Nike's smart sneakers break when they are used with an Android phone

The new Nike Adapt BB smart sneakers have stopped working for some users because of a bad update of Android just days after their release. Affected owners claim that their left or right shoe no longer combines with the Nike app, which means it can not be used to tighten their new pair of $ 350 self-lacing shoes.

Some people were able to put the shoes back in shape after a hard reset. It is unclear if users can still manually tighten shoes with their side buttons or if the update closes them completely. Some users report that the update has resulted in engine shutdown, even with the help of physical buttons.

The problem seems to come from a first version of the software built into Nike sneakers. Some sneakers have not been delivered with the latest version of the software and if they do not receive the update on time, the process of pairing with the latest Android application can lead to a crash.

The Android application of sneakers is apparently not very efficient even when it works. Users say that the application is not as complete as the iOS version and that it lacks features such as the ability to set different tighter presets.

When I went to see the shoes in November at Nike's headquarters in Oregon, the company only showed its iOS app, but it guaranteed support for iOS and Android. It is true that an Android application exists, but it seems that the company has not spent enough resources to test it. We contacted Nike for a comment.