§ 1 · DOWNLOAD
Install OpenSAAB directly.
For phones running Android 8 or newer with 64-bit ARM app support. Download the app, install it, then choose your SAAB software inside OpenSAAB. No separate Setup app is needed.
OpenSAAB T2 · 64-bit Android
This button always downloads the 64-bit app. It does not choose an architecture or fall back to 32-bit; Android cannot install it on a 32-bit-only system.
New in the 64-bit beta: preview.28 shows the installed version and can check for updates once daily while idle. A newer matching release gets an optional reminder; View update opens its release notes, and Remind me tomorrow snoozes it for a day. Turn automatic checks off under App menu → Check for updates. Nothing downloads or installs automatically, and active diagnostics are not interrupted. Older builds need one manual update to gain reminders.
The richer reviewed reports and security-handoff alert correction from preview.27 are included. Field-device crash investigations remain open. If a problem repeats, use Report issue, describe the exact step and share the receipt privately.
§ 2 · FROM DOWNLOAD TO DIAGNOSTICS
Install OpenSAAB.
Open the downloaded APK. If Android asks, allow installation from your browser, then confirm. Keep Play Protect enabled. Open OpenSAAB when installation finishes.
Choose your SAAB software.
Pick software and language inside the app and tap Download and continue. English SAAB NAO is the default. OpenSAAB verifies and extracts the download, then returns to Connect. Existing installations keep their firmware and settings.
Connect, or try offline.
Connect a supported USB adapter and tap Connect and start: with a single supported adapter the picker is skipped, the key must be ON, and Chipsoft reads a fresh VIN before the firmware starts. Without an adapter, App menu → Run without an adapter explores the original menus offline.
The direct download installs only OpenSAAB. If you previously used Setup, App menu → Remove installer offers optional cleanup; your firmware, settings and reports stay in OpenSAAB. Use Check for updates inside the app for future updates. Do not uninstall an existing app to update it.
§ 3 · OTHER DOWNLOADS
Choose by what Android can run.
These choices follow the architectures Android can execute, not the advertised processor. A 64-bit CPU can carry a 32-bit-only Android installation.
32-bit Android head unit · experimental
Separate ARMv7 app for Android 8 or newer. Choose this for a 32-bit head unit or to update an existing 32-bit installation. It keeps its optimized startup and its own update channel. Tested on an 8227L: native main menu in 5.4 s, Chipsoft detected, fresh VIN read — one bench result, not a guarantee. 1 GB RAM is a constraint to test, not a promise of usable performance.
OpenSAAB Setup · optional compatibility check
Checks Android version, supported app architectures, memory and storage, then installs the compatible app. On a fresh compatible device it prefers ARM64; it offers ARM32 when supported and preserves an existing 32-bit installation's update channel. It never forces 64-bit onto an incompatible system. Setup runs on Android 5+ to explain compatibility even where the emulator can't install.
The ARM32 and ARM64 apps are built, tested and released independently; an update to one does not change the other. If Setup reports a different signing key, keep using Open existing OpenSAAB. An earlier development installation needs backup and migration guidance before it can be replaced.
§ 4 · MAC BETA
Test Chipsoft Pro on your Mac.
Separate downloads for Apple silicon and Intel. macOS 12 or newer. These are incomplete developer betas: start with offline menus and fresh VIN reading.
Apple silicon · M1 and newer
Intel Mac · x86_64
Installation and beta test guide · Release notes, checksums and matching source
Drag OpenSAAB to Applications and follow the guide. Builds are ad-hoc signed and not notarized; macOS may require its Privacy & Security → Open Anyway confirmation. Keep Gatekeeper enabled. Diagnostic card software downloads separately in the app. Windows has its own preview below. Linux downloads remain pending.
WINDOWS DEVELOPER PREVIEW
OpenSAAB T2 on Windows.
Windows 0.2.15 brings the Chipsoft security-access workflow and private issue reporting to the desktop. Tested on an EliteBook running Windows 10 x64.
Windows · x64
Use a genuine Chipsoft Pro with direct USB/CDC, the default transport. The experimental OEM comparison route is for A/B testing; it is not another supported adapter option. Windows 8, Windows 11, Windows ARM and other adapters are not qualified by these tests.
Close OpenSAAB before installing the update. Install over the existing version to keep your data. This installer is unsigned. Security access requires internet and the temporary case-sensitive password OpenSAAB; follow the app’s key-position and data-sharing prompts.
Release notes, checksums, matching source and installation guide
CONTRIBUTE ADAPTER CAPTURES
OpenSAAB Collector for Windows.
Help us support more adapters. Install official USBPcap through Collector and record a short initialization or read-only diagnostic session. Choose Stop capture to save locally, Sanitize capture to create a separate copy and review its report, then Upload when you are ready. The original is kept, and stopping never uploads automatically. Wireshark is not required for recording. No shims or vendor-driver modifications.
Download Collector 0.5.3 · instructions and sourceThe report counts supported VIN, computer-name and serial text matches plus removed notes and description fields. This is limited sanitization, not a guarantee of anonymity: identifiers split across packets, other encodings and security exchanges may remain. Review before sharing. Upload shows the report again and requires confirmation; edits invalidate the report until you sanitize again.
Windows 10 / Chipsoft capture and upload tested in 0.5.0. Version 0.5.3 adds the sanitizer and report: 35 native desktop checks and a synthetic-capture interface test passed on the EliteBook, alongside 10 server tests in CI. No new live capture-to-sanitized-upload round-trip was performed. Windows 8.1 / Mongoose still needs testing.
§ 5 · WHAT YOUR DEVICE NEEDS
For the emulator
Android 8 / API 26 or newer with ARMv7 or ARM64 app support. About 160 MB free for setup; low-memory systems may be slow or unstable. USB host support and a data cable for direct adapter use — Chipsoft Pro is the current test path, VCX Nano remains experimental. Internet for downloads and security access; installed firmware, local USB diagnostics and saved reports work offline.
Need help?
In the app, Report issue → Prepare report → Send to OpenSAAB. Review the report before sending; an internet connection is enough. Reports are stored privately and return a confirmation number. How reports and downloads are handled · Community help
Transparent source
Setup contains no firmware or emulator native code. The emulator APK includes eprom.bin, opsys.dwn and candi.bin as third-party support files; SAAB card software is downloaded separately. Source archives, signing identities and checksums are on GitHub. Independent reproducible builds are still being established.