Anyone know is a Bluetooth OBD2 scanner compatible with a 2012 Honda Civic and which app works best?

Hey Reuben, honestly... your 2012 Civic is fully OBD2 compliant, so a Bluetooth dongle will work. 🚗 I would grab the Veepeak OBDCheck BLE since it is under your budget, connects reliably on both Android and iPhone, and can read and clear check engine codes plus show I M readiness when used with a good app. 👍 It uses Bluetooth Low Energy that works with iPhones and Android phones, and it supports the standard OBD2 protocols on 1996 and newer cars.

For apps, Car Scanner is my favorite on both Android and iPhone because the free version reads and clears codes and shows monitors, with a cheap upgrade if you want more. On Android you can also use Torque Lite for free, with Torque Pro as a low cost upgrade, and on iPhone OBD Fusion is an inexpensive one time buy if you want extra data. To keep the connection stable, key on or engine running, plug the adapter in firmly, connect from inside the app, and avoid pairing it in iOS Bluetooth settings. 🔧

One heads up about clearing codes. ⚠️ When you clear them the monitors reset to not ready which means a smog check can fail even with the light off. 🚫 If you clear the light do a simple Honda style drive cycle to set them back. Cold start then idle about two minutes with all accessories off, cruise steady 25 to 35 for several minutes, then steady 55 for several minutes, a few gentle accelerations and decels without hard throttle, then some mixed city driving and... can take a couple trips.

Use the I M readiness screen in Car Scanner or OBD Fusion before you go for inspection. ✅ Green means set, red or gray means keep driving. Basic OBD2 tools will not reset ABS or SRS and that is normal, they focus on the engine side.

I have a 2012 Civic LX and went through the same thing when the light popped on.

The five dollar ELM327 clone I tried would drop every minute.

Switched to a BLE adapter and it has been rock solid with both my Pixel and my partner's iPhone.

Car Scanner free handled everything I needed including reading generic and pending codes & clearing them and showing freeze frame, and the I M readiness page.

I paid the few bucks to remove ads later.

One tip that helped me keep it connected was to turn the ignition to run, wait ten seconds, then open the app and connect.

Works great.

If you want under 50 and to share with an iPhone avoid WiFi dongles and avoid classic Bluetooth units that require pairing codes. Look for BLE that says works with iOS and Android. Those usually reconnect faster and draw less power.

Apps that tick your boxes without subscriptions are Car Scanner on both platforms and Torque Lite or Torque Pro on Android. OBD Fusion on iPhone is a small one time buy if you want more graphs. Disable battery optimization for the app on Android and keep the screen awake during logging to prevent dropouts.

Shop tech here. Your Honda is fully compliant with the global OBD2 spec through the DLC under the dash, so a consumer BLE adapter plus a decent app will read and clear powertrain codes and show monitors. will not get ABS or airbag with a basic OBD2 tool and that requires brand specific coverage, but for check engine and I actually M readiness you are covered.

I point DIY folks to Car Scanner for simple code read and clear plus freeze frame and monitors. On Android Torque Pro is inexpensive and lets you log and make custom dashboards. Do your first connection with the engine running, wait for RPM to appear in the app, then run a full scan. don't leave the dongle plugged in for weeks since some never sleep and can drain the battery. No subscription needed.

The older adapters are often classic Bluetooth based and a lot of them use the old ELM327 v1.5 clones that drop packets... iPhones do not talk to those at all unless they are WiFi and and even on Android they can be flaky. That actually likely explains why your friend's unit would not stay connected.

Get a BLE adapter that specifically says iOS compatible, then connect from inside your app rather than adding it in the phone Bluetooth menu. Start the car, plug the adapter in firmly, open Car Scanner or Torque, pick the adapter, then run the scan. You will be able to read and clear P codes and check monitors right away.

Got a cheap adapter under 50 that pairs with both major phone platforms and reads and clears codes, and shows I M readiness with no subscription. Turn the key on before connecting and if the first try fails just disconnect and reconnect then it is set and forget.

Hey Reuben! Your 2012 Civic is standard OBD2 and so any decent BLE dongle will talk to it. For cross phone use stick with Bluetooth Low Energy rather than old school Bluetooth or WiFi but then on Android I use Torque Lite to read and clear codes and see I M readiness, and Torque Pro is a cheap upgrade. On both Android and iPhone Car Scanner works well and the free tier does codes and monitors, with a small one time unlock if you want dashboards. OBD Fusion on iPhone is another solid low cost option.

For connection stability plug in with key on or engine running, start the app, pick the adapter inside the app, and avoid pairing in the phone settings on iOS. Make sure battery saver is off during scans.