KingSong: Difference between revisions

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==Consumer-impact summary==

'''Business Model:''' Products are [[Software locks|software-locked]] and geo-fenced to prevent grey market sales.

The King Song app demonstrates a significant privacy invasion issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Benphysics |date=7 Jul 2019 |title=Kingsong, one of China's spy channels on the rest of the world??? |url=https://forum.electricunicycle.org/topic/14464-kingsong-one-of-chinas-spy-channels-on-the-rest-of-the-world/ |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=forum.electricunicycle.org}}</ref> On Android devices, the app reportedly demands an extensive list of intrusive permissions—including access to phone calls, media, and the ability to record audio and video—and will not function if these are denied. This effectively coerces Android users into granting broad and unnecessary access to their personal data and device functions.  

This strict moderation and oversight explain why the iOS version of the King Song app appears to be far less invasive. Apple's review process acts as a gatekeeper, preventing developers from publishing apps that engage in the kind of overreaching data practices reported on the Android version. Apple's policies require developers to: Request only necessary permissions, Be transparent, Avoid coerced consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stenhach |first=Oleksii |date=20 Feb 2025 |title=How to Pass a Manual App Store Review: App Store Review Guidelines |url=https://radaso.com/blog/how-to-pass-a-manual-app-store-review-app-store-review-guidelines |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=radaso.com}}</ref>

The King Song business model requires new electric unicycles to be activated via the official King Song mobile application. This process is mandatory and often includes a "beginner mode" that limits the wheel's performance until a certain distance has been ridden or the mode is deactivated through the app. The requirement to use the app for initial setup and full functionality has been a source of significant frustration for consumers. User reports describe instances where a failure to connect or register with the app, often due to an IP address that doesn't match the wheel's intended market, leaves the user with a non-functional device—a "beeping brick"<ref>{{Cite web |last=@NathanRN42 |date=2025-03-01 |title=KingSong woes |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ElectricUnicycle/comments/1kfctor/kingsong_woes/ |url-status=live |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

This practice represents a form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) that extends beyond software and into physical hardware. A consumer who has fully paid for a physical product is unable to use it as intended without complying with the manufacturer's software and connectivity requirements. This holds the product's full functionality in a state of digital "hostage," which challenges the foundational principle of consumer ownership. It also raises questions about the consumer's ability to repair and maintain their device independently. The fact that a failed firmware update can potentially "brick" the Battery Management System (BMS) of a wheel  further illustrates the potential for a device to be rendered useless by a manufacturer-controlled software error, highlighting a significant constraint on user freedom and the right to repair.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bake |first=Marty |date=2024-06-25 |title=KingSong S16 BMS Bricked And Then Fixed |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5duw5mB9XY |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

The company's use of software-based controls to enforce market segmentation and prevent "grey market" price erosion creates a digital wall that fundamentally alters the nature of product ownership. The ability of the manufacturer to remotely disable a product that has been paid for and sold to a consumer challenges a fundamental legal concept in many jurisdictions: the '''"first-sale doctrine."''' This principle holds that once a copyright owner sells a copy of their work, they lose the right to control its subsequent distribution. In this context, the manufacturer's ability to "brick" a product after the sale is complete is seen by many in the community as '''a violation of property rights.'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Boilerdog359 |date=2020-11-16 |title=Kingsong region locking |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ElectricUnicycle/comments/jvcs8i/kingsong_region_locking/ |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>    

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==See also==

==References==