General

Q: How can I enable rSAP on my phone?

A: I developed an app that implements the Bluetooth Remote SIM Access Profile. The app is available in the Google Play Store. You may also use the QR code or search for "rsap".

Please use the trial version to check for compatibility first!

Q: What do I need to run rSAP?

A: You need a rooted compatible Samsung, HTC, Sony or LG Android mobile. Please check the compatibility page for more information about compatible phone models.

Q: Why do you support only some HTC/Samsung/Sony/LG mobiles?

A: Android does not support standard interfaces for the necessary access to the SIM card. For some mobiles I found a solution that gives me access to the card. Since nearly every phone uses a different interface between Android and the SIM card it is not easy or even impossible to port rSAP to other phones. The affected software is not Open Source like the rest of Android.

Q: Does the app run on Android x.y?

A: It's never a question of Android version, but of different circumstances.

The most important system part for compatibility is the RIL (Radio Interface Layer), which is not fully tied to a specific Android version. My app uses undocumented interfaces in this library which may change with every manufacturer's update (didn't happen so far). Or it may cause problems with ROMs that are not adapted correctly to the manufacturer's RIL (like the Sony CyanogenMod ROMs).

For some car phones it is very important which Bluetooth stack is used (see compatibility page). This is also not necessarily tied to a specific Android version. There are Android 2.3 phones using the BlueZ stack (e.g. Nexus S) and 4.1 phones using the "old" Broadcom stack (e.g. HTC One S "villec2").

Q: What is "root"? What is "S-ON"?

A: It always sounds misterious but it is quite simple. I created a short explanation here.

Google Play Store

Q: I cannot buy your app on the Android Market because I don't have/want a credit card

A: Sometimes the phone providers enables payment with the phone bill. Else you can use a pre-paid credit card. Use Google to find more about offers in your country. I currently do not plan to support other payment options!

Q: I cannot buy your app on the Android Market because it is not available in my country

A: Currently there is no easy solution. The former "Market Enabler" apps don't seem to work any longer. It looks like the Google Play Store checks your IP address, so a VPN tunnel may help.

Bluetooth

Q: The car does not recognize my phone as rSAP compatible

A: First make sure you set your phone to "Bluetooth visible". Then make sure either the trial or the full version is running and rSAP is activated (full version). If the car still doesn't recognize your phone check the compatibility page if you have an incompatible combination of car phone and mobile.

Q: I could pair my phone but the connection aborts after a few seconds

A: This may have different reasons:

1. You forgot to install the system files or the installation failed
2. Your phone is not compatible. Check the compatibility page or the forum for information about your device.
3. Your SIM card is not compatible. Try to insert a different card (best is different provider or a significantly older/newer card) in your phone a check if it works with this card.
4. Another Bluetooth transfer (often phonebook) aborts the Bluetooth connection. Try to remove and redo the Bluetooth pairing and this time don't allow access to the phonebook. If the connection now is stable the phonebook transfer causes the problem. My phonebook app may help in this case.

In any case you may create a "main" and/or "HCI" log with the rSAP app and mail it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it so I can analyze what goes wrong in your special case.

Q: rSAP works but connection aborts after a few minutes

A: Sometimes it seems that car or mobile don't handle power save modes correctly. You can check this by forcing the phone to stay in a "high power mode" by charging or keeping the screen switched on. The app Bluetooth Keepalive may help in this case.

It may also be a problem that causes a disconnect after a few seconds in other configurations. E.g. on some phones the phonebook transfer may happen minutes after connection start. It may also take a long time until the car phone finally gives up on an incompatible SIM card.

Q: How does Bluetooth phonebook transfer work?

A: For phonebook transfer there are basically four Bluetooth profiles: rSAP, PBAP (Phone Book Access Profile), IrMC and HFP (Handsfree Profile). rSAP has obviously only access to the data stored on the SIM card. PBAP and Handsfree are implemented by Android and are usually able to transfer the Google contacts you have on your phone. IrMC is the predecessor of PBAP and is currently not supported by stock Android.

The PBAP sometimes causes trouble up to a crash of the car kit. If you have problems with phonebook transfer you may try my phonebook app that implements the missing IrMC profile and fixes some bugs in the PBAP.