Microsoft to end support for fitness Band devices at the end of May
Microsoft is planning to end support for all existing Band devices, the fitness wearable which it discontinued in 2016.
Both the Microsoft Health Dashboard site and the Microsoft Band app for smartphones will be pulled at the end of May, along with the deletion of any user data uploaded to the service, marking the death of the company’s health wrist-wear effort.
Although the web-connected features will no longer work after May, people can still use their Band to record and track daily health information, such as steps and heart rate, track sleep and set alarms.
Microsoft has announced the end of support for the Microsoft Health Dashboard applications and services. See our FAQ for more details. https://t.co/dE0RxgTcsN
— Microsoft Band (@microsoftband) March 1, 2019
However, Microsoft warned that resetting the device after May 31 will make it impossible to use again. People have less than two months to export their data using tools on the site to an alternative platform, the company added.
Certain owners of the outgoing device are also eligible for a refund if their band is covered under its limited warranty or if the owner is an active user “who has worn the Band on their wrist and completed a data sync from the Band to the Health Dashboard between 12/1/2018 and 3/1/2019”, Microsoft’s online guidance states. They will have until August 30 to claim their refund.
The Microsoft Band was first announced in October 2014 as the PC maker’s fresh venture into fitness wearables.
Despite launching a second-generation follow-up in 2015, the device struggled against more established names, such as Fitbit and the Apple Watch.
