What can I still do with my Microsoft Band?

Using the heart rate monitor

The optical heart rate monitor in your Microsoft Band uses a light sensor to detect minor fluctuations in your capillaries. The heart rate monitor is located on the back of the clasp. You’ll see a green light when it’s active.

To see if the heart rate monitor is on, drag the Me Tile to the right, and look for the Heart Rate Monitor status indicator. If it’s not there, the Daily Heart Rate monitor is turned off.

Turn the heart rate monitor on or off

The heart rate monitor will automatically turn on when you’re tracking a run, a bike ride, a workout, or your sleep. 

From the Me Tile on your Band, tap the Settings Tile > Tools > Daily Heart Rate > On or Off.

View your current heart rate

You can view your current heart rate with a quick check on your Microsoft Band.

1. Press the power button.

2. Tap the Me Tile, and swipe left to see your heart rate
   From the Me Tile, you can also use single-presses of the action button to cycle through your current readings until you see your heart rate.

You can see tallies of the calories you burned from all activities, or see the calories you’ve burned during a workout or while sleeping by checking the stats for the tiles you used to track your activities: Exercise Tile, Run Tile, Bike Tile, Guided Workout Tile, or Sleep Tile.

1. Press the power button.

2. Press the action button to display your calories burned and the date.
   You can also tap the Me Tile and drag the tile to the left to see Calories burned.

1. Press the power button.

2. Swipe left and tap the Exercise Tile.

3. (Microsoft Band 2 only) Under Start a new workout, tap the workout type and swipe up or down to select a new exercise.

4. Press the action button to begin your exercise routine.

5. When you’re done or want to take a break, press the action button again to pause. While you're taking a break, you can use the back arrow to check email or use other features on your Band. Tap the Exercise Tile to return to our workout.

   • Swipe left and tap Resume to continue exercising.

   • Swipe left and tap End Session to end the session and display your stats.

Microsoft Band automatically tracks your steps to calculate the distance you travel each day (while you’re working out...or just working) and to measure progress against your goals.

1. Press the power button.

2. On the Me Tile, repeatedly press the action button to cycle through the day and date and stats to see Steps.
   You can also tap the Me Tile and swipe left to see your stats. The bar along the bottom shows your progress towards your daily steps goal.

When you’re ready to go to sleep, you can use the Sleep Tile to start sleep tracking. Even if you don’t manually turn on sleep tracking, your Band will automatically detect when you fall asleep based on your level of movement.

Use the Sleep Tile to turn on sleep tracking

1. Tap the Sleep Tile.

2. Press the action button. Your Band will start tracking your sleep.

When you wake up

1. Press the power button.

2. When the Sleep screen appears, press the action button.

3. Tap Yes to stop sleep tracking.

Use automatic sleep detection

Even if you don’t turn on the Sleep Tile, your Band continuously monitors your motion to detect and track the length and quality of your sleep automatically.

View your sleep data

Your Band shows you key stats from your last monitored sleep. Tap the Sleep Tile, and swipe left to see the following:

• Date of last monitored sleep

• How long you were asleep

• Efficiency percentage (time spent sleeping divided by total time)

• How many times you woke up

• How many calories you burned while sleeping

When you’re doing an activity that covers a distance (like walking, running, or cross-country skiing) use the Run Tile on your Microsoft Band to record info about your route, heart rate, calories burned, and other health stats:

1. Press the power button.

2. Swipe left, and tap the Run Tile.

3. (Optional) Swipe left to see Use GPS.

   • Tap to turn GPS Off for running on a treadmill, for dancing, or for aerobics.

   • Tap to turn GPS On for traveling any distance.

4. Press the action button to begin. If GPS is on, you may be prompted to use GPS. If so, tap Yes or No.

   • To begin your run immediately while your Band searches for a GPS signal, press the action button again.

   • If you wait for GPS to connect, your Band will display GPS locked when it’s connected. Press the action button again to start recording your run.

5. When you’re done running or want to take a break, press the action button, and a timer will display the current duration of your exercise. While you’re taking a break, you can use the back arrow to check email or use other features on your Band. Tap the Run Tile to continue your workout.

   • Swipe left and tap Resume to continue.

   • Swipe left and tap End Session to end your session and stop tracking.

6. When you’re done, swipe left to view your stats.

Use the Bike Tile on your Microsoft Band to record info about your heart rate, calories burned, and other health stats.

1. Press the power button.

2. Swipe left and tap the Bike Tile.

3. (Optional) Swipe left to Use GPS.

   • Tap to turn GPS Off when using a stationary bike.

   • Tap to turn GPS On when biking over a distance.

4. Press the action button to begin. If GPS is on, you may be prompted to use GPS. If so, tap Yes or No.

   • To begin your ride immediately while your Band searches for a GPS signal, press the action button again.

   • If you wait for GPS to connect, your Band will display GPS locked when it’s connected. Press the action button again to start recording your ride.

5. When you’re done riding or want to take a break, press the action button. A timer displays the current duration of your exercise. While taking a break, you can use the back arrow to check your email or use other features on your Band. When you’re ready to continue, tap the Bike Tile.

   • Swipe left and tap Resume to continue tracking your ride.

   • Swipe left and tap End Session to end your session and stop tracking your ride.

6. When you’re done with your ride, swipe left to view your stats.

Although you can’t see UV light, you can check the current UV level with your Microsoft Band. Here’s how:

1. Press the power button.

2. On the Me Tile, swipe left and tap the UV Tile.

3. Expose the UV sensor to the sun and press the action button. If your Band’s touchscreen is on the outside of your wrist, you may need to rotate your wrist so that the clasp of the Band faces up.

4. Your Band will analyze a sample of the UV level and display a reading (Extreme, Very High, High, Medium, Low, or None). Here's what they mean:

   • UV Level 1, 2 (Low): If you burn easily, cover up and use SPF 30+.

   • UV Level 3, 4, 5 (Moderate): Wear a hat, sunglasses, and SPF 30+ (reapply every two hours). Seek shade at midday.

   • UV Level 6, 7 (High): Reduce time in sun at midday. Cover up and apply SPF 30+ every two hours.

   • UV Level 8, 9, 10 (Very High): Minimize time in sun at midday. Apply SPF 30+ every two hours, even when it’s cloudy. Be sure to cover up.

   • UV Level 11 (Extreme): Avoid the sun at midday and apply SPF 30+ every two hours, even when it’s cloudy. Protective clothing recommended.

Turning Watch Mode off helps save battery life on your Microsoft Band. When Watch Mode is off, the touchscreen goes dark when you’re not using your Band. Here’s how to turn Watch Mode on or off:

1. Press the power button.

2. Swipe left and tap the Settings Tile > Watch Mode.

3. Under Watch Mode, tap to turn Watch Mode Always On or Off.

1. Swipe left and tap the Alarm & Timer Tile.

2. Tap the Reminder box to set the alarm time.

3. Choose how often the reminder repeats (Once, Daily, Weekdays, or Weekends) and tap Accept.

4. When the alarm alerts you, swipe left and tap Dismiss or Snooze.

Once set, tap the Alarm icon to turn your alarm on or off.

1. Swipe left and tap the Alarm & Timer Tile.

2. Swipe left, and under Timer, tap the boxes to set hours, minutes, and seconds.

3. Press the action button to start timing.

4. When the timer alerts you, swipe left and tap Dismiss.

1. Swipe left and tap the Alarm & Timer Tile.

2. Swipe left to Stopwatch.

3. Press the action button to start the stopwatch.

While the stopwatch is running, you can tap Lap to start timing a new lap or Back to return to the Start Strip.

If you want to pause the stopwatch, press the action button. While the stopwatch is paused, swipe left and tap End Session to stop the stopwatch.

You can adjust many settings on your Microsoft Band. From the Me Tile, tap the Settings Tile. 

• Do Not Disturb

  • Turn Do Not Disturb On or Off.

• Brightness

  • Set touchscreen brightness (Low, Medium, High, or Auto-Set).

• Watch Mode

  • Turn Watch Mode On or Off.

  • (Microsoft Band 2 only) Turn Watch Mode Off > Rotate On > Always On.

  • (Microsoft Band 2 only) Select how you wear the Band on your wrist.

  • Turn the 24-hour clock On or Off.

  • Choose to use the time from your phone or set the time manually.

• Bluetooth

  • Turn Bluetooth On or Off or put it in pairing mode.

• Airplane Mode

  • Turn Airplane Mode On or Off.

• Power

  • Turn power off.

  • Reset your Band.

• Activity Reminder

  • Turn activity reminders On or Off.

  • Choose how long you’re inactive before your Band reminds you with a haptic (vibration) alert.

  • Choose the times and days when you want to be reminded about inactivity (Every day, Weekdays, or Weekends).

• Device info

  • View the name of the phone that’s paired with your Band.

  • View the name of your Band.

  • View Your Band’s serial ID number.

  • View the firmware build version installed on your Band.

• Tools

  • Set Brightness to Low, Medium, High, or Auto-Set.

  • Change the haptic (vibration) alert level (Low, Medium, or High) or turn haptic alerts Off.

  • Choose the language on your Band.

  • Turn Daily Heart Rate On or Off.

	Microsoft Band 2	Microsoft Band
Band	Thermal plastic elastomer silicone vulcanite with adjustable-fit clasp	Thermoplastic elastomer with adjustable-fit clasp
Display	Size: 12.8mm x 32mm Display Type: AMOLED Resolution: 320 x 128 pixels	Size: 11mm x 33mm Display Type: Capacitive 1.4" TFT full color display Resolution: 320 x 106 pixels
Sensors	Optical heart rate sensor 3-axis accelerometer/gyro Gyrometer GPS Ambient light sensor UV sensor Skin temperature sensor Capacitive sensor Galvanic skin response sensor Barometer	Optical heart rate sensor 3-axis accelerometer Gyrometer GPS Ambient light sensor UV sensor Skin temperature sensor Capacitive sensor Galvanic skin response sensor
Additional technology	Microphone Haptic vibration motor	Microphone Haptic vibration motor
Connectivity	Bluetooth ® 4.0 (low energy)	Bluetooth ® 4.0 (low energy)
Compatibility	Windows Phone 8.1 or later, with Bluetooth® 4.0 iOS® 8.1.2 or later: iPhone®: 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus Many Android™ 4.3 or later phones with Bluetooth®	Windows Phone 8.1 or later, with Bluetooth® 4.0 iOS® 7.1 or later: iPhone 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus Many Android™ 4.3 or later phones with Bluetooth®
Battery	Type: Lithium-polymer Life: 48 hours of normal use; advanced functionality like GPS affects battery performance Average charge time: Full charge in less than 1.5 hours Connector: Magnetically coupled connector to USB	Type: Dual 100mAh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer batteries Life: 48 hours of normal use; advanced functionality like GPS affects battery performance Average charge time: Full charge in less than 1.5 hours Connector: Magnetically coupled connector to USB
Environmental requirements	Water resistance: Dust and splash resistant Operating temperature ranges: 14°F to 104°F (-10°C to 40°C) Maximum operating altitude: -300m to +4877m	Water resistance: Dust and splash resistant Operating temperature ranges: 14°F to 104°F (-10°C to 40°C) Maximum operating altitude: 3,937 feet (1,200 m)
What’s in the box	Microsoft Band 2 USB magnetic connector cable Quick Start Guide	Microsoft Band USB magnetic connector cable Safety and warranty document Quick Start Guide