Stuck between apps ... resolved

[bobf]

About a month ago I decided to finally switch my Creo over to the Specialized app from Mission Control. The new app would not connect to my bike. At the "Add Turbo Ebike" screen I saw my bike and selected it, but the following process timed out. I tried all sorts of combinations of deleting and reloading the app and telling my phone's bluetooth to unpair from the bike, all with similar results. Went to a shop, and they advised I also delete MC from my phone. I did that and there was still no difference. Here are 3 things that seem to stand out:

1. If I tell my phone to unpair from the bike, then as soon as I start the Specialized app I get a request to pair, with pin number showing on my phone and on the bike (mastermind display). This is even before I can get to the "add bike" sequence. I can accept the pairing request, but the app does not show that I have added a bike.

2. Once in a while in all my attempts I get a message that the bike is already registered on MC and I have to delete it from MC before I can use the Specialized app. But since I have deleted MC I can't do this, and MC is no longer available for reload from Google Play.

3. Strangest of all is this sequence:
i. delete Specialized app from my phone and reload it
ii. do a factory reset on the bike. Display reverts from my set to original default.
iii. Start up the app and attempt to connect. Everything goes as described in 1 above, and my display CHANGES BACK TO MY CUSTOM SETTINGS. Where are these being stored, and why do they reappear?? The only other thing I can think of to do is a factory reset of my phone (Galaxy S22 with Android 14), but that seems pretty drastic.

Any ideas? At least I can still use the bike, and my Wahoo records my rides as usual.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Find your Creo in the Bluetooth devices on your phone. Try pairing the ebike to the phone. It will tell you the device can only be paired in the app. Then start the Specialized App.

 

[Amoto65]

The new Specialized app is awful compared to the Mission control app, are you trying it with a mk1.creo? , I am and wondering if that is the problem. I have uninstalled and reinstalled a number of times and nothing I do improves it and it hasn't recorded a ride correctly yet.

 

[bobf]

Stefan, following your steps gets me to "Your bike is connected to the Mission Control app. Please disconnect it from Mission Control, then try again." Since I don't have Mission Control anymore, that's a dead end, unfortunately.

Amoto65, this is a Creo 1 from 2022, so it has the mastermind display. I was in no hurry to move from Mission Control, but when it disappeared from Google Play I thought I should switch. Maybe things would be OK if I had disconnected from MC before trying to migrate, but now it's too late, apparently.

 

[Amoto65]

Mine is a 2020 Creo with the first edition TCU, good point about disconnecting from MC first I too failed to do that, I deleted the old app and managed to sign in the new one but it disconnects during rides and fails to record the ride properly.

 

[bobf]

I really only need the app to set options (assist levels and display screens) and to do firmware updates. At least the point where I am stuck leaves me with the options where I had set them.

I like my Wahoo for recording rides.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan, following your steps gets me to "Your bike is connected to the Mission Control app. Please disconnect it from Mission Control, then try again." Since I don't have Mission Control anymore, that's a dead end, unfortunately.

Your WSBC e-bike is certainly listed among the paired Bluetooth devices on your phone. Could you "Forget" it from the list and try pairing again when it goes to the list of unpaired BT devices around you?

 

[bobf]

See #1 in my first post. I can tell my phone to unpair. Then when I start the Specialized app I don't always get the same behavior, but usually it pairs again, however the Specialized app does not show it as connected. Seems like the bike assumes it is pairing to MC. It is still a mystery to me how, after deleting and reloading the app, plus doing a factory reset on the bike, my custom settings can return. What is remembering them, bike or phone?

I appreciate your posts, but I think that suggestions are unlikely to help me unless someone has been through the same scenario. I started the thread on the hope I wasn't the only one to have this happen!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

See #1 in my first post. I can tell my phone to unpair. Then when I start the Specialized app I don't always get the same behavior, but usually it pairs again, however the Specialized app does not show it as connected. Seems like the bike assumes it is pairing to MC. It is still a mystery to me how, after deleting and reloading the app, plus doing a factory reset on the bike, my custom settings can return. What is remembering them, bike or phone?

I appreciate your posts, but I think that suggestions are unlikely to help me unless someone has been through the same scenario. I started the thread on the hope I wasn't the only one to have this happen!

I don't know why this happens, Bob.
Say I had both Specialized App (SA) and MC installed (all on an Android phone). SA tries to overtake my Vado 6.0 and especially Vado SL (making the BT channel exclusive to itself). Next, I uninstall SA. I still can start MC and it can connect to either of my e-bikes. I quit MC (and make sure it does not stay in the phone cache). I install SA, and have either of my Spec e-bikes connected.

Moreover: As long as I do not have SA on my phone, BLEvo will connect to my Spec e-bikes as long as MC is off.

Either because it is Android or I am lucky.

 

[bobf]

Thanks Stefan. I'll take lucky over skilled any day!

 

[bobf]

I have connected my bike to the Specialized app. Rider care did some back and forth with me, and I appreciate their persistence. The gist of the final message was "The app team saw the issue on the back end and was able to fix it." That doesn't tell me much, but at least everything works now.

This did not involve an update to the app or to my bike, just an unknown change at Specialized home base, which implies to me that when the app connects to a bike, it gets home base involved. So I guess when you use the app Specialized is watching over you. I hope that's a good thing, but I'm not certain!

 

[pmacdona]

Does the new app require a network connection (https protocol) or does it just use your phone service? Or can it work without either one and woks by communicating directly to the bike's display?

 

[bobf]

The connection between my bike and my phone is Bluetooth. Adding my bike to the app apparently (see above) required connection to the outside world. I saw no indication of whether it was by WiFi or cell network; both were available at the time. I assume if I were to now use the app in the field, riding outside of WiFi and cell range, it would work just fine, but I don't know for sure. I've only used it at home to configure the bike, and I use other apps to record my rides.

Anyone else?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I assume if I were to now use the app in the field, riding outside of WiFi and cell range, it would work just fine

Of course it works outdoor. Otherwise, the feature such as SmartControl wouldn't work.

Necessary to mention I only use the App to change the "Range Extender" parameter for my Vado SL or change the Tune parameters for both Vado and Vado SL. Otherwise, I rely on the Wahoo ELEMNT Roam connected to either e-bike to extract all the information I need to know, navigate, and record my rides. Yes, a good GPS (e-)bike computer does not come free.