# nRF Connect for Mobile vs Magnetic Sensor

The clearest difference is ads: nRF Connect for Mobile at none against Magnetic Sensor's shown. Magnetic Sensor's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, Magnetic Sensor fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | nRF Connect for Mobile | Magnetic Sensor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (478 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **478** | — |
| Positive reviews | 70.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nordic Semiconductor ASA](https://appshunter.io/developer/497679114) | [Seonggon Sim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1565259950) |

## What reviewers say

### nRF Connect for Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrf-connect-for-mobile/id1054362403)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great product
- 🚀 Very handy
- 🚀 Amazing functionality
- 🚀 Love the technology
- 🚀 Versatile program

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't seem to work on iOS 17
- 🐛 Can't really disconnect from peripherals
- 🐛 New update freezes on launch screen DON'T UPDATE!
- 🐛 Legacy DFU not working
- 🐛 Hitting terrible bug

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Where's the mac addresses
- Max rssi limit
- Log view
- We need macros in iOS version


### Magnetic Sensor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magnetic-sensor/id6764468454)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is nRF Connect for Mobile free?

nRF Connect for Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Magnetic Sensor free?

Magnetic Sensor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do nRF Connect for Mobile or Magnetic Sensor have ads?

Magnetic Sensor shows ads; nRF Connect for Mobile does not.

### Which is updated more often, nRF Connect for Mobile or Magnetic Sensor?

nRF Connect for Mobile ships an update every 5 weeks, and Magnetic Sensor fortnightly. Most recently, nRF Connect for Mobile was updated on November 2, 2026 and Magnetic Sensor on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*