Consumer FAQ

To connect your mobile device to other ANT+ compatible products , you need an ANT+ enabled app as well as the required ANT hardware (built-in or USB)  and services.  See ANT+ in phones and tablets for details.

For a list of ANT+ verified* apps, go to the ANT+ Product Directory and click the “Apps” button in the “Categories” filter box.  Then select your desired operating system for a list of compatible apps. 

* An ANT+ Verified App is an app that has been tested for compliance with ANT+ specifications.  The app developer uses our ANT+ self verification test tools to do the testing, and submits the results for ANT+ review.  You may find apps from other download sources that are ANT+ compatible but not yet verified. Apps must be verified before they are listed on the directory.

Many Android phones, tablets and other mobile devices have built-in ANT+ support – i.e. native ANT+ support.   See the ANT+ Product Directory for a current list.

Android Devices:  
You may be able to enable ANT+ with an accessory/adapter through your device’s USB port.   Visit ANT+ in phones and tablets for details.

iOS Devices:  
Purchase an ANT+ iPhone Accessory to gain ANT+ connectivity. Visit ANT+ in phones and tablets for details.

ANT+ support is currently not available in other mobile operating systems

There are several reasons why you may be having problems:

• Not all devices support all external USB accessories.  Your device may not have USB host support or a full implementation that allows connecting to all classes of USB devices, such as an ANT USB stick.  Due to the wide variation of hardware available, please refer to other online sources to determine if your device has proper USB host support.
• Only certain ANT USB stick models are supported.  Check the model number on the back of your USB stick.  ANTUSB2 and ANTUSB-m models will work (assuming the above device requirements are met).  ANTUSB1 sticks are not supported. 
• ANT USB support requires the installation of the ANT USB Service, in addition to the ANT Radio Service and ANT+ Plugins.  If you cannot find the ANT USB Service on the Google Play store for your device, it means that your device is not reporting that it supports the USB Host feature.
• Not all applications will support external ANT USB accessories.  There are two reasons for this:
  • Apps may require features that are not available on the USB hardware.
  • Some apps are still using legacy ANT libraries that do not recognize external ANT devices. To be compliant, apps must use newer versions of the ANT libraries that have implemented USB support.  Please contact the app developer directly to encourage their efforts to update their app for USB compatibility.
• Some phones will not detect the USB stick if it was connected to the OTG cable before it was plugged into the phone. Plugging the OTG cable into the phone and then the USB stick into the OTG cable may work.
• It is also possible that you may have a hardware issue with the USB port, OTG cable or the USB stick itself.  For example, some OTG cables are known to have compatibility issues.  If you suspect a hardware issue, please contact the manufacturer for support.

The ANT Radio Service and ANT+ PlugIns are similar to the system components that enable other forms of wireless connectivity on your smartphone (ie. WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth). These ANT service apps may have come pre-installed on your smartphone or were added as part of an Android update from your carrier and smartphone manufacturer.

Because these ANT services are factory pre-installed into the Android firmware as system services by the smartphone manufacturer, Android will not give users the option to uninstall them like it does with apps that you download from Google Play.

If you do not intend to use any apps that use the ANT communication, these services will never be enabled  and will have no impact on your smartphone's performance.

For more information, visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dsi.ant.service.socket&hl=en

These service apps are background services that can not be launched directly.  They will run automatically when you use any Android ANT or ANT+ enabled app.  To see how it works, you can try the ANT+ Demo app or the Heart Rate Grapher app on your mobile device to connect to  compatible  ANT+ products.

Just like the ANT Radio Service and the ANT+ Plugins, the ANT HAL Service is a background service which is factory pre-installed on phones that provide built-in ANT wireless support.  Although the software is included in your mobile device, it consumes minimal system memory resources and will never run unless an application requiring ANT Wireless communication is started.

It is a core system service that has been built in to your Android system by your handset vendor. As per the Android permissions description; to improve performance and reduce memory usage, general permissions are available to ANT HAL Service because it runs in the same process as all other core system services. This is not because these permissions are used, or even requested, by the app.

Download/install speed is not related to the app, only with the Google Play Store. The Play Store will occasionally experience issues which impact updating any app.

No.  The ANT Radio Service is not related to the FM radio and will have no impact on FM radio applications. ’Radio’ is a general term used to describe what is required for wireless communication.

Check out the “Starting your Project” area on the Developer section of our website. Registering an ANT+ Adopter account also provides access to the ANT+ section of the Developer forum, with additional developer resources.