Specialized Turbo - No Security Features Working and now No App Connection.....fixed.

[mfgrep]

So my latest Vado...a full power 4.0 was working perfectly. It connected to the Specialized App and all features worked perfectly.
Yesterday I parked at a grocery store and when I went to "Security" in the App all features were shaded with a message reading "System Lock: Please visit your retailer to perform an update and gain access to the lock feature".
Now please remember that Security features had been operational for 10 days already.

So I took the bike to the retailer. They updated the bike (3 times). They scratched their heads. They scoured the internet. They politely asked that I come back later.

Today I called Specialized....multiple times. We tried everything including removing both of my Turbo bikes from my phone's bluetooth. Removing both bikes from the Specialized App. Re-adding both bikes to the App. Deleting the app and re-downloading the app...then re-adding the bikes to the app.

My older Vado SL linked up fairly quickly and works. It worked before frankly.
My new Vado 4.0 would show the computer provided pin number at both TCU and at my phone....but when I hit "pair".....it would say "incorrect pin". Mind you that I didn't add a pin....IT PROVIDED the pin(s) and asked if they matched.
Finally Spesh upgraded to a Turbo tech who was to call me back for more troubleshooting.

5 minutes later the same CS rep called me and asked me to go back to the garage. He said when the matching pins appear at both TCU and phone....press the + button on the handlebar remote. I did so.....then I hit "pair" on the phone....and WAMMO everything works!

It is COMPLETE bullshit that Spesh doesn't have these apps working to easily pair with the bikes and I can only imagine how many hours many have wasted. Old folks trying to do this?....fuhgettaboutit.
Spesh rep admitted that some app features are less than ready for prime-time. I feel sorry for the retailers having to deal with these turbo app computer related issues. It must be a real p in the a for them.

Hope this helps some poor soul out there in my same situation.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It is COMPLETE bullshit that Spesh doesn't have these apps working to easily pair with the bikes and I can only imagine how many hours many have wasted. Old folks trying to do this?....fuhgettaboutit.
Spesh rep admitted that some app features are less than ready for prime-time. I feel sorry for the retailers having to deal with these turbo app computer related issues. It must be a real p in the a for them.

Hope this helps some poor soul out there in my same situation.

The instruction to hit the "+" button on the remote was shown on the e-bike display Trust me. I paired a Mastermind on a demo e-bike a long time ago.

 

[mfgrep]

The instruction to hit the "+" button on the remote was shown on the e-bike display Trust me. I paired a Mastermind on a demo e-bike a long time ago.

Not anymore it doesn't. Trust me and the three techs at specialized retail yesterday

 

[bobf]

I like Specialized bikes but I've been very underwhelmed by their firmware and documentation. Thankfully, they do the basic motor integration well. But IME features come out slowly and fitfully while documentation is all over the place. I get the feeling their bike designers are their A team, but their software and docs people not so much.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Not anymore it doesn't. Trust me and the three techs at specialized retail yesterday

Will it help if I tell you the message is in a very small type and could easily be overlooked?
I had five minutes of my own doubt when pairing a Tero 3.0 but eventually gave the display a very careful look... Then pressed the '+'

 

[mfgrep]

Will it help if I tell you the message is in a very small type and could easily be overlooked?
I had five minutes of my own doubt when pairing a Tero 3.0 but eventually gave the display a very careful look... Then pressed the '+'

It's possible. My eyes aren't so great anymore...particularly up close. I suppose the pros could have overlooked it as well.
I'll tell you this....I will not disconnect my bike or remove bikes from the app just to find out if you are correct!
Things are working perfectly right now and I intend to keep it that way.

I still do not really have a good explanation as to why my Security features became suddenly unavailable to me.
I was asked to upload my purchase receipts and was told that I had to do so via the website (not the phone app).

Anywhoodles....things work now thankfully.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'll tell you this....I will not disconnect my bike or remove bikes from the app just to find out if you are correct!

And think I just tried to tease you into doing so

 

[mschwett]

one assumes there must have been something horribly wrong behind the scenes with mission control to justify all the effort (user and specialized!) and lost features in the new app….

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A surprise: Out of sudden, the Specialized App stopped recognizing my Vado 6.0 (it can recognize Vado SL). No worries: I still have the BLEvo, and Mission Control at least connects to the e-bike.

Last night, I could notice the clock was not updated to the Summer time on my Vado 6.0. As I connected the (inoperational, presumably) Mission Control to the e-bike, the clock got updated!

I do not intend to fight with the Specialized app unless I would have to.

 

[mfgrep]

one assumes there must have been something horribly wrong behind the scenes with mission control to justify all the effort (user and specialized!) and lost features in the new app….

Yes I assume so. With the Vado SL I rarely opened "Mission Control" unless I wished to see my total charge cycles or make a change to my tuning. I likely didn't use Mission Control even monthly.
Now with the Vado 4.0 I will use the "Specialized" app more frequently if only for the 'Security' options.
I never used the "Ride" feature of the app in favor of BLevo or other GPS apps....believing that the Ride mapping is meh at best.

I certainly have had some glitches using the app this week. I also find that the app is intermittently quite slow to connect to my Mastermind equipped Vado 4.0...and quicker to my non-Mastermind SL.

The 'vibe' at my bike shop has also changed a bit this spring. I do see some customers picking up new bikes....mostly Aventon....but sales and traffic seem slow. The morale of both the sales and service crew also seem in decline.
The very nice service guy said to me the other day "I think I might go back to being a motorcycle mechanic". He was becoming quite frustrated at dealing with ebike (and Spesh) customer issues related to bluetooth, computer, TCU etc. and said "this isn't what I signed up for". He indicated that many ebike customers lacked basic understanding of the tech side of these bikes requiring constant mundane service attention....and that there were also plenty of legit glitches too. Unfortunately it also felt, to me, that both the service and sales guys knew less about the e-bikes portion than I do. Hell.....I'd bet about 1/3 of the Spesh ebikes stocked right now are mis-tagged. They have a "Vado 4.0" marked bike sitting in the rack with a carbon belt and Enviolo....I've told them it is a 3.0....but it remains mis-marked week after week after week.

The truth is that many of us forumites DO know more about these bikes than the retailers. Retail sales, service, management, and ownership have their hands very full right now....not to mention manufacturers The industry is being pressured from all sides. While I do wish them all successes....I also believe that the crazy recent price increases were market/pandemic influenced and without a whole lot of basis in the reality of manufacturing cost(s).

 

[mfgrep]

A surprise: Out of sudden, the Specialized App stopped recognizing my Vado 6.0 (it can recognize Vado SL). No worries: I still have the BLEvo, and Mission Control at least connects to the e-bike.

Last night, I could notice the clock was not updated to the Summer time on my Vado 6.0. As I connected the (inoperational, presumably) Mission Control to the e-bike, the clock got updated!

I do not intend to fight with the Specialized app unless I would have to.

Mission Control is still available to you in Poland? It is completely finished here in the US and the app has been transitioned completely to the "Specialized" app.
Do you have the option to use the "Specialized" app? I have now deleted Mission Control as it states "Mission Control has been sunsetted" and provides a link to download the "Specialized" app. They eliminated the possibility of US users even opening Mission Control at this point.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A misunderstanding! MC has been "sunsetted" here as well. I said MC still connects to my Roadrunner (Vado 6.0), and it could update the display time. It does not really work though.
Of course, the Specialized App is the only official version. My point was SA stopped connecting to Roadrunner. I would probably need to remove it from SA, "forget" the e-bike as a Bluetooth device and start all over. No reason to do that unless I need to use Smart Control.

SA works properly with my Fearless (Vado SL). BLEvo works OK with both e-bikes.

 

[mfgrep]

one assumes there must have been something horribly wrong behind the scenes with mission control to justify all the effort (user and specialized!) and lost features in the new app….

Every time I see your moniker I think to myself:

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Mission Control still working fine here in UK. Left behind by rest of World again I see It keeps asking me if I want to change/upgrade etc, I keep saying no. Living on borrowed time I guess.

 

[jamesfox]

Here's my recent experience with the new 'MISSION CONTROL' app. I have four Levo turbos in the family. I recently went to change a tune on one Levo and was informed that the Red Mission control app was no longer supported and basically railroaded into using the new Black Mission control app. When I registered the bike on the new app I found that the 'Tune' settings would not hold in my chosen settings. I would set my old tune settings and come out of tune mode and go through the other functions of the app only to find that when I went back to check my 'Tune' mode all my settings had changed to default factory settings or some other default. This effectively set my bike up with maximum power in all modes which was totally unacceptable. I had little physical input into pedalling the bike as the power was too high so I was basically a passenger on my own bike. The battery drained at about three times faster than it normally would and there was no physical satisfaction from the ride. I called my Specialized dealer who said they had not heard of this issue so I brought the bike in for a check. They confirmed this issue and even put my 2 batteries through the official Specialized factory battery checking software and confirmed both batteries had 100% charge capacity. One of the batteries connected successfully through the bluetooth link but my spare battery refused to link although I never had any previous problem linking through the old app . They tried to apply the tune settings using their software only to confirm that they couldn't make the tune settings stick. So basically the new app has caused the useful loss of two batteries although they were functioning properly prior to linking up through the new app.
The shop wanted to confirm this as an incompatible app issue in connecting and issuing instructions to the battery, so they hooked up a brand new battery and this connected successfully with the app via bluetooth and once the 'tune' settings were issued they were held successfully in the BMS. (the new battery must have a modified BMS for it to have functioned successfully) I was left with no choice to buy a brand new battery or write off the bike as unusable for my requirements.

So, in conclusion. The new Specialized app is not compatible with Gen 1 Levo's. If you have this bike you will either have to stick with your current tune forever . Never connect your Levo to the new app as you will loose your settings, never to get them back again or you will have to buy a new battery.
I have since found info on the official specialized.com website stating that the new app is not compatible with Levo gen 1s - here is the info direct from their official website: Which bikes are not supported? The app does not support Levo Gen 1 without a serial number and Turbo S/X. Due to the type of Bluetooth® connectivity on Turbo Vado/Como BLOKS displays, the Specialized app cannot connect to these bikes.

Anyone reading this who owns a gen 1 Levo or similar must not use the new specialized app as it will effectively disable your battery and lock out any other apps like BLEVo as it disables the bluetooth connection for any app other than Specialized
Only current solution is NEVER use the new app with Gen 1 Levos or else you will be spending £700 - £800 on a new battery.

Please tell your friends who have these bikes about this situation and put it out there through the forums . I love the Specialized brand and hopefully this is something they will rectify. But if this stands it is a morally bad move by Specialized.
Note: Once used there is no reverting to the old app.

 

[mfgrep]

Anyone else with a Gen 1 Turbo Levo having this issue? If jamesfox's experiences hold true....this is unacceptable. Perhaps there is something being overlooked jamesfox?

You should remove the old Mission Control App from your phone completely. You must ensure that your Blevo app is NOT opened (or you may revert to previous settings from the opposing application).
I would also be trying to remove the bike from the application. Then go into bluetooth settings and remove the bike from your list of previously connected bluetooth devices. Re-install the bike to your app and bluetooth.

It's not that I don't believe you. I just find this shocking. There must be a way.

So you lose your tuning settings for eco, sport, and turbo? Now you can use the handlebar remote to go into those modes....and they are all set to factory settings?

If all else fails....I would disconnect the battery from the bike (like a hard reset). Remove all specialized apps from your phone. Use BLevo ONLY and reconnect the battery to the bike. Would this allow BLevo to once again connect....and thus allow you to change the tunings?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Anyone else with a Gen 1 Turbo Levo having this issue? If jamesfox's experiences hold true....this is unacceptable.

It must be true and this is unacceptable.

James' Levos certainly come from 2015 or 2016, and must belong to the first series of Levos ever made. The fact that Mission Control has worked with those early Levos but Specialized App killed the batteries should be taken seriously by the Specialized UK headquarters!

 

[jamesfox]

Anyone else with a Gen 1 Turbo Levo having this issue? If jamesfox's experiences hold true....this is unacceptable. Perhaps there is something being overlooked jamesfox?

You should remove the old Mission Control App from your phone completely. You must ensure that your Blevo app is NOT opened (or you may revert to previous settings from the opposing application).
I would also be trying to remove the bike from the application. Then go into bluetooth settings and remove the bike from your list of previously connected bluetooth devices. Re-install the bike to your app and bluetooth.

It's not that I don't believe you. I just find this shocking. There must be a way.

So you lose your tuning settings for eco, sport, and turbo? Now you can use the handlebar remote to go into those modes....and they are all set to factory settings?

If all else fails....I would disconnect the battery from the bike (like a hard reset). Remove all specialized apps from your phone. Use BLevo ONLY and reconnect the battery to the bike. Would this allow BLevo to once again connect....and thus allow you to change the tunings?

All those instructions were followed. As explained I took it to one of the biggest main Specialized dealers in the Uk. They checked the batteries on the official Specialized battery testing software suite. One battery cleared test as fully functioning the other one had some unspecified deficiency of function but has been functioning fine with all functions working while used while riding the bike and re charging properly.
The technicians in the shop used their phones to check the app but with same results as my phone. Remember these guys are official Specialized technicians working almost exclusively on Specialized EMTB daily. They really do know what they are doing.
Regards using BLEVo app. Once the new specialized app has linked to the bike/battery in question you are then locked out from any other app other than Specialized connecting to your bluetooth evermore.
I tried this by using my previous older used phone with the original Mission control app and BLEVo thinking I might be able to fool the bike into accepting a 'tune' from it but was completely locked out.

Tuning settings for Eco Sport and Turbo are lost and cannot be saved when set!

 

[jamesfox]

It must be true and this is unacceptable.

James' Levos certainly come from 2015 or 2016, and must belong to the first series of Levos ever made. The fact that Mission Control has worked with those early Levos but Specialized App killed the batteries should be taken seriously by the Specialized UK headquarters!

Lucky for me I realized the issue having tried to re set one bike only after loading the new app. For the record the bikes I have the issue with is a 2018 levo with a 460wa battery. My spare battery was a 400wa version of unknown age to me.
I was very lucky I didn't try to verify the problem by going from bike to bike to test the app. I immediately had my suspicions that a new app was more advantage to the Specialized corporation than it was to me as is the way of most software updates these days. I was perfectly happy with the old Mission Control app . Had I tested the app on other bikes I would have locked myself out of all bikes and their current batteries would have been useless.
For now I can use these bikes but I cannot go near them or ever alter the 'tune' settings. I'm stuck with what I've got 'tune' wise.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Regards using BLEVo app. Once the new specialized app has linked to the bike/battery in question you are then locked out from any other app other than Specialized connecting to your bluetooth evermore.

Please uninstall the Specialized App. It might re-enable BLEvo. Of course restart your phone after the uninstall.
Out of curiosity: What MY are your Levos?