4. Phone, tablet and laptop compatibility
4.1. Windows PC
VictronConnect requires Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10. For older Windows versions, XP and Vista, check our archive of previous versions.
Note that on Windows, VictronConnect cannot use Bluetooth Smart to connect to a product. Other connection methods, such as USB, or LAN and WiFi do work properly.
USB Driver installation
Windows 10 ships with a compatible driver for both the VE.Direct USB cable and the MK3-USB cable: there is normally no need to install a driver for that. In case you do have issues connecting to a Victron product via USB, we recommend to manually install the VE.Direct USB driver, by downloading it from our website on the Software downloads page.
For Windows 7 and Windows 8, we do recommend to always install the USB driver.
It might be good to know that these USB drivers can be installed even without the USB cable connected to your computer. It will install the files, which will then automatically be used once you connect the cable.
4.2. macOS
Today's version of VictronConnect runs on any Mac with Intel or Apple M1 chip that runs macOS version 10.12 (OS X Sierra) or newer, up to macOS 13 (Ventura).
For the older macOS 10.11/10.10/10.9 versions, an older version of VictronConnect is still available in the Apple Store. Do note that that older version is unsupported: if it works then great, that is why we provide that older version. If it does not work, then too bad and we’ll not be able to help. The solution is then to get another laptop or device, that can work with the most recent version of VictronConnect.
To connect to a Victron product with Bluetooth, the Apple Laptop needs to have Bluetooth 4.0 aka Bluetooth Smart.
4.3. Android
Note
For devices with Android 12 and later in connection with VictronConnect v5.70 and later it is not necessary to grant Access for Location Service. When opening the VictronConnect app or installing it, you are not asked for it. We recommend updating the mobile device to Android 12 and later whenever possible.
For older Android and/or VictronConnect versions, the following applies in regard to Android Location Service.
Android 5.0 is the minimum version required to run VictronConnect.
An older version of VictronConnect that works for some users of Android 4.3 and 4.4 is still available in archive – but unsupported.
The required hardware is ARMv7 and later, as well as x86 or ARM64bit.
Notes for Android 5
Android 5 devices with a 64bit CPU will experience a crash at startup due to an issue in the libraries we use to develop VictronConnect. This is not expected to be fixed. A workaround for this issue is to manually install the VictronConnect APK that can be downloaded in the software section.
The pairing does not work on some phones running Android 5. The PIN code pop-up does not appear, or it appears without a text field to enter the PIN code. If you have this situation, your phone might report that it has been paired with the Victron product - but it has not.
Unfortunately, this is a bug in Android over which we have no control, and are therefore unable to fix.
Devices where we have seen this issue are:
Asus Zenfone 2 with 5.0 ← Android 6 is available, update the phone to solve the issue
Motorola Moto G 2 ← Android 6 is available, update the phone to solve the issue
Medion tablet with Android 5.0
Notes for Android 6 and later
No known issues, when Access to Locations Services are enabled. See also the note at the beginning of the chapter.
Why is Access to Location Services required?
Android 5 and later requires access permission for VictronConnect to the (coarse) Location Services. Otherwise it can not scan for the Bluetooth products.
Besides permitting access to its data, the Location Services also need to be enabled in many (but not all) cases.
Note that after enabling Location Services, the GPS itself, can be switched off again: the Android Location Services are more than GPS. Bluetooth, and WiFi-, scan results can technically also be used to approximate the phone's location; hence these requirements.
Despite the above, you can be sure that Victron is not interested in, nor tracking your location.
Being sensitive to privacy issues at Victron ourselves, we are not happy with this requirement. But there is nothing we can do about it, unfortunately. More information about why it is needed to enable the Location Services is here.
List of known non-compatible Android devices
Manufacturer | Model | USB OTG | Bluetooth Smart |
---|---|---|---|
HTC | One+ | ? | No |
HTC | One M7 | ? | No |
Huawei | P8 Lite (2015) | No | Only if Location Services are disabled |
Lenovo | Tab 3 A7 | ? | No |
Samsung | Galaxy S3 Mini | No | No |
Samsung | Galaxy S2 | Yes | No |
ZTE | Telstra Max | ? | No |
List of known compatible Android devices
We have tested the following Android devices and can confirm that they are compatible with VictronConnect*:
Google Nexus 6P; LG G4; Sony Xperia Z5; HTC One M9; HTC One S9; OnePlus 3T; Asus Zenfone 2; Samsung Galaxy S5; Samsung Galaxy S5 mini; Samsung Galaxy S7; Samsung Galaxy S8; Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6.
*Assumes the phone runs the latest firmware released by the manufacturer.
4.4. Apple iOS iPhones and iPads
VictronConnect works on the following iPhones and iPads running iOS 11 or later:
iPhone 5S and later
iPad mini 2 and later
iPad (5th generation) and later
iPod touch (6th generation) and later
Unfortunately Apple iPhone/iPad doesn't support USB OTG.
4.5. Linux
Details here.
4.6. Archive of previous versions
It would be nice to forever support all existing versions of Android, iOS, Windows, and other systems. But unfortunately, it is impossible to do so. Therefore, now and then, a new release of VictronConnect doesn't work anymore on your phone; whereas the previous version worked perfectly.
In such a situation, we recommend updating your phone to the latest OS. For situations where that is not possible we make these older versions available:
Warning: These versions are no longer supported or recommended to use by Victron, only use it as a last resort if you don't have access to a compatible phone with the latest VictronConnect release version. Under the download link find the last available VictronConnect version that still works on those older operating systems.
OS Version | Download link |
---|---|
Windows XP and Windows Vista | |
Android 4.3 to 4.4.4 armv7 architecture | |
Android 4.3 to 4.4.4 x86 architecture | |
macOS 10.9 (OS X Mavericks) | |
macOS 10.10, 10.11 & 10.12 (OS X Yosemite / Sierra) |