NordicUnchained - Get back Privileged Mode on NordicTrack treadmill. (2024)

First off, mods, forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong spot. I generally have a device that goes into a specific forum, but I didn't find a treadmill forum lol, so general android was my best guess.

This mod is a no-root solution to prevent privileged mode from being disabled by iFit. It makes no changes to /system, so it is 100% reversible by doing a factory reset. This mod starts by disabling the factory iFit apps in the system, then installing the latest official iFit standalone app as a user app. Going this route still allows the new iFit app to interface correctly with the treadmill, but prevents it from overwriting privileged mode. All these instructions are written for Windows, but I believe it will work on other OS’s command line, so long as adb is already installed in that OS. If you are on Windows, you do not need to install adb, as it will run right out of this folder.

There are other apps included in this mod as well. Nova is a replacement launcher, essentially your new desktop. The included Netflix and Hulu apps are the correct versions for this build. Chromium browser is the open source build of Google Chrome, and it works great. The file manager is hard to access on the treadmill, so I added file explorer. If you download apps from the internet, you can install them by finding them with file explorer. Termux is a terminal emulator, for us nerds. Rotation_control will be used to properly orient the screen easily. All of the apps that are installed in this procedure are user apps, so they can be easily uninstalled if you don't want them.

The only model I have personally confirmed this works on is the Nordic X32i, but I'd imagine it could work on any Nordic iFit equipment that uses an Android 7.1 tablet and can enable USB debugging. If you try this on another piece of equipment, post if it works or not, and I'll update the OP.

*Important note 1: I did this mod for a family member's treadmill. I've never actually used the treadmill before lol, so I'm unfamiliar with it, and don't know if any special features are not working. My family member says all functions operate as designed. If you have any issues, post them and we'll try to work through them.

**Important note 2: We don't have an iFit subscription, so I can't see if the premium content loads correctly or not. Without the subscription, it shows me premium content, but it's locked and inaccessible. I'd imagine it should work normally if you login. Let me know and I'll update the OP.

Download NordicUnchained

Instructions:
I understand not all Nordic owners are seasoned Android enthusiasts, so I try to make instructions as clear and simple as possible. If anything needs any clarification, let me know. If pictures are needed, I’ll make it happen.

First off, DO NOT enable Wi-Fi ANYWHERE until you are specifically told to.

***If you happen to have USB debugging enabled already and know your IP or can get it, you can start at step 8.*** Such as in the event I release mod updates, then you’ll be able to install them without needing a factory reset.

1. Factory reset the treadmill. On the x32i, the reset button is in the right side panel, about a couple inches below the auxiliary port. The reset button is a pinhole style reset button, and it does not stand out well. This button needs to be pushed while you turn on the treadmill to factory reset it. Super easy way of doing this alone is to push a toothpick into that pinhole until it clicks, and while holding it down use your big toe to turn on the power switch. System recovery will display in blue text if you did it correctly, and you can let go of the push button. The reset process takes about 10 minutes before you have any input.
2. Enable Privileged mode. When you get to the welcome screen, tap on welcome 10 times, count 7 Mississippi, then tap it in the same spot 10 more times. There will be a message at the bottom of the screen confirming privileged mode is enabled. If you already passed that screen, you can do the same tapping process on other screens in deadspace. You can now swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hit the Home button(center button)
3. Prevent iFit from ruining things. Go to Settings/Apps/eru app, then goto the bottom where it says “Draw over other apps” and ”Modify system settings” and DISABLE BOTH.
4. Unlock Developer options. Go to Settings/About tablet, and look for the build number. Tap on the build number 7 times. You will get a message at the bottom of the screen confirming Developer options unlocked.
5. Enable USB debugging. Go to Settings and scroll almost all the way down to Developer options and enable USB debugging.
6. Set up Wi-Fi in Android only. Pull down from the top to open the notification panel, then hold down the Wi-Fi symbol. Find your home network here and connect. BIG NOTE: The computer or laptop you are using to connect to the treadmill MUST be connected to the same exact network.
7. Obtain IP address. Go to Settings/About tablet/Status. The last line under IP is what you need. It should look similar to 192.168.4.113, but your numbers will be different. Write down YOUR IP ADDRESS number, exactly as it shows with the periods and all.
8. Getting tools ready. Download NordicUnchained.zip on your computer or laptop, then find it in your downloads folder. Right click NordicUnchained.zip and choose extract or extract all. Then go into the extracted folder. While you are in the folder, shift+right click somewhere in the deadspace of the folder and you should see the option to Open in Windows Terminal or Open in CMD. Either one of these works the same. If all you see is open in PowerShell, use it and type cmd and hit enter to bring up CMD. In the terminal, type adb connect, your written down IP address, followed by :5555 {Example: adb connect 192.168.4.113:5555}--Don’t use the brackets. If you did this correctly, the terminal should say connected.
9. Now the easy part. In the same terminal, type UNCHAINED and hit enter. The process will take about 3-4 minutes including the reboot.
10. Configuring Nova launcher. When the treadmill restarts, you will get a choice to use Nova launcher as your home screen. Choose Nova launcher-always. It will ask you to setup Nova, but choose to use defaults in the bottom left corner. On the home screen, swipe up from the bottom and open Explorer. Grant Explorer the needed permissions. In the upper right area of the app, you’ll see a storage tab, tap that, then tap the Download folder. Finally tap nova.novabackup and open it with Nova Launcher. When Nova launcher asks are you sure you want to restore the backup, say yes. The screen may black out and act weird for a minute, but it’s normal. Swipe up from the bottom and hit the home button. Welcome to your new Android desktop. I even added a fitting wallpaper in your downloads folder that you can set as your background. I couldn’t get it to stick with adb.
11. Getting iFit to work. Open the iFit app and grant it permissions as needed. When it has a popup asking for access to USB, check the use by default box and tap ok. You can finally setup Wi-Fi within the iFit app now. We are DONE!!!

Do not use another Netflix app, because this is the only one that will work with this machine. Any others will error due to the tablet not running Google Play Services. This is most important if you use Aptoide for apps, since it will immediately tell you that it’s out of date and urge you to update it.

Everyone, let me know what you think. And for possible future updates, what would you like to see? I toyed with adding Aptoide as a Play Store alternative, but it causes some app issues, so decided against it. I considered adding F-droid as well.

Good luck and ENJOY!!!