Nike FuelBand Android Support Explained By Lack Of Bluetooth LE

But wait a second, you might be saying – am I not holding a device in my hand right now with Bluetooth 4.0 and the capability of working with Bluetooth LE technology? Likely you are. Nike's comments this week suggest that they're not entirely confident that enough Android devices out in the wild work with Bluetooth LE at this time, and that the iPhone's newest editions are ready to roll in a way much more attuned to their preferred ecosystem.

What you're going to see with Nike is a power move in suggesting that not enough Android devices work with the ability to pair with the newest Nike FuelBand. While it's true that a whole heck of a lot of Android devices are out there without Bluetooth LE, there's a whole generation of them approaching soon. And there's quite a few out there now with the ability built-in.

With 200 Android devices available on the market, Bluetooth LE hasn't really matured for Android yet and so we felt that we couldn't get the most out of an app on Android at this time.

...with iPhone we have one set of hardware, and can delve deeper into the operating system to get the most out of what we can do. We've worked with Apple for seven years and like that they set the bar high for themselves as well as others. It is about the experience." – Stefan Olander, VP of Digital Sports, NIKE

Speaking with Pocket Lint, Olander suggests – in so many words – that it's not enough that the HTC One, LG G2, and Samsung Galaxy S4 would potentially be able to work with the Nike FuelBand. Nor is it enough that the Samsung Galaxy S III, Nexus 4, or Galaxy Note II and III work with Bluetooth 4.0 and LE.

What do you think about this development – or lack of development therein? Is the fact that the Nike FuelBand wont be coming to Android any time soon enough to motivate you to purchase from a brand that's working with Android right this minute? Let us know!