Microsoft renames Health app to Band after rumors of the wearable’s demise

Microsoft is quietly updating its Health app on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone to rebrand it as the Microsoft Band app today. Android and Windows Phone have already been updated with the name change, and iOS is set to follow shortly. While Microsoft launched its Health service as a portal for the Band, the company originally wanted other companies to feed their apps and hardware into the service. However, it has been primarily used by Microsoft Band users, so a name change on mobile devices makes sense.

Microsoft’s name change comes just a day after rumors emerged that the software maker might be killing off its Band fitness tracker. ZDNet reported that the team working on getting the Band to run Windows 10 has been disbanded, and that there are no plans to release a new Band this year. Microsoft issued a statement backing its Health platform, and noting that it would continue to sell and support the Microsoft Band 2. There was no mention of future Band devices, and it appears that the software and Health services will live on even if the Band hardware dies.

Microsoft is expected to hold a hardware event in late October, so we might hear some more about how it plans to encourage partners to introduce hardware that supports Microsoft Health, alongside a new Surface all-in-one PC.