What You'll Learn

• What mQ Assist is and how it provides context-aware diagnostic guidance
• How mQ Assist differs from static pass/fail indicators - it analyzes relationships between measurements, not just individual thresholds
• When mQ Assist activates and what triggers its recommendations
• What kind of guidance mQ Assist provides during a live diagnostic session
• Limitations of mQ Assist and why it does not replace technician judgment
• How to enable or disable mQ Assist

What You'll Need

• Device: iPhone (iOS 15+) or Android phone (Android 10+) with measureQuick v3.5 or later
• Account: measureQuick account (mQ Assist is available on all tiers)
• Active diagnostic session: mQ Assist works during live workflows - not on saved or historical data
• Connected probes: At least enough instruments to generate meaningful measurement data for the system type
• Time: 5 minutes to understand the feature; used continuously during diagnostics

mQ 3.6 Update: measureQuick 3.6 introduces AI Assist, a new voice and text diagnostic tool that analyzes live measurement data using a proprietary AI engine. AI Assist goes beyond the pattern-matching approach described in this article. See AI Assist: Voice and Text Diagnostics for the full guide.

What Is mQ Assist?

mQ Assist is measureQuick's context-aware AI diagnostic assistant, introduced as a core feature in version 3.5. It analyzes your live measurement data in real time and provides diagnostic suggestions based on the relationships between readings, not just whether individual numbers fall inside or outside a target range.

This is a different kind of analysis than static pass/fail. The pass/fail system (covered in Fault Types: Minor vs Major) evaluates each measurement against its individual threshold. mQ Assist looks across measurements to identify patterns that a threshold check alone would miss.

For example: low superheat combined with normal subcooling on a TXV system might suggest restricted airflow rather than an overcharge. A static pass/fail check would flag low superheat and stop there. mQ Assist considers the relationship between superheat, subcooling, evaporator saturation temperature, and airflow indicators to suggest a more specific root cause.

mQ Assist is not general-purpose AI. It is specifically built for HVAC diagnostics, trained on the measurement relationships and fault patterns that matter in residential heating and cooling systems.

How mQ Assist Differs from Pass/Fail

Pass/fail and mQ Assist work together. Pass/fail gives you the binary status of each subsystem. mQ Assist tells you what the combination of statuses and measurement values might mean.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Verify mQ Assist Is Enabled

mQ Assist is enabled by default on measureQuick v3.5 and later. To verify or change the setting:

1. Open measureQuick
2. Go to Settings
3. Look for mQ Assist or AI Diagnostic Guidance
4. Confirm the toggle is set to On

If your company uses Company-Wide Settings (see Company-Wide Settings), mQ Assist may be controlled at the company level by an administrator.

Settings screen showing the mQ Assist toggle in the On position

Step 2: Start a Diagnostic Workflow

mQ Assist activates during live diagnostic workflows. Start a project and select the appropriate workflow:

• A/C Service Workflow (G2)
• Heat Pump Heating Workflow (G4)
• Gas Furnace Workflow (G5)
• Or any guided workflow that collects diagnostic measurements

Connect your Bluetooth probes and begin streaming data into measureQuick.

Active diagnostic workflow with probes connected and live data streaming

Step 3: Wait for Sufficient Data

mQ Assist does not provide guidance immediately. It waits until enough measurement data is present to form a meaningful diagnostic picture. The activation threshold depends on the workflow type:

• Cooling diagnostics: mQ Assist typically activates once refrigerant pressures, temperatures, and airflow-related data are streaming and the system has started to stabilize
• Heating diagnostics: Activates once combustion data, temperature rise, and gas pressures are present
• Static pressure only (quick tests): mQ Assist may provide limited guidance since fewer measurements are available

You do not need to do anything special to trigger mQ Assist. It monitors the incoming data stream and activates when the data set is rich enough to analyze.

Step 4: Read the Guidance

When mQ Assist has a suggestion, it appears on the diagnostic screen as a contextual message. The guidance is specific to your current readings. Examples of the kind of output you might see:

• "Low superheat with normal subcooling and high TESP suggests restricted airflow across the evaporator. Check the filter and measure static pressure components before adjusting refrigerant charge."
• "Discharge temperature is elevated with normal suction pressure. This pattern is consistent with a dirty condenser coil reducing heat rejection."
• "Subcooling is high with low superheat on a piston metering device. Possible overcharge, but verify airflow first - restricted airflow produces similar symptoms."

mQ Assist guidance panel showing a diagnostic suggestion based on current live readings

The guidance directs your attention to the most likely root cause and suggests a diagnostic next step. It does not tell you to perform a repair. It tells you where to look.

Step 5: Apply Your Judgment

mQ Assist provides suggestions, not commands. The technician makes the final decision. Reasons you might not follow the suggestion:

• You have additional context mQ Assist does not (the customer mentioned recent work on the system, you can see a visible issue, outdoor conditions are unusual)
• The system is still stabilizing and the readings have not settled
• You have already checked the suggested component and found it acceptable

mQ Assist is a diagnostic aid. It accelerates troubleshooting by surfacing relationships between measurements that take experience to recognize. It does not replace the technician's assessment of the specific situation.

What mQ Assist Can and Cannot Do

mQ Assist Can:

• Identify patterns across multiple measurements that suggest a specific root cause
• Provide just-in-time training suggestions - explaining why a measurement matters in context
• Help less experienced technicians recognize fault patterns that senior technicians see intuitively
• Reduce diagnostic time by directing attention to the most likely issue first

mQ Assist Cannot:

• See the physical system (it works from measurement data only)
• Account for conditions it cannot measure (recent repairs, visual damage, unusual installation configurations)
• Replace proper instrument setup - if probes are misplaced or the system is not yet stabilized, the guidance will be based on unreliable data
• Override pass/fail determinations - it provides parallel guidance, not changes to the subsystem results
• Work on historical/saved tests - it operates on live data streams only

mQ Assist vs AI Assist (3.6)

measureQuick 3.6 introduces AI Assist, a separate feature from the mQ Assist described in this article. Both analyze diagnostic data, but they work differently and serve different roles.

mQ Assist continues to work as described in this article. AI Assist is an additional capability for Premier Services subscribers using the mQ+ interface. For the full guide to AI Assist, see AI Assist: Voice and Text Diagnostics.

Video Walkthrough

• YouTube (measureQuick): (1,312 views, 12:26). September 2024 feature overview including mQ Assist demonstration alongside the BluVac 3.0 and Grid View updates

• YouTube (measureQuick): (895 views, 0:59). Quick overview of the Grid View and mQ Assist features introduced in measureQuick 3.0

• YouTube (measureQuick): (4,695 views, 9:22). How measureQuick's diagnostic engine works under the hood, including the analysis that powers fault detection and contextual guidance

• YouTube (measureQuick): . Jim Bergmann explains how measureQuick "significantly expanded the troubleshooting ability of the measure application" by analyzing measurement relationships

Tips & Common Issues

mQ Assist is not showing any guidance

Check that you have enough probes connected and streaming data. mQ Assist needs a sufficient data set to analyze. If you are in a quick test with only a manometer, the guidance will be limited because there are fewer measurement relationships to evaluate. Also verify the feature is enabled in Settings.

The suggestion does not match what I see in the field

mQ Assist works from measurement data. If the probes are misplaced, the system has not stabilized, or there is a condition that instruments cannot detect (visual damage, unusual installation), the guidance may not match reality. Use the suggestion as one input alongside your own observations.

Can I use mQ Assist during training?

Yes. mQ Assist works in Demo Mode, which makes it useful for classroom training and self-study. Trainees can see how the AI responds to different measurement scenarios without being on a live system. This is one of the ways companies use Demo Mode for in-house training.

Does mQ Assist cost extra?

No. mQ Assist is available on all tiers as of 2025. It does not require a Premier Services subscription or any add-on purchase.

How is mQ Assist different from the AI System Profiler?

They are separate features. The AI System Profiler uses your phone's camera to identify equipment make, model, and refrigerant type from photos of the equipment label. mQ Assist analyzes live diagnostic measurement data and provides troubleshooting guidance. The Profiler helps you set up the project. mQ Assist helps you interpret the results.

Related Articles

Prerequisites (complete these first):

• Understanding Diagnostic Screens - How to navigate the diagnostic interface where mQ Assist displays its guidance
• A/C Service Workflow - The workflow most commonly used with mQ Assist for cooling diagnostics

Follow-up articles (next steps after this one):

• Fault Types: Minor vs Major - Understanding the pass/fail system that runs alongside mQ Assist
• Understanding the Vitals Score - How diagnostic results translate into the overall system health score
• Reading Target Zones - The acceptable ranges that form the basis for both pass/fail and mQ Assist analysis

Related in other domains:

• Company-Wide Settings - Controlling mQ Assist availability across your team
• AI System Profiler - The camera-based equipment identification feature (separate from mQ Assist)
• Gas Furnace Workflow - Using mQ Assist during combustion diagnostics
• AI Assist: Voice and Text Diagnostics - The 3.6 voice/text AI diagnostic tool (Premier Services, mQ+ interface)

Need Help?

If you get stuck or this article does not answer your question:

• Check the Related Articles section above
• Contact measureQuick support: support@measurequick.com
• Schedule a training session with the measureQuick training team