Anyone else finding the Victron SmartSolar 100/20 MPPT a nightmare to configure via Bluetooth on Android 14?

Upgraded my phone a few weeks back and now the VictronConnect app just sits there spinning when I try to pull up the charge controller settings. Works fine on my old Samsung running Android 12, so it's clearly something with the newer OS. Tried reinstalling, clearing cache, toggling Bluetooth off and on — nothing. Controller itself is fine, charging away happily, just can't get into the settings remotely.

I'm running a 200W panel (two 100W in series) into a 100Ah lithium on my camper. Was trying to tweak the absorption voltage up slightly to 14.4V as it felt like my battery wasn't quite hitting full charge on overcast days. Not the end of the world but it's annoying having to dig out the old phone every time I want to change something.

Has anyone cracked this on Android 14, or is Victron just behind on their app updates? Seen a couple of mentions on Reddit but nothing conclusive. Wondering if a specific version rollback of VictronConnect sorts it or whether I need to wait for an official fix.

Same thing happened to me on my narrowboat setup last autumn — new Pixel 8, Android 14, and VictronConnect just sat there like it had all the time in the world.

Turned out the culprit was location permissions. Android 14 tightened up Bluetooth scanning rules, and VictronConnect needs "Allow all the time" location access rather than just "While using the app." Sounds daft, but Bluetooth Low Energy scanning is tied to location services on Android.

Go to:
Settings → Apps → VictronConnect → Permissions → Location → Allow all the time

Also worth checking you're on VictronConnect v6.xx — there were specific fixes pushed for Android 14 BLE compatibility mid-last year.

@SparkySailor if neither of those crack it, try forgetting the device in Bluetooth settings entirely and re-pairing from scratch within the app rather than the system menu.

Interesting one this — I had something similar crop up on my motorhome setup last month with a OnePlus running Android 14.

Worth checking whether location permissions are set to "Allow all the time" rather than "Only while using the app" — Bluetooth scanning on Android 14 apparently needs this now even though it seems daft. Fixed it for me instantly.

Also, are you pairing the device in the phone's main Bluetooth settings first, or going straight through VictronConnect? I've found on newer Android versions you need to avoid pre-pairing and just let VictronConnect handle the connection itself.

Which specific build of VictronConnect are you on? There were a couple of dodgy releases around v5.90 that caused exactly this spinning issue — worth checking you're on the latest from the Play Store rather than an older cached install.

Had this exact issue on my van build a couple months back — Android 14 on a Nothing Phone 2.

What fixed it for me: go into Android Settings → Apps → VictronConnect → Permissions and make sure Nearby Devices is enabled, not just Location. Android 14 split Bluetooth permissions up and VictronConnect seems to need both ticked.

Also worth checking you're on the latest VictronConnect version (v6.x something) — there was a patch specifically addressing Android 14 BLE scanning issues.

@SparkySailor if it's still spinning after that, try forgetting the device in the app and re-pairing from scratch. Sorted mine out completely, been solid ever since.