Around the turn of the New Year, I issued a PSA about growing reports for Microsoft Band 2 battery issues. Those reports continue to mount, but there’s new evidence as to what the actual cause might be.
According to sources, due to how tight the components are inside the Band’s rubber-like sheath, the actual wires connected to the battery inside might be stretching and breaking. The stretching could be due to a couple issues:
- Microsoft Band 2 owners are choosing the wrong size band. Offered in small, medium, and large, getting the right size has always been a problem for those that opt to order online instead of a physical store. Buying a band in a physical store allows potential owners to try the different sizes and get the right fit before buying.
- Microsoft Band 2 owners are wearing the band too tightly. The clasp mechanism for the band can be ratcheted-up to a pretty snug fit. While the band should be snug for better sensor monitoring, it shouldn’t be overly tight.
Microsoft is still replacing Microsoft Band 2 with battery problems pretty easily, but you could save yourself some trouble by getting the right fit or just making sure not to over tighten it. I’m at fault for this (over tighten during runs) myself – though I’ve not had any battery problems yet.
There are a few cases where the battery has died multiple times for band owners and they have had them replaced 2 or 3 times. I suspect, in these cases, wire stretching is a pretty accurate deduction.
Additionally, there are reports of band clasps coming apart. These are also being attributed to wrong sizes and stretched casing in some cases.
