Echelon fitness firmware lockout: Difference between revisions

{{IncidentCargo

|Company=Echelon Fitness

|Description=Echelon pushed firmware updates blocking third-party apps, requiring server authentication & breaking QZ compatibility for users

}}Echelon pushed firmware update blocking third-party apps, requiring server authentication and breaking QZ compatibility for thousands of users

A July 2025 firmware update pushed by Echelon Fitness retroactively blocked third-party fitness applications from connecting to their devices. The update affected users of QZ (qdomyos-zwift), an open-source bridging application that enables cross-platform compatibility with fitness platforms like [[wikipedia:Zwift|Zwift]], [[wikipedia:Peloton_Interactive|Peloton Digital]], & others.

==Background==

QZ (qdomyos-zwift) was created in September 2020 by Italian software engineer [[wikipedia:Roberto_Viola|Roberto Viola]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://robertoviola.cloud/2025/07/22/how-i-built-qz-and-how-echelon-is-now-breaking-it/ |title=How I Built QZ—and How Echelon Is Now Breaking It |author=Roberto Viola |date=22 July 2025 |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref> The application functions as a Bluetooth bridge that intercepts proprietary communications from closed fitness devices & translates them into standard protocols compatible with other mainstream fitness platforms.

For almost five years, QZ maintained compatibility with Echelon devices. Viola notes that the app ''"helped Echelon sell tens of thousands of bikes"'' by making them compatible with multiple training platforms. Viola also personally recommended the Echelon as the ''"best indoor bike on the market."''<ref name="viola-blog">{{cite web |url=https://robertoviola.cloud/2025/07/22/how-i-built-qz-and-how-echelon-is-now-breaking-it/ |title=How I Built QZ—and How Echelon Is Now Breaking It |author=Roberto Viola |date=22 July 2025 |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

Echelon Fitness markets connected fitness equipment ranging from $500 entry-level models to $2,495 premium bikes. The company operates a subscription service priced between $29.99-$39.99 monthly or $399.99-$699.99 annually for access to live & on-demand fitness content.<ref name="echelon-faq">{{cite web |url=https://echelonfit.com/pages/app-faqs |title=APP FAQs |publisher=Echelon Fit |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Echelon.png|alt=Subscriptions from echelon's website [1]|thumb|Subscriptions from echelon's website <ref>{{Cite web |title=Choose your Premier Subscription – Echelon Fit US |url=https://echelonfit.com/collections/choose-your-united-sub?_ab=0&_fd=0&_sc=1}}</ref>]]

===Server-based auth system===

According to Viola's technical analysis, the update is "non-reversible" - once installed, users cannot downgrade to previous firmware versions.<ref name="viola-blog" />

The firmware creates a '''boot-time server handshake''' requirement before any functionality is enabled. Devices send authentication requests to Echelon servers, which respond with rotating unlock keys. Without successful validation, devices become completely non-functional, including for basic manual workouts.<ref name="viola-blog" />

The system specifically targets third-party apps through '''Bluetooth access control''' that only activates after server authentication. This hardware-level lockout cannot be bypassed through software means, effectively transforming ownership into a subscription-based permission model.<ref name="viola-blog" />

The firmware update completely blocks QZ & similar third-party applications from communicating with Echelon devices. This affects not only advanced features like automatic resistance control, but also prevents basic manual workouts without internet connectivity & server approval.<ref name="viola-blog" />

Echelon's official marketing materials explicitly promoted third-party compatibility. Their FAQ states devices were designed to give users '''''"the flexibility to use your favorite devices"''''' & specifically mentions "third party apps you can use as well."<ref name="echelon-faq" />

Echelon's FitOS platform, introduced for screened equipment, actually '''expanded''' third-party app access to include Netflix, Disney+, & other entertainment apps.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://echelonfit.com/blogs/blog/introducing-fitos |title=Introducing FitOS |publisher=Echelon Fit |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref> This contradicts the simultaneous restriction of core fitness functionality through firmware updates.

No official Echelon press release, statement, or justification for the July 2025 blocking appears to be present. The company's Terms of Service reserves broad rights to "modify the Services" without specific disclosure about functionality restrictions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://echelonfit.uk/pages/terms-and-conditions |title=Terms and Conditions |publisher=Echelon Fit UK |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

Users who purchased Echelon devices specifically for third-party compatibility are affected:

One affected UK user commented: <blockquote>''"This is infuriating. I paid £1,199 for a bike in 2020, & a further £399 for 2 years of classes, so surely what I choose to do with the hardware I purchased outright is none of their business!"''<ref name="viola-blog" /></blockquote>

The update removes all offline workout capabilities, requiring constant internet connectivity for any device operation. Users report being unable to perform basic manual workouts without server validation.<ref name="viola-blog" />

The '''Balfour et al. v. iFIT Health & Fitness, Inc.''' case (2023-2024) gives us some directly relevant precedent. mandatory software updates rendered fitness equipment touchscreens "totally inoperable," resulting in a settlement providing free repairs, refunds, & discount coupons.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.classaction.org/news/ifit-class-action-says-software-update-left-fitness-equipment-totally-inoperable |title=iFIT Class Action Says Software Update Left Fitness Equipment 'Totally Inoperable' |publisher=ClassAction.org |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

Multiple HP settlements ($1.5 million in 2019, additional settlement in 2025) established precedent for challenging manufacturers who use firmware to block third-party compatibility, based on Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act violations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/19/hp_printer_lawsuit_settled/ |title=HP settles lawsuit after killing first responder's printers |publisher=The Register |date=19 March 2025 |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

The FTC unanimously adopted a policy statement in July 2021 to ''"ramp up law enforcement against illegal repair restrictions,"'' with subsequent enforcement actions against manufacturers for warranty language restricting third-party repairs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/07/ftc-ramp-law-enforcement-against-illegal-repair-restrictions |title=FTC to Ramp Up Law Enforcement Against Illegal Repair Restrictions |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=July 2021 |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

Roberto Viola recommends affected users:

*'''avoid all firmware updates''' & disable automatic updates

*[https://github.com/cagnulein/qdomyos-zwift/issues/1752 GitHub Issue #1752 - Echelon connection problems]

*[https://www.classaction.org/news/ifit-class-action-says-software-update-left-fitness-equipment-totally-inoperable iFIT Class Action Settlement Information]

[[Category:CRW]]