MyVoltControl

I was forced by a couple of other apps to upgrade my phone. Did the full transfer thing from old phone to new, taking over 4 hours. Just tried to run a battery check on my car and the app is begging for more money to turn a feature I paid for back on. Not happy at all right now...

I have a generic ELM 327 v1.5 WiFi adapter. It works well with dozens of apps, usually with little to no configuration. This app requires extensive WiFi configuration. When trying to connect, it gets a “error with gettingVINnumber command, adapter does not meet the ELM spec.” All the other apps can get the VIN number with no problem. They recommend an MX+ type adapter. $140. I don’t know what kind of magic is in it …. And I’ll never know because that’s just too much! I got a reply from the developer, which just sounded like a lot of double talk. The bottom line is that I have only found one app that doesn’t work with my adapter. This app. All the other apps have - or only require - simple network setup and they work fine. This app is different than all the rest - it appears it’s capable of doing things the others don’t, but it wasn’t easy to use and didn’t work. I’m not a programmer but it appears to me that the very basic function of reading the VIN, that all the other apps are capable of performing, can’t be done by this app. One star app.

This app has proven essential to me as an owner of a 2011 Volt, a year with no hold function. I can now choose when to use battery and when to use gas. On longer trips, I will use gas going up longer hills and save the battery for flatter stretches. I also like the ability to lower the charge threshold at which the engine kicks on, preventing gas usage if I’m close to home. The option to force the engine on is useful to set conditions before emissions testing.