Guys, I just spent hours with the same problem and I finally resolved my problem.
What I have:
Victron SmartShunt IP65
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on Android 14
Samsung Galaxy S9+ on Android 10
Samsung Galaxy S9 on Android 10
Problem: Unable to pair Victron Connect app with SmartShunt IP65
Symptoms: When trying to pair with my Fold 5 or my S9+, the bluetooth PIN code pop-up occasionally appears and goes away before getting a chance to enter. In the odd chance that it stays up, it doesn’t succeed. However, Victron Connect worked flawlessly on my S9. So what gives?
Troubleshooting: I started going though the installed apps list between all three devices. Apps that were on the Fold 5 and S9+ that weren’t on the S9, I uninstalled and retried connecting the app to the SmartShunt. This was a bit tedious but I eventually got both my Fold 5 and S9+ working!
Root Cause: On my Fold 5 & S9+, I had an app called Topdon TopScan which is a bluetooth OBD2 code reader. Somehow the app simply being installed but not in use was causing issues with the bluetooth PIN pop-up and pairing functionality. My guess is there is a vulnerability in the Android bluetooth source code that perhaps other apps (either maliciously or inadvertently) interfering with the pairing functions.
I might also add that the Topdon TopScan app has “Alibaba”-vibes written all over it based on appearance. I didn’t get a good feeling of this app when I installed it especially when it required location-access permissions just to pair with the OBD2 code reader.
Anyway it seems it is an “app” issue and not a “phone” make/model issue.
I hope the software developers at Victron can investigate into this further.
What is the Topdon TopScan app doing to interfere with the Victron Connect app pairing?
If they do find out, to add the details to their troubleshooting documentation.