Nike is finally giving a nod to Google’s mobile OS, as a Nike FuelBand Android app is released for a select number of iOS rivalling handsets.
With the Nike FuelBand and Nike FuelBand SE having both supported Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices since launch, the wrist-based fitness bands have to date left Android handset owners frustrated with a lack of native support.
Now, however, that is all changing. The official Nike FuelBand app is now available to download from the Google Play store in the UK, US, Canada, Germany and Japan, although just six handsets are supported.
Android loving FuelBand owners will require a Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4 or Galaxy S3 in order to make use of the new Android app. The HTC One, Google Nexus 5 and Motorola Moto X are also supported by the app.
With Nike claiming that more than 30 million global users now make use of its Nike Fuel fitness metric, the Android FuelBand app will allow users to create, edit and track personal goals, as well as review individual performances and compare results with those of friends, all via their smartphones.
Requiring your handset to run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher, Nike’s Android FuelBand app was held back by a lack of Bluetooth LE supported handsets.
Last October Nike’s VP of Digital Sport, Stefan Olander, revealed that the American sporting giant was working on an Android FuelBand app, stating that the company “just want[ed] to make sure the platform is ready before we start implementing on it.”
At the time he added: “With Bluetooth LE, the protocol itself isn’t as mature across the Android platform. You have hundreds of devices all using different versions of the operating system.”
Despite having previously promised an Android FuelBand app, hope look lost back in April when it emerged that Nike had disbanded its FuelBand hardware team in order to focus on new projects.
Although far from confirmed, it is widely believed that Nike is helping Apple on the much mooted launch of its heavy rumoured Apple iWatch wearable.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.