nRF Connect for Mobile vs Bluetooth Scanner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
nRF Connect for Mobile
This app is a versatile tool for scanning, exploring, and communicating with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. It also enables your device to act as a peripheral and supports firmware updates for compatible devices.
- Scan and discover Bluetooth LE peripherals
- Communicate with Bluetooth LE devices
- Advertise as a Bluetooth LE peripheral
- Update compatible device firmware (DFU)
- Filter scanned peripherals
- Live RSSI chart
- Log BLE function calls
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nRF Connect is a powerful generic tool that allows you to scan and explore your Bluetooth Low Energy (henceforth Bluetooth LE, also called Bluetooth Version 4.0+ of the Bluetooth specification) devices and communicate with them. nRF Connect also allows your iOS device to advertise as a peripheral, with full support of many of Bluetooth SIG adopted profiles. Additionally, nRF Connect supports Nordic Semiconductor’s Device Firmware Update profile (DFU) capabilities, allowing you to update compatible peripherals! + Features: • Supports DFU on all Nordic Semiconducto-powered devices. • Supports Nordic Thingy™ from Nordic Semiconductor. • Scan and discover nearby Bluetooth LE peripherals. • Filter Scanned Peripherals by Name, Manufacturer, Services (Advertised & Connected) and RSSI Level. • Parsing Multiple Formats of Bluetooth LE Advertisement Data. • Live RSSI Chart of Scanned Bluetooth LE Peripherals. • Complete iPad Support, including Multi-Tasking and Mouse Support as of 13.4. • Logs: Including BLE Function calls, and Export Function as CSV and Text. • Privacy-Oriented: Full-Disclosure of Scanned Data, Advertised Data, and User-Performed Actions held by nRF Connect. • Connecting to Any Connectable Bluetooth LE Smart Device. • Discovery of Services, Characteristics and Descriptors. • Read and Write Characteristics and Descriptors. • Enable and Disable Notifications and Indications. • Advertising as a Bluetooth LE Peripheral. • Setting up a Bluetooth LE (Peripheral) Server and Notifying/Indicating back to connected Central(s). • Low-Fat: nRF Connect for iOS is Very Small, so You Can Always Keep Us With You! >= Requirements: • iOS 16.0 and above. - Notes: nRF Connect also works with our Development Kits, which you may acquire online here: https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/buy-online
Bluetooth Scanner
Quickly locate lost Bluetooth devices using real-time signal strength. The app guides you to your headphones, speakers, smartwatches, and more with a visual radar and signal meter.
- Real-time signal strength (RSSI)
- Distance Score indicator
- Radar and signal meter
- Supports all Bluetooth devices
- Quick device recovery
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Easily Find Your Bluetooth Devices with BluTrack BluTrack helps you quickly locate your lost Bluetooth devices using real-time signal strength (RSSI). As you get closer, the signal gets stronger making it easy to track down wireless headphones, earbuds, speakers, smartwatches, phones, and more. How It Works: Open the BluTrack app. Select the device you want to find from the list. Walk around and watch the Distance Score increase as you approach. The radar and signal meter guide you right to your device. If you can’t find your Bluetooth device, simply launch BluTrack and start searching. The app will show you how close or far you are, so you can recover your device quickly. Works with All Bluetooth Devices: Wireless headphones & earbuds (AirPods, Beats, etc.) Bluetooth speakers Apple Watch and other smartwatches Fitness trackers Phones and tablets And more! Never lose your Bluetooth devices again find them fast with BluTrack! SUBSCRIPTION PLANS: BlueTrack offers 2 types of subscriptions to choose from 1. Week plan with 3-day trial period 2. Annual plan More Subscription Information: - Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, the account will be charged for the renewal of the subscription, indicating the cost of the renewal. - You can manage subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal after purchase by going to your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy https://www.ahmetfurkansevim.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: nRF Connect for Mobile at 4.5 against Bluetooth Scanner's 4.0. nRF Connect for Mobile also leads on ratings volume (455 vs 1). Bluetooth Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 71%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
nRF Connect for Mobile holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nRF Connect for Mobile has 455 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of nRF Connect for Mobile's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bluetooth Scanner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update monthly, Bluetooth Scanner every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | nRF Connect for Mobile | Bluetooth Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (455 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 455 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nordic Semiconductor ASA | Ahmet Furkan Sevim |
Customer experience
nRF Connect for Mobile
Bluetooth Scanner
Bugs and requests
nRF Connect for Mobile
Reported bugs
4 issues- Can't read data from Bluetooth device
- Tries to ask for Bluetooth connection when Bluetooth is off. Asks to connect to devices when Bluetooth is off. Who knows what this app is doing in the background without permission?! What ever it is , it ain't good
- Tapping "tabs" doesn't work (nothing changes in the UI). To get some response from tapping UI controls typically requires (a) launching nRF Connect, (b) switching to another app, (c) switching back to nRF Connect. I've tried uninstalling and re-downloading. Same result. This used to be the bee's knees of BLE tools but it's only worth 1 star at the moment (v2.7.11).
- Cant go past the initial announcement. The app is unresponsive to the taps.
Requested features
4 requests- Where's the mac addresses
- Max rssi limit
- Log view
- We need macros in iOS version
Bluetooth Scanner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
nRF Connect for Mobile
No in-app purchases
Bluetooth Scanner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?
Is Bluetooth Scanner free?
Which has better reviews, nRF Connect for Mobile or Bluetooth Scanner?
Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Bluetooth Scanner have ads?
Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Bluetooth Scanner?
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