based on using a VPN, and then there are HW constraints (as denoted by this thread- yes I’m certain the ancient Lenovo tablet is too old to be of any use), and you have to be in a platform’s ecosystem to function correctly.

Everyone is in such a rush to implement AI, they’ve forgotten about some core functionality of interoperability. I’m kinda sick of it, but that’s the curmudgeon in me I guess.

Thanks a bunch for the responses and I guess I’ll dump another $100 or so into a “newer” Android tablet that won’t get turned on but once every 6 months. If I truly stay with the S4 (obviously I keep cars a long time) then I’ll probably go the VCDS route, but I suspect my next vehicle will be an older 911 (and yes I know I’m REALLY opening Pandora’s Box with anything other than an air cooled one there).


EDIT: My point proven in this stupid cat and mouse game: Every post I make here now has to go through Cloudflare or whatever. I seriously chose the wrong career field as this stuff is so ridiculous. I’m excited to get back to the States where it’s a free for all and buyer beware as opposed to father gubment being there to save the human race.

[oesman]

Thanks a bunch for the responses and I guess I’ll dump another $100 or so into a “newer” Android tablet that won’t get turned on but once every 6 months. If I truly stay with the S4 (obviously I keep cars a long time) then I’ll probably go the VCDS route, but I suspect my next vehicle will be an older 911 (and yes I know I’m REALLY opening Pandora’s Box with anything other than an air cooled one there).

Why not just spend the money on VCDS now instead? It does cost a bit more (look for discounts, they often run them) than a new tablet for the enthusiast version, but it's just so much more for the money and not tied to any sort of subscription like obd11 is now for anything beyond the basics.

Every post I make here now has to go through Cloudflare or whatever. I seriously chose the wrong career field as this stuff is so ridiculous. I’m excited to get back to the States where it’s a free for all and buyer beware as opposed to father gubment being there to save the human race.

Cloudflare protects this forum from attacks. It's been heavily targeted in the last year. It's currently set low for the site as a whole, so if you're getting a cloudflare challenge every time you post something is triggering cloudflare to flag your traffic as malicious. There are a few specific threads that were drawing attacks and those have high threat level set, but it's literally two threads at the moment. You could try this browser extension: https://developers.cloudflare.com/wa.../privacy-pass/ it might make life better if you are on a low-reputation network.

[Longtallsally]

Why not just spend the money on VCDS now instead? It does cost a bit more (look for discounts, they often run them) than a new tablet for the enthusiast version, but it's just so much more for the money and not tied to any sort of subscription like obd11 is now for anything beyond the basics.

Primarily because the S4 isn’t a toy for me like many here. I enjoy the tech, luxury, performance, and practicality, but the odds of using it on the track or even auto crossing are very slim at this point (you may recall my from day 1 a lack of desire to modify really in any way). I genuinely enjoy the car and don’t have any intentions of getting rid of it, but for me it is just a nice sports sedan that is a killer daily driver. I have a number of other cars that I either am tinkering with or restoring, so the S4 is just enjoyed as a get in and go machine. And as long as I’m not suckered into a subscription by getting a new tablet, OBDeleven is sufficient for my needs.

Cloudflare protects this forum from attacks. It's been heavily targeted in the last year. It's currently set low for the site as a whole, so if you're getting a cloudflare challenge every time you post something is triggering cloudflare to flag your traffic as malicious. There are a few specific threads that were drawing attacks and those have high threat level set, but it's literally two threads at the moment. You could try this browser extension: https://developers.cloudflare.com/wa.../privacy-pass/ it might make life better if you are on a low-reputation network.

As I say, I chose the wrong profession and am painfully aware of the landscape and the purpose behind tools such as cloudflare. But this was my point in mentioning all this nonsense (admittedly necessary) cat and mouse game. I’m trying to make certain the devices on my home network are protected with a VPN, while anyone I am trying to communicate with via Al Gore’s invention is trying to protect themselves from bad actors (whether this be commerce, “social” media, or forums such as this)- thus, cat and mouse. ExpressVPN allows me to “spoof” a US based IP address, but depending on the configuration of the site I’m trying to reach, this could be construed as an attack. When you couple that to privacy laws in Euroville and blah blah blah, it just becomes very frustrating when all I’m trying to do is shop, or kill some time surfing.

Installing extensions, using different browsers, adjusting configurations, or whatever do nothing but convolute, add complexity, and subsequently frustration for something that is supposed to be a reprieve from the dumpster fire that is society post social engineering exercise. If I want to watch a movie, I expect to just turn the TV on, go to whatever streaming service and it works. If I want to shop for clothes or a new watch, or a new tablet (see what I did there?) I don’t want to have to fight what region I’m in, or what a government thinks I should have access to, or what a business chooses to market based on whatever controls a government wishes to implement. In my perhaps Pollyanna existence, that is what is called freedom. But the miscreants of the world have decided to use these capabilities in a negative fashion- in most every aspect of life these days based on our total and complete reliance on technology.

And overly simplistic example: Think of a retail credit card transaction. You walk into a store, pick out the goods, and pull out a credit card and pay for those items. There is trust from the retailer that the card is in fact yours, and trust from you as the consumer that the retailer won’t take that card and use it. Based on the total lack of trust in the world, on both sides of that equation protections must be present in order to have that transaction go smoothly and correctly. But my point is I’m sick and tired of the labyrinth that has been a necessity based on the complexity of modern architectures.

/rant

Oh well. I’ll just enjoy my adaptive cruise control and the speed frei zones on the autobahn for the time I have left in Euroville. Sorry for my Saturday morning coffee induced rambling. :)

[oesman]

Sounds like you just like the simplicity of the app which is totally ok. VCDS doesn't really have anything to do with going to the track or autocross. If OBD11 does what you need then maybe just a tablet is a good option. I just find it very limiting, even for basic diagnostic items and there's always a cash grab. For instance you can't even see freeze frame data via OBD11 without a subscription.

Use of ExpressVPN is almost certainly why you are triggering cloudflare. Their system knows you are on an ExpressVPN IP or an IP they lease from a cloud/data center/carrier provider which clearly isn't residential. So that increases the threat of risk since it's exactly the kind of thing someone malicious might do.

I completely agree that bad actors have destroyed all trust. It's been that way for a while unfortunately. Hell even normal retail transactions can be risky due to skimming by malicious staff. It's a sad state of the world.

To make life a bit easier, you might consider running the VPN as a split tunnel for normal browsing. Then switch to a full tunnel if you actually need to hide your IP address, which some people do to access regional netflix content or similar. I suspect ExpressVPN must have this feature as this is generally the best way to use a VPN and how most corporate VPNs are setup. This lets your devices talk to each other over the private network, but then talk to the world normally. There's very little security benefit in running a full tunnel VPN, because VPNs aren't security products and I resent VPN companies marketing them as security products. Hiding your IP address does very little for practical security, it's like being worried someone saw your license plate. The average person can't do anything with the information, skilled hackers and government agents probably don't care about you, and if they do you'd have to be much more paranoid than just hiding your IP with a VPN anyway.

EDIT: I looked it up and they have kind a pseudo split tunnel feature, that might actually be more user friendly than a traditional split tunnel. It works on a per-app basis: https://www.expressvpn.com/support/k...eling-desktop/ Normal split tunneling works on a routing table basis.