Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ @lemmy.dbzer0.com

1y ago

Help with wheelchair software

Ahoy!

I got a new phone yesterday. I also use a wheelchair. The wheels have an app called "e-motion M25" which I used on my old phone. I patched it using lucky patcher since most functions (turn wheels on, cruise control, remote to drive the wheelchair to my current chair) are behind an incredible expensive paywall.

Since I don't own the wheels (they're technically still insurance property) and the software isn't super reliable, I won't pay over €300 just to use my wheels.

But I can't seem to patch it on my new phone, even when sharing the patched app directly from my old one. The store simply won't open. I've not been rooted since forever and prefer not to root at all, since it was possible to do so on my old phone.

Would anybody care to help me out or give me some tips on where to look? Thanks in advance!

UPDATE after spending my entire morning on the floor, I installed older versions of the app until I found one that worked with luckypatcher. I know it's a small chance but if someone using the same wheels finds this post, you have to figure out how to download luckypatcher and use this version of the app. In lucky patcher create a multi patch APK and make sure to turn off "billing" in the second screen. When opening the store, be careful not to scroll to the complete bottom or else the app wil crash. Buy each pack individually and lucky patcher will handle things from there.

To every commenter: thank you. Lemmings are the best and capitalism is the devil.

103 comments

Never I thought I'd be reading about a wheelchair locked behind paywalls. What a ridiculous world we live in.
Edit: I'm glad you figured something out and that those profiteers won't get a cent out of it.
- I'm imagining your shock when I tell you the cost of my entire wheelchair, which is a manual wheelchair with push assistance (like an e-bike).
  
  Si what you're saying is that we need open source wheelchairs?
  
  Mine is also manual, with a push assist(smart drive) its MSRP is 16k!
  The software is also really stupid, you have to use a stupid smart watch to control it! You can get other controls(for some functions only) but they didn't come with the chair without additional costs. The smart watch sucks and my better watch which is also WearOS can't download the app from the store for some reason... I'd much rather be able to just connect my phone directly.
- Or indeed a wheelchair locked behind an app.
  Oh gee we can't be bothered to update our app any more. That'll be all our chairs useless in 5 years.
  
  There will probably be a new app for the new chairs. You'll have to upgrade the chair to keep using the app support.

I'm sorry I don't have any answer, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry you have to go through this to make your life easier. Also I fucking hate unrestrained capitalism.
- Capitalism thrives off mobility aids. Anything decent, even a decent backpack, cost an arm and a leg just because it's made for the cripples. I hate it here lol.
  
  I understand. I use a cane due to severe inflammatory arthritis and a long list of other crap including a deteriorating spine that's likely to land me in a chair myself in a few years. Trying to build my own ramp into my house a little at a time on good days because it's several thousand dollars to have one built and eventually I won't be able to do it at all. Solidarity in hating it here. I'm in Texas in the US which, well it's run by regressive masochistic asshats.
- The people who downvoted are complete silly billys.
  
  Thank you, but it's okay. I only see the positive total on my app. Some people just love the taste of corporate boot leather.

Hey Op, since you appear to be somewhere in the EU based on your mention of Euro pricing, would you be willing to name and shame the wheelchair manufacturer and/or model?
Without giving too much of my own personal information away, I might be in a position to cause a bit of ruckus for this particular company in terms of bad PR, possibly legislatively. I work for a company that profiles itself on doing this stuff "the right way" (secure practises, not screwing users this way, etc) and we are working on building a list of practises we are hoping to root out EU-Wide with some examples that are clearly exploitative.
I need nothing personally identifiable, just the brand and model, and I can pass it along to the team that can investigate further.
- Sure thing: invacare is the company, the wheels are Alber e-motion M25. Their argument is the wheelchair is usable without the add ons, which I not only disagree with but why are these wheels 8k if they have an app only usable by upgrading? The older model is cheaper and doesn't have an app which works in the same way then.
  I am curious if something will get out of this! It's difficult to explain but there's so many hoops I have to go through, I literally can't contact invacare myself. I have city council to grant me an indication of what I need, a company that delivers the stuff to me and does maintainance (but theyre extremely lacking), then there's a company that imports the invacare stuff and deals with the company that deals with me.
  We truly need to get some hard rules down in the Netherlands. I'm tired of it all.
  
  Thanks! I will pass it along and hopefully we can push for a change. I can't guarantee that anything will happen in the short term, but at the very least we can create some bad publicity for them.

literal predatory behavior against society's most vulnerable members. God, disgusting.
Calling out this company that produces the e-motion, Alber GmbH. FUCK them.

You want to have both hands free while moving or an extra dose of speed to go faster? With the Mobility Plus Package you can activate a variety of clever additional functions in the Mobility App.
With the Mobility Plus Package you can increase the support speed from 6 km/h to 8,5 km/h and benefit from the Cruise Mode that allows you to keep a permanent speed with only one deflection on the push rim.
Holy fuck!?!? The wheelchair is actually actively crippled if you don't pay?
If you are able to crack software, this is the time to stand up and do actual real good for humanity !
This makes me so angry.
- Yea the fun stuff is that it's actually manually operated but it straight up blocks at the 6km or the 8,5. The 8,5 is decent enough but even when turned off the wheels feel 'blocked' so I can't do a quick running contest with my husband. Not the wordt but at 6km it's just average walking speed which means I can't take a sprint when crossing the road.
  Fun fact: it was stuck in 2,5km/h for months before I finally figured out the manufacturer manual because the actual wheelchair company didn't know how it worked.
- Someone needs to call Empress. This is the type of shit she lives for lmao and extremely talented, even if she's a nutcase
  
  Oh my god empress, I fell down that rabbit hole a while back hahaha. I mean I "cracked" the app now with luckypatcher but that's only locally on my device, I'm not a true hacker even if the boomers I know in real life think I am lol
  
  Does she have a bat signal? She seems like she has a bat signal.
- While I was reading this comment, I thought it was a sarcastic parody of a promotion for the software...
  Then as I kept reading I realised that the lines in italics are not parody, but actually from the company.
  Fuck those guys!
  
  Fuck i didnt even realise its not a parody

300 to operate wheels that you don't even own? That's extortion, right?
- I'm also disabled. We tend to refer to this as the "disability tax". Anything that could potentially be billed to insurance or for which there are no other options is incredibly expensive. If we can't afford it or don't have insurance, we're always welcome to go die under a bridge somewhere. Gotta pay for the owner's yacht.
- Or I can just use the setting 1 and setting 2 nu carrying a remote control on a lanyard constantly while there's an actual app available but nooooo
  
  Damn

Jesus fucking mother of Christ.
Ok, I'm going to skip my indignation.
I'm not an app developer or a wheel chair person. That said, we need some info to help you better.
What phone? Android or iOS?
link to the app (and a link it's APK or whatever iPhones equivalent to an APK would be)
instructions on how you register, e.g. is registration tied to your phone, the wheelchair, or both?
Here is some general hacking advice:
check online for your wheelchairs "provider" manual. I "hacked" my CPAP machine a few years back. My doctor forgot to turn on heated tubing and the setting was hidden behind a "provider" menu. Chances are good that there will be a similar manual for your wheelchair.
if you haven't already, search for the make and model of your wheelchair and see if there are forums or discussion boards
typically, physical access is the best access. Depending on how your phone communicates with the chair, you might able to spy on the signals that it uses. My guess is Bluetooth. It probably is encrypted but medical devices are notoriously easy skimpy on their tech security. Might be worth a try
If you have the tools and the knowledge, consider taking apart the wheelchair to access the physical components. Information like the processor, chip set, etc will make it easier to understand how it works. While you might expect custom boards and software, more and more devices are going the Raspberry Pi or Pico route because they are cheaper to manufacturer than to do a whole custom board. If it's a run of the mill consumer board, you have a lot more attack vectors.
Often settings like these are based on PKI(Public Key Infrastructure), meaning that the program on your wheelchair likely knows the public key for the company and will test any input to change the settings will require the private key. Again, generally speaking.
But also generally speaking, medical equipment, especially consumer equipment, has to deal with the lowest common denominator, meaning people who don't have apps, who don't know what a smart phone is, etc. Because of that, my hunch is that the setting is in plain text and you just need to change it.
You also have to remember that the people setting this up are often in doctors offices, which means it must be easy to do because time is of the essence. The doctor would not recommend their product if it takes more than a few minutes to set up.
I'm sorry I can't give you better more specific advice but hopefully you can figure this out.
- Thank you for the detailed reply! Details:
  Android (pixel 8)
  play store link
  When buying the pack, the functions are tied to the wheels itself so not a google or other account
  I did find the mechanic manual a few years back so I could get into the "professionals only" menu and I was able to tweak the push sensitivity which my provider couldn't figure out ironically. The packs however are a different add-on. The only thing I can find online are people asking if it's worth the money, or people who bought it. Not really a popular hacking device it seems.
  It sucks that I'm not technical enough to open up the wheels - i also find it a bit scary since I literally need this thing everyday and my provider is already neglecting their customers.
  
  Edit: I just saw your edit. Great job fixing it! God I hate that you had to do this.
  What is the make and model of the wheelchair and the wheels?
  Links to their official website would be helpful.
  Did your wheelchair come with a regular manual? A link to a PDF would also help.
  If you want to go down a more...questionable route, you could call the wheelchair provider number. Use social engineering by saying you're from a doctor's office and you can't get the wheels to activate.
  It helps to have a friend do this for you. You want a buffer and you want your friend to say "I am not sure" or "I don't know" a lot. That way the company gives him or her more information on what to do next before calling you back.
  This is a terrible situation. Maybe your insurance will spring for the cost. It's so infuriating that if I had access, I probably wouldn't sleep until I figured it out and posted it everywhere.

I'm infurated you have to pay 300 bucks for An app on this situation. Incensed beyond reason. Please link to the specific app in question, and then if you can't get anything working contact me and I'll buy the stupid thing for you.
I'd much rather make sure things like this never make any money for anyone. But not at the cost of someone in your situation having to wait any longer to access the tools you need. Man am I pissed about that kind of paywalling on medical devices. Holy hell.
- This is the play store link and honestly: wow. You offering to pay is making my head spin. That's incredibly kind of you. However I truly don't want to buy it overall since it's tied to the wheels, which I don't own, and I might get other wheels in 5 years and then... I can start over. It's the principal that I get a device with "cruise control" so I can cover more distance on my own but then the cruise control alone costs 100 bucks.
  I'm in a country where people assume disabled people are taken care of. Quite the opposite.
  
  I'm sorry bout your situation, but may I ask what country are you talking about? (So that I may never set a foot in it.)
  
  I don't mind if you have new wheels in 5 years. If you can't get this working contact me and I'll take care of it. Hopefully you can get it working without giving the greedy bastards anything though. =P
  Lol. Looking into that app a little bit and what a shitshow. I'm even more pissed off than I was before.
  
  I'd never imagine that the first time I'd encounter an in app purchase that outrageously expensive, would be on a wheelchair app.
  F me, why do companies have to extort people like this! Glad you got it cracked in the end.
  
  It's not a perfect solution but smart drive works really well for me. It's very customizable.
- If it comes down to it, I'll split the cost with you. If we can't get socialized medicine the way it's meant to be, we'll make it ourselves!
  
  I have something in my eye. This community is so incredibly wonderful.

This brings a new definition to the term "crippleware".

This is so damn wholesome. Thank you fellow humans for helping this person and even offering to pay. Why I am cutting onions this early in the day is a mystery.
- Wholesome to see people help, but the main feeling I get is revulsion that this person can have a wheelchair provided with insurance but can't even get proper functionality without paying.
  
  It's so we can keep up the act of being a country with social security without actually being it.

In case you haven't seen them, i just wanna make sure you've heard of these guys; https://notawheelchair.com/
- This looks like fun.
- I've rode one of these badboys on my honeymoon in Colorado and I've felt incredibly American as an European hahahah
- Is that the one started by the bloke on YouTube - Jerry Rig Everything?

This is so fucked up and sad. Capitalism is pure evil.

Jesus that sucks so much. It looks like you have a solution for now but I bet there are some folks here and elsewhere who would be all in on reverse engineering the shit out of any part of that system.
- That's why I updated the post with the link which version does work, just in case. There probably aren't a lot of disabled pirates using this specific model wheels and that's why there's no solution on the Googles. I truly wish I was smart enough to learn all this crap just to start a community of helping people hacking their accessibility tools.

Fuck this company. Fuck these ghouls making this decision.
This is easily the most badass form of piracy I've ever seen. The right kind of rebellion.

Lucky Patcher patches the odex files, not the apk. I could not figure out if it's possible to tranfer odex files to a different phone.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/luckypatcher/comments/yzao3u/sharing_apps_with_lucky_patcher_mod/
- This comment from A7pr8 seems to suggest it is possible to modify the apk via Lucky Patcher, which hopefully would then work on a non-rooted phone:
  You can't just send the app from your rooted device. When you mod the app on a rooted device only .odex file will be patched not the .apk file.
  You need to rebuild .apk to be able to share it and the the other device should also has luckypatcher for it to work.
  Simply when you patch an app use the option create modified .apk or rebuild it from "rebuild & install" in the bottom bar.
  
  That's what I've tried but the store just opens as a blank page still

Wheelchair Manufacturer:
We’ve heard your complaints, which we never got when tiering by selling different physical models of wheelchair. Going forward, our app will be free, but features will be limited by the equipment actually physically installed in our Standard/Premium/Luxury models.
Yes, the physical equipment needed is only fuses, but we’ve obfuscated that by encasing them in cryptexes and adding fancy plastic design elements to the more expensive models.

Now, our business practices are indistinguishable from Honda upcharging for a sunroof. Except life’s harder when you don’t upgrade with us.
:( hey but good job staying at it and finding a way!

Thank you! This may be helpful for my sister in the future.
- These are the Alber e-motion M25 wheels so if you ever need more help in the future don't be shy to dm me :)

Hrrrrr. Anyone, call EU.
- please spare some ADA for us thanks
  
  Wait. You ARE in EU. Hmm...

Was your old phone rooted? You might have patched the odex files instead of the apk as others have pointed out. And it might be that modifying the actual installed apk file changes the signatures that the app checks for, while it assumes the odex files are correct and that it just works. I've seen some apps check for modifications from Lucky Patcher (even with odex patches), but not nearly all apps go to that kind of length, and it seems that this app doesn't check. Disclaimer, I never delved deep into the actual working of this stuff, this is based on what I've noticed when I tried patching apps on a rooted vs non-rooted device. I think you might be outta luck unless you root your phone. Godspeed either way.

Is there some cache on your old phone from some previous 'activate on this device' required?

I just ordered a pair of these wheels on eBay when I saw this post. I hope this works when I get them, cuz I was ticked off to see the $330 unlock price for the app! Also, any tips for these wheels?
- You can always use my older app trick to unlock all the features and if you need help I can add you on signal messenger to help out more in detail. On/off can be done on the wheels, but it will turn on to the last used setting (1 or 2). If you have the remote, you can use that to change the modes. 1 is indoor use and 2 outdoor.
  General wheel tips:
  Be sure to practice a lot in practice mode and mode 1.
  Always use some anti tipping wheels on your chair since these wheels can go whack sometimes if you push too quickly/hard or get stuck (ex: door). I always use mine except when using a handbike.
  Be very careful changing the parameters and test each change you make well. It's a sensitive boi.
  Password for getting into the 'professional' mode is $AlBr-MtN25!
  
  Thank you! I did download the version you linked as soon as I saw the post. So the app is on my phone & hopefully it'll work with lucky. App doesn't do much until it's paired. No remote, so the expensive app was so irritating to see, with it locking away basic functions. And, wow, good find on the pro password!
  I'm actually kinda nervous about them. Ebay & out of pocket isn't the ideal startup when buying something like this. I have MS & RA, so I need the chair for balance issues mostly, but weak muscles & joints too. I can get around my house with leaning on walls, so they are for outside the house & had to fit in a tiny smart car boot. I really hope they minimize the effort it takes to push myself forward. I also will have to figure out how to walk a dog with them. Scary to hear they're super sensitive.
  I've heard the push rims break a lot from some of the reviews. Manual says to never lift em by them or lay em on that side. They really that delicate?
  I mainly only go to a dog park, so I'm going to be testing how "water" resistant they are for sure there.
  I've been using a FireFly 2.5, that's a front wheel battery powered hookup, with a big knobby wheel, so I never took it to stores or anything. I expect this to be much more useable for me. I haven't been in a store in like 4 years now.
  Practice mode huh?, I'll be sure to use that. I need to find my antitippers. They were the first thing I took off my chair when I got it.
  I can't find any info on the brackets that are put on the chair, except an expert must put them on. They can't be that crazy to put on, can they?
  Sorry about the random questions. I really can't wait to get them. I've wanted them for a few years now. Thanks.

In the future, people will remember William Gibson as a prophet.

Damn, we truly live in the most boring kind of dystopia.

I don't know shit about it and should probably keep my mouth shut but i am gonna say this maybe one of the few instances you should pay up ? And thats coming from someone who pirates everything . I could be wrong tho
EDIT : As i said i could be wrong i just don't want OP's bootleg software to have a breakdown in the middle of the road.
- Adding additional financial hurdles on people with disabilities is, in the least aggressive phrasing, "not a vibe".
  
  In turbocapitalist circles, we prefer to describe this as a "strong economic incentive to become unshackled from your disabilities", but I guess it's a question of optimism
- And if I pay I still dont own it, that's the messed up part. I get what you're saying though and I appreciate your concern, however I've been using the bootleg software for years on my other phone without any problems so it should be possible.
  
  Yeah if you are sure go for it . I just didn't wanna get you into shit or doing what internet strangers told you to do but if you are SURE go for it i say.
- Replying again to say: that actually makes sense. You should have said that upfront! Suddenly being locked out of critical software is definitely a risk worth considering
  
  Yea thats what i meant i thought it was obvious but obviously not
- You're right, should have kept this thought to yourself
- Why?

103 comments