If you still use a Microsoft Band, you might be eligible for a refund

If you’re still using the Microsoft Band for all your smartwatch, fitness tracker, and wearable needs, your loyalty might pay off. 

Though Microsoft discontinued the Band in 2016, it kept the online app services running so that owners could continue using the devices if they pleased. On Friday, however, the company announced all Band apps and services will end on May 31.

In an interesting move, though, Microsoft is allowing the dedicated people who’ve continued using the Band after it was discontinued to apply for refunds on the hardware.

In an on-site post, Microsoft announced “the end of support for the Microsoft Health Dashboard applications and service.”

The company went on to explain that Band applications will be removed from the Microsoft Store, Google Play, and iOS App Store, which means the phone apps will cease to work after May 31, and all server-side data will be deleted.

This is where it gets interesting: Microsoft also noted that if you own a Band 1 or Band 2 device and have completed a data sync from the wearable to the Health Dashboard at any time between Dec. 1, 2018, and March 1, 2019, you can apply for a refund.

If you’re not an active user but have a Band that’s still covered under Limited Warranty, you may also be eligible to receive the Band 1 refund of $79.99 or the Band 2 refund of $175.00.

Eligible users will reportedly receive an email with further instructions, and must claim the money by Aug. 30, 2019.

In the post, Microsoft also explained how users can recover or delete their data from the service before it shuts down, and confirmed that though the service and apps will be unavailable, going forward the devices can still be used for the following actions:

• Recording and tracking daily health information (steps, heart rate, basic workouts)

• Recording activity data (runs, bike rides, hikes, etc)

• Tracking sleep

• Setting alarms

The post also notes that resetting the device after the May 31 shutdown will render it inoperable.

If Microsoft Band’s services officially disbanding means you’re now in the market for new fitness trackers or smartwatches, consider checking out some of our coverage.