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You can connect a phone app to an Arduino 101/Genuino 101 over its built-in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), but the board sketch and app must be designed to exchange the same data. The board advertises a BLE service and exposes characteristics; the app scans for the board, connects, discovers the service, then reads, writes, or subscribes to those characteristics. This is different from using an app to program the board or upload a sketch.
What the phone-to-board connection does
Arduino 101 and Genuino 101 are regional names for the same Intel Curie development board. Arduino’s December 17, 2015 launch announcement identified the board’s built-in BLE capability, so a phone connection does not require an added radio shield. The announcement described controlling a phone over Bluetooth without additional hardware; that is a launch-era description, not a promise of present-day software support.
BLE communication depends on a shared design, not merely on having an app installed. The board firmware must advertise and expose a service and its characteristics. The phone app must know what service to find and how to interpret or send the characteristic values. You choose the UUIDs, permissions, and payload format for the project; there is no one universal Arduino 101 app protocol established for every project.
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Start with one specific interaction. For example, the board could provide a sensor reading for the app to display, or the app could send a command that changes an LED state. Decide which side produces each value and whether the app should read it on demand, write a value, or subscribe to updates.
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- Read: The app requests a value the board exposes, such as a sensor measurement.
- Write: The app sends a command or setting to the board, such as an LED on/off request.
- Subscribe: The app receives characteristic updates when the board publishes new values, if the characteristic and firmware support that behavior.
Keep the payload explicit and small, and make the board sketch and app agree on its meaning and encoding. The archived examples demonstrate possible project types, but they do not define a required service schema for a custom app.
Implement the connection as two cooperating parts
1. Make the board advertise
Write board firmware that configures BLE and exposes the service and data or command characteristics your interaction requires. Arduino’s 2016 firmware-source announcement says BLE and USB communication were managed by the Curie module’s x86 core while the ARC core ran Arduino sketches. That is useful platform context, but ordinary app development does not require modifying the board’s underlying firmware.
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2. Scan, connect, and discover from the app
The phone app scans for an advertising BLE peripheral, connects to the board, and discovers its services. Arduino’s archived technical report describes this scan-connect-services sequence. Its examples mention a BLE Sensor Tag and include nRF UART wording in sample output; these are examples in a report, not a guarantee that a particular app, framework, or service is currently available or right for your design.
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After service discovery, the app should locate the characteristic it needs and use it according to the board sketch’s design: read, write, or subscribe to updates. Match the app’s expected type, encoding, and interpretation to the firmware. Do not assume UUIDs or a payload format from a different BLE project will work without being implemented on the board.
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4. Test discovery, data flow, and reconnecting separately
Verify the steps independently: the board advertises, the app can discover the peripheral and expected service, and the intended characteristic operation works. Test both directions if the project reads and sends values, then disconnect and reconnect to check whether discovery and data exchange recover as expected. These are implementation checks based on the documented BLE sequence, not reported test results for a particular app or sketch.
What the legacy Arduino 101 software evidence means
Arduino’s 2015 announcement said Arduino IDE support began with version 1.6.7. Its retired documentation index lists CurieBLE examples for Arduino 101, including Battery Monitor, Button LED, Callback LED, Heart Rate Monitor, and LED. They are historical starting points for understanding BLE interactions, not proof that current IDE installers can compile them unchanged or that a compatible mobile app remains available.
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- ATMEGA16U2 USB INTERFACE: Use the included USB-A to USB-B data cable for sketch uploads and serial monitoring, with the ATmega16U2 handling USB-to-serial communication between the board and a connected computer
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The board is legacy hardware. DFRobot’s Arduino 101/Genuino 101 product page labels its catalog listing “Discontinued” and “no longer for sale.” That describes availability at that retailer, not the entire used market. If considering a used board, check the seller, condition, included accessories, and whether the listing is for the Arduino 101/Genuino 101 model and the region name you expect.
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Should you use a Genuino 101 or choose another board?
| Situation | Practical choice | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| You already own an Arduino 101/Genuino 101 | It has built-in BLE, so it can be a starting point for a phone-connected project. | Confirm your current development environment supports the board core and library versions you need; archived examples alone do not establish current compatibility. |
| You are buying hardware for a new project | Consider a current BLE-capable board rather than relying on discontinued stock. | Check live listings and board condition. Arduino describes the MKR WiFi 1010 as suitable for BLE communication with a cellphone, but it is a different board. |
Do not assume an alternative board will accept Genuino 101 pins, libraries, or sketches unchanged. The available product descriptions establish BLE capability, not comparative range, latency, mobile operating-system support, or total project cost.
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- BOARD AND USB CABLE INCLUDED: Comes with 1 ELEGOO UNO R3 controller board and 1 USB-A to USB-B data cable; breadboard, jumper wires, sensors, shields and power adapter are not included
Board specifications and project implications
Arduino’s 2015 announcement listed 384 kB of flash and 80 kB of SRAM, with 24 kB available for sketches. These are stated board specifications, not performance measurements. For an app connection, the important point is that the board’s BLE behavior still depends on firmware and a service/characteristic design shared with the phone app.
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