Microsoft begins deploying fix for ongoing Band 2 sync issue
For more than a week, a number of users with Microsoft Band 2 fitness devices have been unable to sync their devices with Microsoft's back-end services.
On Aug. 14, Microsoft officials finally responded officially to those users' complaints.
A spokesperson sent me the following note today:
"We believe we have identified the root cause facing some Microsoft Band 2 customers who cannot connect to the service. We are actively deploying a fix now. This will not require action on behalf of the affected customers. We will continue to update customers as we know more. We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this. Thank you."
If you didn't realize that Microsoft was still supporting -- though no longer selling -- Band 2 devices, you aren't alone.
When Band 2 users began complaining via Twitter, support channels and email messages about their problems syncing the devices, I myself wondered whether Microsoft still was supporting the Band 2s. I asked Microsoft for comment on those users' complaints last week but didn't receive a response. (Microsoft UK did tweet on Aug. 7 that it was "checking on it" and would report back.)
Last fall, Microsoft officials acknowledged they were pulling Band listings from Microsoft stores. They wouldn't go so far as to say that Microsoft was dropping completely its fitness devices, but that seems to have been the case.
When Microsoft officials said last October that they were not going to deliver a new Band device in 2016, they also said this:
"We remain committed to supporting our Microsoft Band 2 customers through Microsoft Stores and our customer support channels and will continue to invest in the Microsoft Health platform, which is open to all hardware and apps partners across Windows, iOS, and Android devices."
Microsoft officials have maintained that the company is continuing to explore the wearables space, though it seems doubtful that they will do so via a new first-party wearable device. Services for other companies' watches, fitness bands, biometric rings, and other devices seems like the more likely course for Microsoft.
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