Microsoft Band 2 Gets Activity Reminders, Music Control

Microsoft Band 2 Gets Activity Reminders, Music Control

Microsoft has finally addressed my number one complaint about its otherwise-excellent wearable in adding activity reminders to Band 2. A new update for Band 2 also adds music playback controls, a feature many others have asked for, and an improved Exercise tile.

As a reminder, you update Microsoft Band via the Microsoft Health app on your phone: The app will prompt you that a firmware update is available.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Here’s what’s new in the latest Band update (which I believe is just for Band 2, but Microsoft’s announcement makes it hard to tell):

Activity reminders. Band will now remind you to get up and move when you’ve been still for too long, Microsoft says, though of course you can choose not to be reminded. If you opt-in, you can choose how often you want to be reminded, and on which days. You can also set time periods when you don’t want to receive reminders, such as when you’re sleeping or driving. Sounds great, and I can’t wait to test this.

activity

Music playback controls. Band now provides music playback controls so that you play/pause, skip forward and back, adjust the volume, and see the current song title. Microsoft Band is also partnering with Spotify, which is interesting, but it will work with any music app on your phone.

music

Exercise tile improvements. The Exercise tile now lets you choose your favorite exercise and makes it easier to track your duration, calorie burn, and heart rate while exercising. And when you view your exercises, in the Microsoft Health app or web dashboard, everything is now grouped by exercise type for better insights into your performance, Microsoft says.

I’m not seeing this update yet, but I’ll keep checking.

 

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation

There are no conversations

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC