Mobile apps and Health Dashboard being retired

Mar 3, 2019 06:58 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is making one final step towards the complete demise of its Microsoft Band activity tracker.

The official Microsoft Band apps and mobile apps will be retired and the Microsoft Health Dashboard site will be shut down.

On a FAQ page published this week, Microsoft explains that on May 31, the Health Dashboard service will go dark once and for all. The Microsoft Store, Android, and iOS versions of the Microsoft Band apps will be deleted the same day.

Microsoft allows users to export Health data before the said deadline is reached, and the company explains existing Band owners can continue using their devices normally even beyond this date.

Do not reset the Microsoft Band or else!

However, once the Microsoft Band is reset, it would no longer work, as it’ll technically be impossible to pair it with a mobile device without the companion apps.

“Resetting the device after the service been discontinued will make it impossible to set up the device again. Only perform this step once you have finished using the Band,” Microsoft says.

Microsoft warns that some functionality will be limited after the May 31 deadline, as capabilities that are powered by the cloud or the phone app would no longer work. However, activity tracking and sleep monitoring will still be available.

Interestingly, Microsoft is offering refunds to existing Microsoft Band owners who claim them by August 30. Band 1 is worth $79.99, while the software giant will pay $175 for the second-generation model.

Users are also allowed to delete the data from the phone apps before they are retired, and Microsoft reminds that some information is also stored in the cloud.

“Note that some phones back up app data in the cloud. Please check your phone settings to ensure additional copies of application data are properly removed,” it notes.