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Walk into any big-box gym today and you’ll see a sea of Apple Watches and the occasional Oura Ring. But back in 2016, there was this weird, sleek, red-and-black interloper trying to take over your wrist. The Under Armour UA Band. It wasn't just a watch; it was supposed to be the "brain" of your entire athletic life.
Honestly, the ambition was kind of insane. Under Armour didn't just want to sell you a tracker; they teamed up with HTC—yeah, the phone people—to create a whole "HealthBox." You got a scale, a chest strap, and this band. It was a $400 bet that you wanted your life to be a giant spreadsheet of sweat.
But if you try to find one now, or worse, try to sync an old one you found in a drawer, you’re in for a rough afternoon.
The Under Armour UA Band Nobody Talks About Anymore
Most people remember Under Armour for the shirts that make you look like a superhero, not for hardware. But the Under Armour UA Band was actually a pretty decent piece of kit for its time. It had this 1.3-inch PMOLED screen that stayed invisible until you tapped it. It looked like a seamless piece of rubberized plastic. Very "stealth wealth" but for CrossFit enthusiasts.
It tracked the basics: steps, sleep, and resting heart rate. But the real "sauce" was the integration.
Under Armour had spent nearly a billion dollars buying up apps like MyFitnessPal and MapMyRun. They wanted the UA Band to be the physical bridge to that digital empire. You’d finish a run, and the band would shove that data into the UA Record app, which would then talk to your lunch log in MyFitnessPal. On paper, it was the perfect ecosystem.
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In reality? It was a bit of a mess.
The charger was this finicky magnetic thing that would fall off if a breeze hit it. The heart rate sensor on the wrist was fine for sleep, but if you were doing high-intensity intervals, it basically guessed. That’s why they bundled it with a chest strap. They knew the wrist tech wasn't there yet.
Why did it vanish?
By late 2017, the writing was on the wall. Under Armour realized that making hardware is a nightmare. It’s expensive, the margins are thin, and you’re competing with Apple and Garmin—companies that eat hardware for breakfast.
They quietly killed the HealthBox. Then, they stopped selling the band.
The final blow came in early 2020. Under Armour officially retired the UA Record app. If you own a Under Armour UA Band today, it’s basically a futuristic-looking bracelet. Since the app is gone, there’s no official way to sync your data or even set the time on many units if they’ve been factory reset.
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The Tech Specs That Actually Mattered
For the nerds out there, the Under Armour UA Band was actually ahead of the curve in a few tiny ways.
- Water Resistance: It was rated at 2ATM. You could shower with it, but UA told people not to submerge it. Kind of a "don't push your luck" situation.
- Battery Life: You got about five days. Compared to the 18 hours of an Apple Watch, that was a win.
- The "Workout" Mode: You could set the screen to stay on during a session. No more flicking your wrist like a maniac while trying to hit a PR on the bench.
It used a simple "Real-Time OS" developed with HTC. It was snappy. It didn't lag. It just... didn't do enough to justify the $180 price tag when a Fitbit Charge could do most of it for $50 less.
The MyFitnessPal Connection
The real value wasn't the silicon; it was the data. Under Armour was obsessed with "Connected Fitness." They wanted to know when you slept, what you ate, and how many miles you ran so they could sell you the exact right pair of shoes the moment your old ones wore out.
It was a brilliant data play. But users didn't really care about the "ecosystem." They just wanted to know how many calories they burned during hot yoga.
What to Do If You Still Have One
If you’ve got a Under Armour UA Band sitting in a box, you might be tempted to resurrect it. Don't.
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Since the UA Record app is dead, the band has lost its "brain." You can't update the firmware. You can't track long-term trends. While some users have hacked together ways to sync some data with third-party tools, it’s a massive headache.
Under Armour has pivoted hard. They aren't trying to be a tech company anymore. They're back to being an apparel company that happens to have some cool apps. In 2026, the brand is focused on "core" products—shoes and shirts. They even split off the Curry Brand recently to let it run its own race.
Hardware is a distraction they no longer want.
Actionable Next Steps for Former UA Band Fans
If you miss the simplicity of the Under Armour UA Band, you’ve actually got better options now than you did in 2016.
- Check out the Whoop Strap: If you loved the "no-distraction" screenless feel (or minimal screen), Whoop is the spiritual successor. It’s all about recovery and data, minus the "smartwatch" fluff.
- Move to Garmin: If you specifically liked the athletic, rugged vibe of the UA ecosystem, Garmin’s Connect app is the closest thing to what UA Record tried to be.
- Export Your Old Data: If you haven't checked your MyFitnessPal or MapMyRun accounts lately, log in. Your old data from the UA Band era might still be sitting there. Export it before another "restructuring" happens.
- Recycle the Hardware: Don't throw it in the trash. The Under Armour UA Band contains a lithium-ion battery. Most Best Buy locations or local e-waste centers will take it for free.
The era of the "everything" fitness box is over. We've traded the dream of a single brand owning our health for a world where our rings, watches, and even our shoes all talk to each other through Apple Health or Google Fit. Under Armour was just a little too early—and maybe a little too ambitious—for their own good.