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2022-07-02 01:29:37 By : Mr. Rice Guo

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When your treadmill boasts a large touchscreen, you’d think watching videos on it would be a no-brainer.

Apparently, it’s not supposed to be possible on NordicTrack’s treadmills, whose proprietary software, iFit, forbids third-party apps or external sources such as video streaming. But that hasn’t stopped some users from hacking the software to customize their exercising experience.

In an interview with Wired, user JD Howard shelled out $4,000 for a treadmill because of its 32-inch screen. Wanting to watch videos while exercising, he bought the specific NordicTrack X32i model because of the ease behind hacking it.

By tapping the screen in a certain sequence, Howard said he was able to unlock the machine’s operating system, which gave him the ability to control it and install apps and access anything online.

“It wasn’t complicated,” he said.

According to Wired, it’s not a secret that customers can access the privilege mode, NordicTrack has been constantly updating its software to prevent it, which has angered many of its users, who complained online.

A NordicTrack spokesperson stated the hacking block was automatically installed to enhance security and safety, noting changes made by consumers could affect machine functionality.

The hack block has further spurred the right-to-repair debate in which customers want companies to let them change the products they purchase. Largely, customers balk at being forced to bring their products back to the company for repairs.

There has been a shift in attitude from companies on right-to-repair, such as iPhone makers Apple, who recently announced it would release repair manuals and spare parts for repairs of their products.

This comes after regulatory pressure from the U.S. government, Wired reported.

Advocates think the right-to-repair should allow people the ability to tinker with products — hardware and software alike — because they paid their money to own the product. However, product purchases aren’t exempt from the copyright and intellectual property laws, which means the product creators retain ownership over the software coding, which means tinkering with a device can breach terms of service.

As for NordicTrack, the company told Wired it supports right-to-repair rules but restricts its software to tinkering due to the treadmill’s moving parts, which is a safety issue. This won’t stop treadmill owners from constantly finding ways to work around software security.

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