Microsoft Band 2 gets buggy update with on-screen music controls

Microsoft Band  activity reminders official Microsoft

A feature update for the 2 brings on-screen controls and activity reminders. It did not take long to get first bug reports about that update.

The addition ofĀ music controls is answer to one of the most requested features.Ā While theĀ touchscreen displays the song title, you can now pause and play, skip forward and back, and turn the volume up and down.

However, according to Rod Trent on WinSuperSite.com, ā€œif you use a Bluetooth headset to connect to your smartphone the Band will not connectā€, adding that it's not just affecting headphones but ā€œany second Bluetooth device you want to connect to your smartphone.ā€Ā Usually this should just work out fine as theĀ Bluetooth 4.0 specification allows multiple, shared Bluetooth instances.

Microsoft-Band-music controls official Microsoft

Trent also reports that the new feature of ā€œcustom ā€œnamesā€ or categoriesā€ forĀ Exercise activities has syncing problems with the Dashboard.

ā€œWhen I kicked off my morning weight workout I chose the new ā€œweightliftingā€ category, but when the Band synched with the Dashboard the activity is registered just as ā€œMy exerciseā€.ā€

Other feature upgrades

Apart from the above minor problems, there are more feature improvements which seem to work just fine.

Activity reminders willĀ remind you to get up and move when you've been still for too long.Ā You can choose time intervals and days you want to be reminded and also set a period of time when you don't want to receive reminders, like when you're sleeping or driving.

Microsoft-Band 2 activity reminders official Microsoft

According to Microsoft the exercise tile also has been improved and makes it ā€œeasier to track your duration, calorie burn, and heart rate for your favorite exercises.ā€ You can select custom or popular options, like yoga or weightlifting. ā€œExercise sessions can be reviewed in the Microsoft Health app or Web Dashboard. Summaries and observations will be grouped by exercise type for better insights into your performanceā€, Microsoft adds in the release description.

A new ā€˜What's New' Tile will automatically appear on your band when new updates are available.

Source: Microsoft Blog, WinSuperSite