BLEvo Game Over (with MasterMind TCU)

[PaoloBLEvo]

Dear BLEvo riders,

Writing this message to all of you is hard and painful for me.

As most of you know, I bought my first Levo in September 2017. After having previously built an app that connected to a Bluetooth device (for my “real” job), I decided to develop the BLEvo app as a hobby. I always liked to have the ability to fine tune the bikes behaviour, the ability to review detailed measurement data during the ride and review detailed statistics after the ride. This was the starting point of BLEvo because these features were missing in the official Specialized Mission Control app. Almost 4 years later the BLEvo app became a standard in the market for riders who owned a Specialized Levo or Kenevo. To give you an impression BLEvo is globally spread through almost all countries. Only in the first week of May >1250 BLEvo Strava uploads took place (or 260.000 BLEvo Strava rides/year!) and also considering not all riders upload their rides to Strava you can imagine the 10th of thousands of BLEvo riders which makes me extremely proud and driven to keep further developing BLEvo.

Meanwhile I have owned a Levo 2017, Kenevo 2019, Kenevo 2020, Levo SL 2020, Kenevo 2022 (in order) because I very much like the bike and the Brose motor and, obviously, the interaction of BLEvo with the bike.

However with the release of the Levo 2022 and the Kenevo SL 2022, Specialized decided to upgrade the 2019 model TCU (with the blue lights) to the MasterMind TCU (with integrated display). Specialized also decided to close the open bluetooth communication protocol which they offered to the market since 2016 to ensure that they are legally compliant.

I therefore decided to inform you that for now BLEvo will not be compatible with the Levo 2022 and Kenevo SL 2022 which are having the new MasterMind TCU. I know many riders will be very disappointed and I am really sorry for that. Please remember it's not me who suddenly changed the terms here. This has been a decision taken by Specialized.

This is the position of Specialized

“The Mastermind TCU is currently only compatible with our Mission Control app. Whilst previous generations of Specialized Turbo bikes will continue to support connectivity with third party applications, the Mastermind TCU uses enhanced levels of encryption. This is primarily to support new/future functionality but also reflects the evolution of regulatory requirements underpinning the popularity of electric vehicles.

We understand that some riders will be initially disappointed in our change of approach here – we know that for a small number 3rd party app connectivity has contributed to the enjoyment of riding their Turbo. Whilst we’re not ruling out partnership with third-party developers in the future, protecting the operational integrity of our bikes (including software/firmware) is vital in a world where electric vehicles will play a significant role in global transportation. Specialized are actively building towards that future and are confident that the steps we are taking will result in products and features that riders will love.”


For all the riders who like BLEvo statistics, riders who like BLEvo SmartPower and heart rate support, riders who like the BLEvo maps with GPX and optional remote handlebar support, riders who like customization of the display with all their desired data fields, riders who like to use non-Specialized range extenders, riders who like to alter the max. speed (private areas only!), riders who like to use the speed multiplier when using a Levociraptor or another hardware speed unlocking device, riders who cherish their privacy, I can only suggest 2 options:
1. The cheapest option: don't buy any new bike model with the new MasterMind TCU and keep your current or buy a 2nd hand Levo/Kenevo of which I still think these are very good bikes!
2. More expensive option (to be tested more in deep): buy the latest bike model with a MasterMind TCU, buy a previous 2019 model TCU with the blue lights. Exchange it with the MasterMind TCU. The additional investment will be €169 euro and continue to use BLEvo. The TCU part nr. is S194200017. Google is your friend here.

In case of any comments, questions or ideas, feel free to contact me.

Paolo

 

[Supratad]

And there was me thinking "Ooh, I hope they release the Mastermind TCU for sale, now I have a 2.2 motor in my 2020 Levo"

Stirling work all the same Sir.

 

[ruppia]

So sad Paolo.

 

[apac]

Big players once again locking out the small guy.
thanks for your upfront info.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Wow. While the Gen 3 is great I've been missing Blevo Smart HR. Can't believe I'm going to have to downgrade the TCU to make it work again.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Just realized I might be able to swap the TCU from my Gen 3 with my Creo and Blevo to work on my Levo. It never worked right on the Creo anyway.

 

[PaoloBLEvo]

Just realized I might be able to swap the TCU from my Gen 3 with my Creo and Blevo to work on my Levo. It never worked right on the Creo anyway.

Sorry but what you mean with "It never worked right on the Creo anyway." ?

 

[eagerly]

I remember the times when Blevo was a must for anyone buying a Turbo Levo. We were subject of envy by the owners of other brands, because of the level of functionalities and customization. It's Specy, buddy. The perfect combination of beauty and freedom. Now I wake up, and realize that also Specialized is walking their path: what happened? I don't know. Have they become so greedy that like others, the big is always smashing the small? Maybe. But they became also ungrateful: of the people who bought their bike because of that app, of the ones who sticked to that for the same, of the amount of improvements that Blevo forced MC to make from the gimmick it was. It's so sad. I think I will never buy a 2022, and when the time will come, I will switch to another brand. I don't think that Specialized will give this a single thought, but anyway what it has to be said, I said.

 

[Waynemarlow]

There is the Bafang M600 and M500 so needing the Blevo App, if you want sales of your App just get it to talk to these engines, you will be surprised how big the Bafang numbers are.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Sorry but what you mean with "It never worked right on the Creo anyway." ?

Not to derail this thread, but I mentioned this several times in the Blevo thread. With the USA having a 28mph speed limit on the Creo, Blevo gives it an artificial limit of 16mph no matter how it is set. When the Creo first came out, everything worked fine up to 28mph. One Blevo update made some kind of change that automatically decreases your max speed to 16mph no matter what you type in to the program. I gave up after a few months and only used Blevo for my Levo. Now I just bought a Gen 3.

 

[zorro77]

No words, I'll buy another brand, I am very disappointed, specy no more

 

[Zimmerframe]

Not to derail this thread, but I mentioned this several times in the Blevo thread. With the USA having a 28mph speed limit on the Creo, Blevo gives it an artificial limit of 16mph no matter how it is set. When the Creo first came out, everything worked fine up to 28mph. One Blevo update made some kind of change that automatically decreases your max speed to 16mph no matter what you type in to the program. I gave up after a few months and only used Blevo for my Levo. Now I just bought a Gen 3.

It you run Mission Control and in the adjustments page select "preset" at the top it should set all the settings back to factory default, no matter what they are - outside of that, there's nothing Blevo can change.

 

[Jersey Skier]

It you run Mission Control and in the adjustments page select "preset" at the top it should set all the settings back to factory default, no matter what they are - outside of that, there's nothing Blevo can change.

Creo works fine to 28mph. It's only is limited if I attempt to use Blevo with it. I try all the time. Then 5 minutes into the ride I shut Blevo, turn on Mission Control and it works fine. I just don't like the way MC's Smart HR function works. It's way too slow to react so I end up using the different power levels a lot more to keep my HR down. I have pulmonary and some heart issues and need to keep my HR down.

 

[martinf]

It’s a great shame, I run Blevo on an old iphone, which cost £30, instead of Spesh’s in house speedo, which is more like £80. I’ve got a Topeak bar mount, and I use it as a heads up display, and it also has the brilliant interactive feature where I can add or remove power. As I mostly just ride the Downs around Brighton I don’t need full power, so have it set on one of the pre-sets where it’s 10%, 20%, and 50%, however, being able to add multiples of 5% when a big hill comes up is very useful, and I can clear it just by dropping back to lower mode and up again. And this is just a couple of uses for it, it is just so useful. Personally, as I’m still running a 2019 Carbon Comp, I can’t see me getting anywhere near a 2022 for many years, if ever.

 

[Maastricht]

Last week I was visiting my local LBS where had a Levo S-Work Gen3 on stock. I must admit it is a beautiful bike. So today I thought, let's check the Gen 3 reviews and noticed this thread. I am really surprised and confused.

One mayor reason for me to choose for Specialized was the BLEvo app. I often ride with local mtb groups where BLEvo allows me via the optional remote to easily adjust smart power during the ride and simulate a traditional mtb. With that in mind, I visited end of 2018 my LBS and the sales rep showed me the BLEvo app which made me pulled the trigger to choose for Specialized as this additional open 3rd party app development and the functionalities was not offered by any other brand.

Now Specialized seems to have reconsidered it's position due to legal compliancy? Really?! I still remember (with reference to the post below) that BLEvo would not automatically void warranty according to @Specialized Rider Care :
Turbo Levo 2018 Battery problem - EMTB Forums

I also know that with the release of MY19 Specialized closed the open wheel circumference setting which opened the door for speed "hacking" software tools to change the max. speed. From MY19 onwards, Specialized repaired this software backdoor which they accidently left open. From that moment only basic communication and change of settings was allowed via apps like Mission Control and BLevo.

Further I remember this privacy discussion about Mission Control:

Specialized Mission Control App v2.x Now Available

What I can’t accept is the fact that I’m sure that you do not fully comply with the “European Community Privacy Act”. You do not clearly specify, within the app directly, WHAT you are logging as well as WHO you share it with. Hi Khorn, what is this act? Is it GDPR that you are referring to?

www.emtbforums.com

I must admit too I:
- never ride with Mission Control
- use BLEvo maps and GPX import almost every ride
- ride always with Smart Power
- use the BLEvo statistics
- frequently use the optional remote control to adjust Smart Power settings during the ride without having to take of gloves and the need to touch the screen
- use an aftermarket range extender which offers me the freedom to ride extreme long rides where BLEvo provides the right data

@Specialized Rider Care , could you at least please let us know, in case you keep the door closed for BLEvo from Gen3 onwards, when you will release a new update of Mission Control which offers all the functionalities mentioned above? Now it feels like you are trying to kill BLEvo without providing a proper alternative.

@Specialized Rider Care , can you please also explain to us, from a privacy point of view, which personal data is being collected by Mission Control? Will you allow riders in near future to opt-out from this Specialized data collection and will you allow riders to use Mission Control without entering any personal credentials or an account login?

Again I was enthusiastic about the Levo Gen 3 last week, but depending on your answers on the above questions, I might not see any need to buy an upgraded gen 3 Levo as I personally see the gen 3 now as a downgrade for my usage.

 

[eagerly]

@Specialized Rider Care , could you at least please let us know, in case you keep the door closed for BLEvo from Gen3 onwards, when you will release a new update of Mission Control which offers all the functionalities mentioned above?

Could I agree more? If you block an application which is actually improving the riding experience of YOURS customers,at least do it - if you want to - when you are sure that your application offers the same ! Dear @Specialized Rider Care do you consider MC a valid alternative to BLEVO?

 

[MarkXexar]

For me Blevo is at least 50% of the value of a Turbo Levo. It is quite clear, either Specialized will help Paolo to bring the power of Blevo to Gen 3, or I simply don’t buy one.

@PaoloBLEvo how about one of the other TCUs from Shimano or Bosch? If Blevo would work for any of the I am sure you would bring many hundreds of new purchasers to a new bike brand. I love Specialized but the others are getting better all the time and Blevo is the real value for me.

 

[PaoloBLEvo]

For me Blevo is at least 50% of the value of a Turbo Levo. It is quite clear, either Specialized will help Paolo to bring the power of Blevo to Gen 3, or I simply don’t buy one.

@PaoloBLEvo how about one of the other TCUs from Shimano or Bosch? If Blevo would work for any of the I am sure you would bring many hundreds of new purchasers to a new bike brand. I love Specialized but the others are getting better all the time and Blevo is the real value for me.

I never analysed other brand because I thought to be married with Specialized, because I love the design of the bike and I love the Brose motor (more than all the other I tried).. I thought of keeping the compatibility only with Specialized because they could see in BLEvo a good partner to increase sales, so they would always keep the protocol open to allow BLEvo to work.. Good for Specialized and good for me.. but now they changed "the cards on the table" and so I can think to analyze other brand.. but not in short term...
I hope you can understand what I mean..

 

[MarkXexar]

I never analysed other brand because I thought to be married with Specialized, because I love the design of the bike and I love the Brose motor (more than all the other I tried).. I thought of keeping the compatibility only with Specialized because they could see in BLEvo a good partner to increase sales, so they would always keep the protocol open to allow BLEvo to work.. Good for Specialized and good for me.. but now they changed "the cards on the table" and so I can think to analyze other brand.. but not in short term...
I hope you can understand what I mean..

Take your time. If you stick with Specialized so will I, if you switch to another vendor so will I.

 

[Maastricht]

Take your time. If you stick with Specialized so will I, if you switch to another vendor so will I.

Count me in! For now I will not upgrade my bike. Still really surprised by this approach and actually still can't believe it.

I remember Rob's video "The MUST have for Levo & Kenevo owners... BLEvo":

The MUST have... ;-) and now Specialized tries to kill BLEvo quietly? What a laugh!

Specialized released huge gen 3 marketing campaigns where they propose "updates" as huge improvement which they should have provided with the gen 1 already. For example reliability of the motors and the battery connector door improvements which they call updates? And all of this against a ridiculous price. Really happy now that I waited with ordering a new MY22 Levo as I think other brands could now suddenly became much more attractive especially from a pricing and functionality point of view.

 

[Mcharza]

Specialized had a bad reputation in the past with its proprietary parts. Fortunately, they learned their homework and returned to the standard parts
Now then they come back to this.
Closed systems are never good. Shame on you @Specialized Rider Care or this is message to your company.

 

[ruppia]

@Specialized Rider Care Cmon Specy, change your mind, customer are not happy with this decision

 

[MarkXexar]

I remember Rob's video "The MUST have for Levo & Kenevo owners... BLEvo":

Brings back memories - Rob’s video was exactly how I discovered Blevo and then this thriving community made me realize Paolo had created some thing really special.

Also remember @Maastricht sharing all the Blevo settings, because I could not make sense of all the customization - that was a great help.

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

Thanks for the namecheck. The regulars on this forum know that we welcome honest feedback - even when that's challenging - and this is indeed a difficult topic. We can see that the change of connectivity protocol used with the Mastermind TCU has hit a nerve with BLEvo users. We hear you, we're sorry to hear your disappointment, we do listen and will continue to follow this issue. A few comments that will help to explain the situation and our position: -

For existing owners/bikes already in the field:

• There are no retrospective changes to communications protocol planned - meaning that bikes already in the field should continue to work as they always have done, even after any firmware updates that may come in the future. Whilst we don't test with 3rd party apps, we're confident that if an app is already working with your bike you'll be able to keep using it as long as the developers provide support.

For new bikes made from 2021 onwards featuring Mastermind TCU:

• New products often bring new features/new tech. Yes, we've changed our communications protocol and added encryption to support new features - there's more to come here that will increasingly make sense over time. We've been equally torn here - but we honestly believe you'll feel the same way as us once new features are released.
• We've only changed the way that devices/apps wanting to control bike performance settings authenticate and connect. We continue to support connectivity with ANT+/BLE devices and apps (such as Garmin/Wahoo etc.) that read/store/mirror bike data.

What's our position on working with 3rd party app developers in the future?

We love the creativity that comes from owners, riders, free thinkers and experts. We've always wanted connectivity with our bikes to be as open as possible, however this has to be balanced with 2 key factors: -

• System integrity. We have more electric bikes in the field globally than some manufacturers have electric cars. As bikes continue to play an increasingly important role in transport infrastructure, new industry standards are going to be set. Firmware updates need to be smoother and quicker, onboard diagnostics need to improve. Few car manufacturers allow 3rd parties to connect to their vehicles, those that do have clear terms and conditions.
• The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits.

It is possible that we'll enable 3rd party connectivity with new products again in the future - just under clearer terms with app developers. We're not suggesting an immediate answer and have already been transparent with @PaoloBLEvo that we don't have a working solution right now. However we know BLEvo is important to many on this forum and will follow this thread together with our in-house connectivity team.

Specialized Rider Care

 

[jsharpe]

Thanks for the namecheck. The regulars on this forum know that we welcome honest feedback - even when that's challenging - and this is indeed a difficult topic. We can see that the change of connectivity protocol used with the Mastermind TCU has hit a nerve with BLEvo users. We hear you, we're sorry to hear your disappointment, we do listen and will continue to follow this issue. A few comments that will help to explain the situation and our position: -

For existing owners/bikes already in the field:

• There are no retrospective changes to communications protocol planned - meaning that bikes already in the field should continue to work as they always have done, even after any firmware updates that may come in the future. Whilst we don't test with 3rd party apps, we're confident that if an app is already working with your bike you'll be able to keep using it as long as the developers provide support.

For new bikes made from 2021 onwards featuring Mastermind TCU:

• New products often bring new features/new tech. Yes, we've changed our communications protocol and added encryption to support new features - there's more to come here that will increasingly make sense over time. We've been equally torn here - but we honestly believe you'll feel the same way as us once new features are released.
• We've only changed the way that devices/apps wanting to control bike performance settings authenticate and connect. We continue to support connectivity with ANT+/BLE devices and apps (such as Garmin/Wahoo etc.) that read/store/mirror bike data.

What's our position on working with 3rd party app developers in the future?

We love the creativity that comes from owners, riders, free thinkers and experts. We've always wanted connectivity with our bikes to be as open as possible, however this has to be balanced with 2 key factors: -

• System integrity. We have more electric bikes in the field globally than some manufacturers have electric cars. As bikes continue to play an increasingly important role in transport infrastructure, new industry standards are going to be set. Firmware updates need to be smoother and quicker, onboard diagnostics need to improve. Few car manufacturers allow 3rd parties to connect to their vehicles, those that do have clear terms and conditions.
• The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits.

It is possible that we'll enable 3rd party connectivity with new products again in the future - just under clearer terms with app developers. We're not suggesting an immediate answer and have already been transparent with @PaoloBLEvo that we don't have a working solution right now. However we know BLEvo is important to many on this forum and will follow this thread together with our in-house connectivity team.

Specialized Rider Care

Thanks for the clarification and to point out that you are indeed listening. I do appreciate that. From my personal perspective I don't really care about a completely open system that would allow anyone to connect some random app. All I really care about is exactly one application.

Perhaps some concept of a "licensed partner" would allow you to add the enhanced communication security while still permit BLEvo to add the value it always has. Couldn't you work with @PaoloBLEvo to formalize a business relationship that would permit his application to work with the new protocols? That relationship would seem to be a win/win/win for Specialized, Paolo, and the Levo community. From a technical perspective perhaps some kind of app specific key that only worked with a signed BLEvo app could work on IOS, I'm guessing there is a similar mechanism for Android.

 

[Maastricht]

Thanks for the namecheck. The regulars on this forum know that we welcome honest feedback - even when that's challenging - and this is indeed a difficult topic. We can see that the change of connectivity protocol used with the Mastermind TCU has hit a nerve with BLEvo users. We hear you, we're sorry to hear your disappointment, we do listen and will continue to follow this issue. A few comments that will help to explain the situation and our position: -

For existing owners/bikes already in the field:

• There are no retrospective changes to communications protocol planned - meaning that bikes already in the field should continue to work as they always have done, even after any firmware updates that may come in the future. Whilst we don't test with 3rd party apps, we're confident that if an app is already working with your bike you'll be able to keep using it as long as the developers provide support.

For new bikes made from 2021 onwards featuring Mastermind TCU:

• New products often bring new features/new tech. Yes, we've changed our communications protocol and added encryption to support new features - there's more to come here that will increasingly make sense over time. We've been equally torn here - but we honestly believe you'll feel the same way as us once new features are released.
• We've only changed the way that devices/apps wanting to control bike performance settings authenticate and connect. We continue to support connectivity with ANT+/BLE devices and apps (such as Garmin/Wahoo etc.) that read/store/mirror bike data.

What's our position on working with 3rd party app developers in the future?

We love the creativity that comes from owners, riders, free thinkers and experts. We've always wanted connectivity with our bikes to be as open as possible, however this has to be balanced with 2 key factors: -

• System integrity. We have more electric bikes in the field globally than some manufacturers have electric cars. As bikes continue to play an increasingly important role in transport infrastructure, new industry standards are going to be set. Firmware updates need to be smoother and quicker, onboard diagnostics need to improve. Few car manufacturers allow 3rd parties to connect to their vehicles, those that do have clear terms and conditions.
• The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits.

It is possible that we'll enable 3rd party connectivity with new products again in the future - just under clearer terms with app developers. We're not suggesting an immediate answer and have already been transparent with @PaoloBLEvo that we don't have a working solution right now. However we know BLEvo is important to many on this forum and will follow this thread together with our in-house connectivity team.

Specialized Rider Care

Thanks for your quick reply @Specialized Rider Care! Highly appreciated!

Only a few things which are confusing me here is you are speaking about new features/new tech releases in future time. However why do you kill the added value offered by BLEvo today without offering at least the same functionalities within Mission Control? I am afraid your Specialized IT department is not as flexible compared to a small company from a development point of view.

I think riders in all honestly also can not expect from Specialized they will ever integrate Range Extender support within Mission Control of non-Specialized range extenders like Trail Watts or for example a (smart power) remote which is manufactured by O_Synce.

Also I find this statement very misleading:
"The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits."
as you know that this is already not possible anymore since 3 years because you blocked the wheel circumference parameter already from MY19 onwards. Therefore it isn't a valid argument anymore from my point of view.

Further can you please explain in detail which data you are collecting via Mission Control? And how a rider can opt-out from that? For example if there would happen a hack of your IT systems and you are collecting start and end of ride locations (like Rob said before) than that will make it very easy for thieves to steal our expensive bikes. I don't want to share this kind of data to you via Mission Control. I simply want to use an app which collects and sends zero data to servers but simply keeps my data private for my own usage only.

Also updates can be rolled out without sharing any personal information.

I hope you understand my thoughts and concerns as an end user and are willing to respond to this from your manufacturer point of view.

 

[Mcharza]

Thanks for the namecheck. The regulars on this forum know that we welcome honest feedback - even when that's challenging - and this is indeed a difficult topic. We can see that the change of connectivity protocol used with the Mastermind TCU has hit a nerve with BLEvo users. We hear you, we're sorry to hear your disappointment, we do listen and will continue to follow this issue. A few comments that will help to explain the situation and our position: -

For existing owners/bikes already in the field:

• There are no retrospective changes to communications protocol planned - meaning that bikes already in the field should continue to work as they always have done, even after any firmware updates that may come in the future. Whilst we don't test with 3rd party apps, we're confident that if an app is already working with your bike you'll be able to keep using it as long as the developers provide support.

For new bikes made from 2021 onwards featuring Mastermind TCU:

• New products often bring new features/new tech. Yes, we've changed our communications protocol and added encryption to support new features - there's more to come here that will increasingly make sense over time. We've been equally torn here - but we honestly believe you'll feel the same way as us once new features are released.
• We've only changed the way that devices/apps wanting to control bike performance settings authenticate and connect. We continue to support connectivity with ANT+/BLE devices and apps (such as Garmin/Wahoo etc.) that read/store/mirror bike data.

What's our position on working with 3rd party app developers in the future?

We love the creativity that comes from owners, riders, free thinkers and experts. We've always wanted connectivity with our bikes to be as open as possible, however this has to be balanced with 2 key factors: -

• System integrity. We have more electric bikes in the field globally than some manufacturers have electric cars. As bikes continue to play an increasingly important role in transport infrastructure, new industry standards are going to be set. Firmware updates need to be smoother and quicker, onboard diagnostics need to improve. Few car manufacturers allow 3rd parties to connect to their vehicles, those that do have clear terms and conditions.
• The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits.

It is possible that we'll enable 3rd party connectivity with new products again in the future - just under clearer terms with app developers. We're not suggesting an immediate answer and have already been transparent with @PaoloBLEvo that we don't have a working solution right now. However we know BLEvo is important to many on this forum and will follow this thread together with our in-house connectivity team.

Specialized Rider Care

Thanks for fast answer ?
I have been riding and racing Specialized since 1985 and the memories of the restrictions came to my mind first.
Well opened changes, thank you for that.

 

[eagerly]

Thanks for the clarification and to point out that you are indeed listening. I do appreciate that. From my personal perspective I don't really care about a completely open system that would allow anyone to connect some random app. All I really care about is exactly one application.

Perhaps some concept of a "licensed partner" would allow you to add the enhanced communication security while still permit BLEvo to add the value it always has. Couldn't you work with @PaoloBLEvo to formalize a business relationship that would permit his application to work with the new protocols? That relationship would seem to be a win/win/win for Specialized, Paolo, and the Levo community. From a technical perspective perhaps some kind of app specific key that only worked with a signed BLEvo app could work on IOS, I'm guessing there is a similar mechanism for Android.

I think you did NOT read carefully the answer from Specialized:

"The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits."

 

[eagerly]

Also I find this statement very misleading:
"The regulatory requirements that we have from government and trade bodies. All eBike manufacturers are on a level playing field here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Specialized can't partner with developers that actively enable users to bypass regional speed limits."
as you know that this is already not possible anymore since 3 years because you blocked the wheel circumference parameter already from MY19 onwards. Therefore it isn't a valid argument anymore from my point of view.

They are not talking of Blevo, obviously...

 

[Maastricht]

They are not talking of Blevo, obviously...

Hi Eagerly,

I think they do use BLEvo as a theoretical example here to justify their decision and point of view. Why do I write theoretical as Specialized already have closed the back door in their firmware which made it impossible for any 3rd party app to change the wheel circumference parameter from MY19 onwards which is now only provided as "read only".

Before MY19 the wheel circumference parameter was read and write plus to make it even worse the bluetooth signal wasn't protected by a pin code. So everyone could connect to a bike and change the speed setting of that bike even without the rider knowing about it. In case of an accident Specialized could (or even has been) confronted with legal steps as there was simply nothing they provided to prevent this from happening.

By the way, I fully understand their decision to close this backdoor in their software and hardware design from MY19 onwards by introducing a bluetooth pin code and allowing a "read only" wheel circumference setting.

However why would they now take this additional step to close the complete bluetooth protocol for any 3rd party apps? For me it's still a mystery...

The only reason I can think of is that Specialized now realised BLEvo became to big and powerful (by also supporting non-Specialized products) and they like to replace that by Mission Control where they can collect more data and boost their aftermarket sales of official Specialized products. But this is just an assumption...