Report: Halo’s final survival attempts made even Amazon’s workers concerned

Amazon is discontinuing its Halo project, including the Band and View fitness trackers and the Rise bedside sleep tracker, making the devices useless on August 1. Amid the company's largest-ever wave of layoffs and reports that even the popular Alexa voice assistant has failed to bring in money, this wasn't surprising. It's still sad, though, to realize that countless devices will become obsolete and at huge risk of becoming e-waste (despite Amazon telling customers to recycle devices through its recycling programs, all costs covered).

But perhaps it's just as well, because a report from The Verge today claims to peer into Halo's last attempts at survival. And the Halo that Amazon reportedly tried to realize is one we're happy not to encounter.

Halo reportedly creeped out its own creators

Reported plans for Halo could have pushed products to gather more data on how users exercise in order to provide virtual rewards, to offer recommendations, and to track performance. However, the features Amazon is said to have explored sound potentially invasive, collecting uniquely personal data.

According to The Verge, Amazon was working on updating the Halo app to use a smartphone's camera and computer vision to track user workouts and progress.

“Trainers will lead these workouts, but unlike traditional Halo Fitness workouts, check-ins are computer vision-enabled and add form tracking, rep counting, and detailed performance metrics in the post-workout summary,” an internal document said.

The Verge reported that "even Amazon’s own employees expressed pause over having a camera analyzing them and sharing data with Amazon during workout routines."

Besides companies with similar concepts, like ArtiFit and Alfa AI, which The Verge noted, Peloton is a well-known example of a company selling fitness gadgets that use computer vision. But trusting a conglomerate like Amazon with that sort of power might not sit right with many. Customers are increasingly wary of how tech giants like Amazon use their personal data. Even though Amazon says it doesn't sell customer data to third parties, it uses information from its products, like Alexa, for targeted advertising. Its Halo Rise, View, and Band have all been criticized for more data privacy concerns than have a Peloton Bike or Tread, for example.

Meanwhile, Amazon reportedly tried hard to use Halo user data to further the brand. The Verge quoted an unnamed source as saying:

The amount of data Amazon collected on [Halo] customers is incredible. While we never looked at individual user data, we could see the percent of folks who used each aspect of the product and created cohorts to target based on usage. We also closely tracked competitor sales on Amazon to make product decisions.

Also, Amazon tried using Alexa to identify people interested in fitness and hit them with Halo ads. Your Alexa request didn't need to be Halo-specific; a general query like "what's a good yoga mat?" could land you in Halo's ad crosshairs, The Verge said.

Amazon hoped to use this tech to partner with company health care plans.

“We are exploring Halo as an employee benefit for Amazon, we will engage employers to deliver Donna [the reported codename for the Halo AI Trainer] as a ‘perk’ they can offer to employees. As we build evidence of Donna’s impact, we will begin collaboration discussions with health plans and self-insured employers to offer Donna as a covered benefit going into 2024 plan years," an internal document said, according to The Verge.

Apple Watch integration

Amazon was reportedly going to let Apple Watch users start leveraging the Halo subscription service by adding HealthKit support to the software. Amazon could have expanded Halo's reach beyond those willing to settle for the limited functionality of Halo Band or Halo View, while allowing Apple users to enjoy features they care about, like Apple activity goals.

The Verge shared what it said were "internal mock-ups" of what Halo would have looked like after this software upgrade. They include a landing page that lets users connect a Halo View, Band, Rise, or an Apple Watch to the app. It also shows a page where users can select their "interests," like "working out," "moving more," strength training," and "meditation," and a page for signing up for a free 30-day trial.

“To drive plan adherence and habit formation, customers will receive badges and awards for streaks/achievements/milestones, be able to easily schedule workouts with reminders, make day-of workout modifications based on duration, preference (e.g., cardio instead of strength), or their current energy levels,” an internal document reportedly said.

Images The Verge shared claiming to be mock-ups show the app offering stats on things like muscle mass and body fat percentage, "fat free mass index," and scores for strength and movement.

The publication claimed Amazon considered launching the updated Halo Digital for $7.99 a month during its 2023 fall event. But neither the Rise, which Amazon announced at its 2022 fall event, nor other Halo products will survive that long.

Another innocuous, though arguably cheesy plan, was to introduce more "interactive fitness classes" to subscribers and to tap celebrities, like John Stamos, to read bedtime stories. Goodnight Moon as read by Uncle Jesse isn't exactly a brand-saving idea, but The Verge reported that the celeb voice recordings were "largely finished" before Amazon pulled Halo's plug.

Only as good as its hardware

In an internal email viewed by The Verge, Amazon blamed Halo's death on “significant headwinds, including an increasingly crowded segment and an uncertain economic environment.” Still, Halo's most obvious shortcomings were the gadgets themselves. The Band and Rise lacked features compared to rivals, for example, while the View was criticized for poor app support and its approach to features like body fat measuring,

Amazon reportedly knew of some Halo product flaws, too, like the View tending to deteriorate where the tracker and band touch. Addressing these concerns was said to cause marketing pauses, allowing competitors to move ahead.

Someone shopping on Amazon for a Halo gadget would have immediate reason to consider alternatives since reviews averaged under four stars, while other Amazon products, like Echos and Fire TVs, often averaged around 4.5 stars, The Verge noted.

Ultimately, this all adds up to a reported 500,000 View and Rise devices remaining in Amazon's inventory. And although it's unfortunate that those who bought Halo products may not see refunds (only those who bought a Halo product within the last year are eligible) and some devices will inevitably become e-waste despite recycling efforts, the Halo that Amazon was working on seemed more like a gimmicky, app-centered product with new privacy concerns. Such a device would have done little to address hardware shortcomings or provide more value than established competitors.

Amazon's response

The Verge said it obtained its information from "discussions with current and former Amazon employees" who it did not name. Amazon declined to provide comment and pointed the publication to Amazon's April 26 post announcing Halo's end.

When asked for confirmation of the claims in The Verge's report, an Amazon spokesperson told Ars Technica, “We do not use Halo health data for marketing, product recommendations, or advertising, and we do not sell customers’ Halo health data. This was true when Halo first launched and remains true today.”