A good number of people these days use a fitness tracker or fitness app of some sort, whether it’s a tracker like the Xiaomi Mi Band or Google’s own Google Fit app. Fitness trackers and apps generally measure things like your sleep, heart rate, steps and other factors to help you keep track of and reach goals that you either set in a companion app or that the app sets for you. Microsoft’s own Microsoft Band 2 is no different. It is compatible with, among others, the Microsoft Health app in the Google Play Store. The app received an update on February 1 that added a few features to both the app itself and a linked Microsoft Band or Band 2, namely weight tracking, reminders, GPS power saving, a web tile gallery and workout sharing.
The first headline feature, weight tracking, shows your weight and changes to it on a weigh-in-by-weigh-in basis over a given period. This can be a month, three months or ever since you started using the app. Goals can be set in this area, as well. This feature is compatible with any smartphone using the app, whether linked to a Microsoft Band or not. GPS power saving can be enabled on the Microsoft Band to extend its battery life to roughly four hours, but this feature is not available for a lonely smartphone, as the Microsoft Health app requires a Microsoft Band to track running or biking. A web tile gallery is now available to bring things like news and sports updates to your Band. Custom workouts can also be created and shared via the web-based hub. Lastly, the app can now give you activity reminders when it’s time for scheduled activities or if the app or your band sees your day as uncharacteristic of your normal daily workout routine.
The bulk of the updates are focused on the Microsoft Band and Microsoft Band 2 themselves rather than the app, leading to a more cross-platform focused experience. Rather barebones itself, the app lacks many features when not paired to a Band device, such as sleep tracking, GPS and workout tracking. If you’d like to give it a go despite this or you have a Microsoft Band device, head through the link below to check out the update.
