In 2019, Nike came closer than ever to its dreams of popularizing self-lacing sneakers with the launch of the Adapt BB. Using Bluetooth, the shoes paired with the Adapt app that allowed users to do things like tighten or loosen the shoe’s laces and control its LED lights. However, Nike has Announced that the app will be “retired” on August 6, when it will no longer be available for download from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, nor will it be updated.
In an advertisement recently discovered by The edgeNike’s brief explanation for discontinuing the app is that Nike is “no longer creating new versions of Adapt shoes.” The company began informing owners about the app’s retirement about four months ago.
Those who have already purchased the shoes will still be able to use the app after August 6, but iOS or Android updates are expected to eventually render the app unusable. Additionally, those who purchase a new device will no longer be able to download Adapt after August 6.
Without the app, users can’t change the color of the shoes’ LED lights. The lights will either keep the last color scheme selected through the app or, according to Nike, “if you didn’t install the app, the light will be the default color.” While owners will still be able to use the buttons on the shoes to turn them on or off, check the battery, adjust lace tension and save fit settings, the ability to change the lighting and control the shoes via mobile phone were big draws of the $350 sneakers.
Even though the Adapt BB is the third and most widely available version of Nike’s self-lacing shoe yet, the shoe seems doomed to lose some of its most touted features. Nike still maintains other mobile apps that are directly tied to the shoe’s functionality, such as its shopping app and Run Club app for tracking runs.
Sneaker fans disappointed
Adapt BB owners have shared their disappointment after hearing the news. One Reddit user claimed to have several pairs of the shoes called The news is “hyper-shit”, while another He described it as “immensely disappointing.”
Some hope Nike will open-source the app so that customers can keep the original, full functionality of their shoes, but Nike has not shared any plans for that. Ars Technica reached out to the company about this but did not receive a response by press time.
A person who calls himself Maverick-1776 on Reddit wrote:
Taizan from Reddit saying Companies like Nike should “offer alternatives or make things available to the public when they do these things,” adding: “Sustainability also involves maintaining past products, digital or not.”
“I’m leaving. Fuck them.”
Some may not be surprised that Nike’s attempt to market the sneakers Back to the future part II has hit a wall. Nike, for example, also discontinued NikeConnect, its $200 NBA jersey app announced in 2017 that Turned users into trading gold.
Casual sneaker wearers would overlook the Adapt BB’s flashy features, but the shoe had inherent flaws that could frustrate sneakerheads, too. For example, it wasn’t long before a software update was recommended. break the shoeswhich included making them unusable by those who tried to tighten the laces (at the time, Nike said the issue affected a small number of owners). Nike’s technological inexperience played a role, as the company’s testing reportedly didn’t fully account for all the different models of phones in use and their various Bluetooth capabilities.