Support

How can we help?

Carbiter is made by one person. Write to kirill@krivoy.co.uk with your iPhone model, iOS version, the car (make, model, year, fuel) and the adapter you use. A reply takes as long as that implies — but it comes.

1. Check that it is a Bluetooth LE adapter.Carbiter talks to Bluetooth LE (also sold as “Bluetooth 4.0” or “BLE”) ELM327-compatible adapters. One sold as Bluetooth 3.0 or “Classic” does not appear to Carbiter at all, and a Wi-Fi adapter is a different thing again — neither is a fault in the part, it is which radio this app uses.
2. Turn the ignition to accessory.Most adapters only power up with the car. Turn the key or press the start button without your foot on the brake — you don't need to start the engine. The adapter's light should come on.
3. Pair from Carbiter, not from iOS Settings.Bluetooth LE adapters are not paired in Settings → Bluetooth. Leave that screen alone, make sure Bluetooth is on, and pick the adapter inside Carbiter. If iOS asked whether Carbiter may use Bluetooth and you said no, turn it on in Settings → Carbiter → Bluetooth.
4. Make sure nothing else is holding it.An adapter serves one device at a time and stops advertising while it is busy. Close any other OBD app first, and if you have ever paired this adapter to a Mac or an Android phone, unpair it there — while another device holds it, your iPhone cannot see it at all.
5. Unplug it, plug it back in, and try again.If the connection was lost mid-drive or the adapter stopped answering, a fresh start of the adapter fixes most cases. Closing and reopening Carbiter helps too.
6. If the car still doesn't answer.Turn the ignition to accessory and try once more. If it still doesn't answer, the adapter may not fit this car's protocol — try the engine running, or another adapter. Very cheap clones also tend to be slow: Carbiter will warn you about a counterfeit chip. It will work, just more slowly.

Other common questions

A drive wasn't recorded

Recording starts when the phone sees the adapter, so keep Bluetooth on. Set location access for Carbiter to Always: with While Using, a drive that starts with the phone in your pocket stops a few seconds in. Always lets it record the whole drive with your phone locked, route included.

The fuel figure looks wrong

Until you log fill-ups, fuel is an estimate and is labelled as one, with its uncertainty shown. Log a full tank, drive, then log the next full tank — Carbiter calibrates to your car from there.

I bought Pro on another device

Open the Carbiter Pro screen in the app and tap Restore purchases. Pro is a one-time purchase tied to your Apple Account.

Sending a diagnostic package

If asked, Settings can build a diagnostic package — a ZIP you send yourself. It contains a copy of your drives, routes and VIN, so only send it to someone you would show your driving history to. Read more in the privacy policy.

Deleting your data

Everything Carbiter stores lives on your phone. Delete one drive, one car, the VIN alone, or everything from Settings — or delete the app. There is nothing to delete on our side because nothing was ever sent.