That is not common.

I have not heard of any issues when using either of the apps 'Torque' or 'OBD Fusion'. Perhaps that is the issue.

 

not sure if this helps but I have read in some of the OBD2 dongles specifications (cuz Im looking at getting one) about supporting all OBD2 protocols as I guess some do not support all protocols
but honestly I think thats a long shot
you could always take it to a Autozone or similar that will check codes and see if they get a reading

 

With my cheap OBD-II dongle, I had trouble connecting to some of the apps out there, though I don't remember which ones. The one I eventually settled on was Dash Command - it's on my ipad and my android phone. It has the ability to read and clear codes, give me temperatures for air intake, coolant, and a some other engine parameters. I still haven't figured out how to use the gas mileage/fuel economy part, but I just use a real notepad for that.