I have an iPod Touch and recently bought the Nike+ sensor so I could start tracking all of my runs and try to set some goals with the cool little device. I ran 5 miles and went to sync it with my iTunes and publish it to my Nike+ account. That is when I got the infamous (-50) error, which looks like this:
“iTunes could not connect to nikeplus.com. An unknown error occurred (-50)”
The error is actually very common, which didn’t give me a lot of confidence in my new Nike+ device but after a little bit of work I got it working. I will give you a list of possible (there are many) fixes for this very common error. I have ordered the fixes from what will most likely work to what is less likely to be the problem. I suggest you try them in order until you Nike+ syncs with the website. Good Luck!
First thing to check is that you have the newest version of iTunes installed. The most current version as of this writing is 9.1.1 and you can verify your version quickly by checking in iTunes. Follow these steps:
Open iTunes
Click Help
Click About iTunes
It will display your version (if it’s not 9.1.1 then update it)
IF out of date click Help
Click Check for updates
Install newest version (once installed move on)
Test your Nike+ sync again
If you still get the sync error with the Nike+ website, the next check is to make sure your iPod software on your device is the most up to date version. This is another simple thing to check out and if it’s out of date its simple to update. To check for updates for your iPod do the following:
Plug you iPod into your computer with the USB cable
Open iTunes (if it doesn’t automatically when you plug in your iPod)
Click on the iPod icon
It will display your version of your software in the middle of the screen
Click Check for updates (if a new update is available it will tell you)
Update as needed
Once update is applied test Nike+ sync
If it works then you are good to go and both your iTunes and iPod are more current and probably will work better or possibly have some better options. That doesn’t solve our problem with the Nike+ sync though, so let’s try a few more fixes.
Another fix is to repeatedly try to sync with the Nike+ website. You can do this in two ways, either keep disconnecting and then connecting your iPod (this should make it sync automatically) or you can keep hitting the sync button within the iTunes software. If this hasn’t force the sync after about 7-10 tries I would say to give up on this “fix”.
If you are still having problems syncing with the Nike+ then you can try to reset your iPod to the factory defaults (this shouldn’t delete any files on the iPod just reset custom settings), to reset to factory settings follow these steps:
Switch on the key lock
Switch off the key lock
Press the Menu and Center buttons (hold for 5 seconds this should cause the iPod to reboot)
After the iPod reboots connect back to iTunes and see if it syncs
If your iPod and Nike+ still aren’t syncing then you might want to try to set your default web browser to Internet explorer, I have heard this can fix the issue (I am skeptical though). To set IE to your default browser follow these steps:
Open Internet Explorer
Click Tools
Click Options
Click Programs Tab
Click Make Default button (under Default web browser section)
Click OK
Close IE
Try to sync your Nike+ again
If you are still having an issue then you can try another fix that involves making changes to your registry. If the My Music folders aren’t listed properly in the registry it can cause an issue possibly with the sync. So to make the changes to the registry, follow these steps:
Navigate to the key – hkey_current_user_software_microsoft_windows_current version_explorer_shell folders
Double click the My Music
Enter the path to where you music is found
Navigate to the key – hkey_current_user_software_microsoft_windows_current version_explorer_USERS
Double click the My Music
Enter the path to where you music is found
Close the registry
Try the Nike+ sync
Another test fix is to try log another workout and see if there was a problem with the connection between your iPod and the Nike+ dongle on your previous workout (the one that wouldn’t sync). So to do this just activate the Nike+ software and walk around for a few minutes, then try to sync your new workout with the Nike+ and iTunes. Sometimes a workout might not have registered properly with both devices and can’t be synced.
If none of the above listed fixes have solved your problems then I suggest you check out the support forums offered by Apple and by Nike. Hopefully one of the many fixes above helped you to solve the “iTunes could not connect to nkieplus.com. An unknown error occurred (-50)” error.
If you have another fix idea that worked for you please list it in the comments below to help others!
