Andrew Heinzman
Peloton recently pushed a software update that prevents its treadmills from running without a 4-digit PIN. It’s an important and overdue safety feature, but unfortunately, it prevented Peloton owners from using their treadmills without a $40 per month subscription. Thankfully, a new software update has remedied the problem.
The Tread Lock update came just one month after Peloton issued a safety recall for its treadmills, which injured over 70 people and killed a child. Peloton chose to rush this update, knowing ahead of time that it would lock out non-subscribers who only bought a Tread+ to use the basic “Just Run” mode.
And Peloton was right in rushing this update at the expense of some users. Yes, people shouldn’t get locked out of their $4,000 exercise equipment, but the Tread Lock feature greatly reduces the risk of kids or pets getting hurt by the Tread+ treadmill. This update may have prevented several injuries or saved someone’s life. (It’s also good to see Peloton take some responsibility after fighting a recall for months and insisting that parents were the blame for their kids’ injuries.)
Anyway, Peloton offered a 3-month All-Access membership to all Tread+ owners after issuing its controversial update. This membership allows those who are locked out of their treadmill to use the “Just Run” mode and access a bunch of guided courses. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
The latest Tread+ update finally brings Tread Lock to non-subscribers, hopefully ending this whole fiasco. But even if everything’s squared away for Tread+ owners, it’s interesting to think that one update could lock people out of their $4,000 treadmill. Maybe we shouldn’t tie expensive items like treadmills and refrigerators to smart features and flaky services? Just a thought.
Source: Peloton via Engadget
