# ACARS > View ACARS aircraft transmissions on iOS devices with a radio scanner. (iPhone/iPad app by Black Cat Systems.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acars/id386825917 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Black Cat Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/301047032) - Category: Lifestyle, Utilities - Price: $2.99 - Rating: 3.00/5 from 14 App Store ratings · 29 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 6.0 · 2 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2010-08-26 - Data updated: 2026-09-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acars/id386825917/reviews.md ## What is ACARS? Want to display ACARS transmissions, without using a bulky computer? ACARS lets you view ACARS aircraft transmissions on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. A radio/scanner capable of tuning the 118-136 MHz aircraft band is required. Just set it next to the radio's speaker, tune in an ACARS frequency, and watch the decodes. Or, for even better reception, use a pair of earbuds, plugged into the radio’s headphone jack, rather than the internal speaker. You can save decoded ACARS packets to a file to view later, or transfer to your computer via iTunes. Aircraft model information for many planes in a built in database is displayed along with the decoded packets. You can also add your own plane information to the database. Packet fields are color coded on iOS 6 and later. Buy your copy right now, and start decoding and displaying ACARS transmissions in minutes. ## Key features - View ACARS transmissions on iOS - Save decoded packets to a file - Transfer data to computer via iTunes - Built-in aircraft model database - Add custom plane information - Color-coded packet fields ## Chart rankings - #101 in Top Paid · Lifestyle (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 29) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acars/id386825917/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work 🤦 *2026-07-06, version 1.4* It sucks ### 5/5 — Отлично! *2025-08-12* Подключил к RTL-SDR 2832 - ПК- HDSDR- line out - microphone 3.5 jack на iPhone. HDSDR настроил на основную частоту, поставил AM, ширину 9 кГц. Заработало, начал декодировать ACARS. ### 3/5 — Can’t get past settings window *2025-06-13, version 1.4* How do I get past settings window to use please would give full marks otherwise ### 4/5 — Works as advertised *2023-06-19, version 1.4* The app does work, but requires some tweaking/experimenting with the microphone and speaker placement, signal/antenna. Pretty good app, would like to see an update though. I copied signals from two different radios, an Icom ICR6 Communications Receiver and an XHDATA D808 portable shortwave radio . Both performed reasonably well tuned to 130.551 mHz Air band (AM). ### 1/5 — Don’t Bother. *2022-08-22, version 1.4* I downloaded this app and within 10 minutes had deleted it ! You’ll do the same ! ### 1/5 — Einfach Schrott *2019-06-28* Ohne Hinweis auf den notwendigen Tracker abzocke ### 3/5 — Requires some audio tweaking *2019-03-23, version 1.4* First make sure you can get the RF from the planes as high quality as you can (good antenna, receiver tweaks). Then it will require various experimenting placing the iPhone in good position so the phone mics can hear the transmission. And also experiment with the receiver’s volume. You will see the data scrolling on the phone screen if you get all of the above correct. Now look at your data for quality decodes. If the data looks garbled, play around with the settings and positions again. And....in the app’s configuration, make sure you have a file selected to store the data on the phone. Another thing I really dislike in the app is that if you open another app, all the data displayed in the ACARS screen goes blank and then if you want to view the data, you have to open the stored data files. It does this everytime you goto another app on your phone. I want to try this app after adding an external microphone to my iPhone 8+ via a splitter cable. I really hope this will help with the decoding of crap data to quality data. Good luck - when all is tweaked correctly, it is a great app. But honestly, use PDW on a PC. ### 5/5 — 受信機は必要 *2017-11-26* 受信機でACARSの周波数にセットして、アプリを起動すれば受信出来るので… 暇つぶしにはなるけど…。 ### 3/5 — It works. *2017-04-08, version 1.4* VERY minimum application, it receives ACARS and that's it. You can put your earbud microphone next to radio speaker, but best bet would be a line-level microphone input. Even if packet doesn't fully decide properly, you get what does decode. Thats a plus. Wish it could run in the background. Only thing I understand is Tail number and type aircraft in packet. It would be nice if the rest of the jibberish is translated to what it actually means. However, it does work. I use in with SDR on the Airband. ### 3/5 — Needs support for Apple Watch *2016-09-27, version 1.4* Needs support for Apple Watch ## Frequently asked questions about ACARS ### What is ACARS? ACARS stands for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System. It's a digital datalink system used by airlines to transmit messages between aircraft and ground stations. ### Does ACARS require a radio scanner? Yes, ACARS requires a radio scanner capable of tuning the 118-136 MHz aircraft band. You will need to place the scanner near your device's microphone or connect it via the headphone jack. ### Can I save ACARS transmissions with ACARS? Yes, ACARS allows you to save decoded ACARS packets to a file. This file can then be viewed later or transferred to your computer using iTunes. ### Does ACARS display aircraft information? Yes, ACARS includes a built-in database that displays aircraft model information for many planes. You can also add your own custom plane information to this database. ### What devices does ACARS support? ACARS is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices, running on iOS. ### How much does ACARS cost? ACARS is a paid application, priced at $2.99. This is a one-time purchase for the application. ### When was ACARS last updated? The latest version of ACARS, 1.4, was last updated on January 7, 2016. This indicates it has not received updates in several years. ### What is the user rating for ACARS? ACARS has an average rating of 3.3 stars from 12 user ratings. This suggests a mixed reception from its user base. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.4 — 2016-01-07 This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included. Updates for iOS 9.2. ### 1.3 — 2013-11-25 Support for iOS 7 Display of plane information Color coded display of packet information for iOS 6 and later. ### 1.2.2 — 2012-10-09 Can transfer saved recording files via iTunes file sharing. ### 1.2.1 — 2012-09-27 Bug fixes for iOS 6 ### 1.2 — 2011-11-21 Added options to replace and suppress parity errors to the iPhone/iPod version. Added button to display FAQ/Instructions webpage. ## Apps similar to ACARS | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [VirtualFreedan](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtualfreedan/id1374158139) | 5.0 (2) | Free | Lifestyle | | [Tread Magazine](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tread-magazine/id1245539005) | 4.7 (69) | Free | Lifestyle | | [SSTV Signal Desk](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sstv-signal-desk/id6754263308) | 5.0 (1) | $2.99 | Lifestyle | | [Parks & Peaks](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/parks-and-peaks/id1218671045) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Lifestyle | | [Morse Maven](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/morse-maven/id6746571072) | 4.5 (6) | Free | Lifestyle | | [Knives Illustrated](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knives-illustrated/id643412052) | 4.4 (47) | Free | Lifestyle | ## More apps by Black Cat Systems - [WireCalc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wirecalc/id301047029) - [Transmission Line Calc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transmission-line-calc/id302734281) - [RF Link Calc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rf-link-calc/id303034300) - [dB Calc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/db-calc/id303470503) - [Drill Calc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drill-calc/id304434324) - [Photon Calc](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-calc/id304436071) All apps by Black Cat Systems: https://appshunter.io/developer/301047032 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-10.*