Amazon introduced it might shut its Halo division, notifying workers within the U.S. and Canada of layoffs and Halo customers that the system and app will now not operate as of August 1.
Amazon Halo is an wrist-worn well being tracker with an accompanying app that makes use of well being metrics designed to provide customers a complete have a look at their well being and wellness and supply actionable suggestions to make enhancements.
The tech and retail large is offering workers affected by the closure transitional medical health insurance advantages, a separation cost and exterior job placement help.
Prospects will likely be offered full refunds on Amazon Halo Band, Amazon Halo View, Amazon Halo Rise and Amazon Halo accent band purchases made inside the previous 12 months. They’ll additionally obtain refunds for unused Halo subscription charges. The corporate stated well being information pertaining to the Halo wearables will even be deleted on August 1.
“We regularly consider the progress and potential of our merchandise to ship buyer worth, and we recurrently make changes based mostly on these assessments. We not too long ago made the tough choice to cease supporting Amazon Halo, efficient July 31, 2023. We’re extremely pleased with the invention and exhausting work that went into constructing Halo on behalf of our prospects, and our priorities are caring for our prospects and supporting our workers,” a spokesperson for Amazon instructed MobiHealthNews in an electronic mail.
THE LARGER TREND
On Wednesday, Amazon began letting go of some employees in its human assets and cloud computing divisions, which have been a part of the beforehand introduced layoffs anticipated to have an effect on 9,000 workers. The corporate had another round of layoffs starting final yr, affecting greater than 18,000 workers.
The corporate entered the wearable system market in August 2020 with the discharge of its Halo. It is since added new options to its wearable, together with Movement Health, and up to date its Halo line, including the Halo View in 2021 and Halo Rise in 2022.
Amazon has made a number of strikes into the healthcare house. It closed its $3.9 billion acquisition of major care supplier One Medical in February, shortly after a number of information shops reported the Federal Commerce Fee would not sue to dam the deal.
The corporate bought digital pharmacy PillPack in 2018 and launched Amazon Pharmacy about two years later.
The corporate additionally not too long ago introduced a subscription service for some generic medicine that can price a flat payment of $5 monthly.
