# LightBlue® — Bluetooth LE

> Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tool created by and for developers and enthusiasts

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/com.punchthrough.lightblueexplorer](https://chrome-stats.com/d/com.punchthrough.lightblueexplorer)

## Overview

- **ID:** `com.punchthrough.lightblueexplorer`
- **Platform:** Android
- **Type:** Android app
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Punch Through Design
- **Category:** TOOLS
- **Downloads:** 680,908
- **Rating:** 3.18 / 5 (880 ratings)
- **Version:** 2.13.0
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-24
- **First published:** 2017-08-22
- **Publisher country:** US
- **Size:** 22 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-16
- **Store listing:** [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.punchthrough.lightblueexplorer)
- **Website:** [https://punchthrough.com](https://punchthrough.com/)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/7874838](https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/7874838)

## Description

LightBlue® is a comprehensive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tool designed for developers and technology enthusiasts. It allows users to scan, connect, and interact with any nearby BLE devices such as heart rate monitors, temperature sensors, and keyfobs. The extension supports full read, write, and notification capabilities, making it ideal for firmware development and testing.

Key features include device scanning, displaying device info like name and RSSI, browsing characteristics and services, and logging all BLE events. The tool also facilitates convenient BLE peripheral firmware development by enabling reading and writing of characteristics in hex or UTF-8 formats. Perfect for locating BLE devices by signal strength, LightBlue® offers a robust user-friendly interface to enhance BLE development and device management.

## Rankings

- #84,877 — Overall

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID`
- `android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION`
- `android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION`
- `android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION`
- `android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE`
- `android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADVERTISE`
- `android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT`
- `android.permission.BLUETOOTH_SCAN`
- `android.permission.CAMERA`
- `android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE`
- `android.permission.INTERNET`
- `android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED`
- `android.permission.VIBRATE`
- `android.permission.WAKE_LOCK`
- `com.google.android.finsky.permission.BIND_GET_INSTALL_REFERRER_SERVICE`
- `com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID`
- `com.punchthrough.lightblueexplorer.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION`

## Review summary

Users praise the app for a clear interface, strong device discovery, and BLE development usefulness, and note it's free and generally reliable. The main downsides are the lack of a dark mode, inconsistent device detection (fake/missing devices), and connectivity/compatibility issues with some devices and platforms.

### Pros

- Clear, intuitive interface that many users praise
- Excellent for discovering nearby BLE devices and locating them using signal readings
- Useful for BLE development and learning, with access to GATT characteristics
- Free to use and generally reliable across scenarios

### Cons

- Missing dark/black theme (no dark mode) across the app
- Inaccurate or incomplete device detection/listing (reports of fake devices and missed devices)
- Connectivity and compatibility issues with certain devices and platforms (e.g., Go Plus, iPad A16)

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/com.punchthrough.lightblueexplorer)