Amazon Ending Support for Halo Fitness Tracker in July
The wearable health device measures body fat, sleep patterns and even a user's tone of voice.
Amazon will sunset support for the Halo device and app on July 31, 2023.
Amazon is ending support for the Halo fitness tracker this summer, the company said on Wednesday.
"At Amazon, we think big, experiment and invest in new ideas like Amazon Halo in our efforts to delight customers," an email to customers read in part. "While we are proud of what we built, we recently made the difficult decision to stop supporting Amazon Halo effective July 31, 2023."
If you purchased any of the Halo View, Halo Band, Halo Rise or Halo accessory bands made in the last 12 months, you'll be refunded. Unused subscription fees will also be refunded.
The Halo devices and app will no longer function as of Aug. 1, Amazon said, and information stored on the app will be deleted. Individuals who want to download or delete their health data themselves can access it from the settings page in the app.
Halo owners are encouraged to recycle their devices through Amazon's recycling program, which covers the cost of shipping.
Read on: Best Fitness Trackers
The Halo was introduced in 2020, offering a new take on health metrics that included body-fat analysis, sleep monitoring and even a feature that judges your tone of voice. Last September, a tabletop sleep tracker, the Halo Rise, was added to the lineup.
Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. It appears the move to sunset the Halo was a cost-cutting measure and that staff who worked on the wearable were let go.
Amazon recently laid off 18,000 workers, CNBC reported, including employees who worked on devices and services. More cutbacks were announced in March by CEO Andy Jassy.
The company has also dialed back some of its health care offerings: In December it shuttered its telemedicine service, Amazon Care.
If you're a Halo owner looking to find a replacement wearable, here are the best smartwatches for 2023 and the best fitness trackers for 2023 -- including the Fitbit Charge 5, the Apple Watch and the Oura Ring Gen 3.