Microsoft Band can now track your hikes

Microsoft today announced that it’s rolling out an update for the Microsoft Band wearable that will let users track their hikes using the new Explore Tile.

The Microsoft Health app is also getting an update and becoming available for all Windows 10 devices as a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app, not just Windows Phone. Once the Band has tracked your hike with the Explore Tile, you’ll be able to sync data with the app and check out the map of your travels on a larger screen, Lindsey Matese, senior communications manager for Microsoft Band and Health, wrote in a blog post.

With this update, the Band will remind you to drink water, show notifications about weather advisories, automatically pause when you take a rest for a moment, tell you when you are being exposed to a lot of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and let you control your music without your phone, Matese wrote. Altogether, she wrote, the device will be able to follow where you go for up to 12 hours.

By adding support for more activities, the Band is becoming a better companion relative to, say, the Apple Watch or Android Wear devices, or the Fitbit or Jawbone. Earlier this year Microsoft added support for weight tracking, as well as a special golf tournament mode.

Currently the Band costs $174.99 on the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and other online retailers. Microsoft has not disclosed how many Bands it has sold.