Re-using Magic Bands

[mike4scuba]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

So I got magic bands in 2019. Do I need new ones for the park or not? Confused

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We didn't. Ask at reception if they are ok to still work with the photopass if they are use them. If not buy them.

[Andysaurus]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

So I got magic bands in 2019. Do I need new ones for the park or not? Confused

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Seems that no, you can still use your old one to get in to the parks, hotel room and such. However ride photos will not automatically link if the battery is dead. According to YorkshireT anyway, but it seems logical.

[gismo1554]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

How would we know if these are dead?

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They do not die. We still have ones from 2018 we are using without any issues for standard things

Originally Posted by vampiress88

So I got magic bands in 2019. Do I need new ones for the park or not? Confused

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No you don't need a new one.

Traditional magic bands have 2 different functions. One is the standard functions that aren't battery controlled so never die - scanning into the parks, lightening lane/DAS check in, photopass scans etc. Then there is the long range battery operated function. This does die as it has a battery attached. All this works with is ride photos where you don't scan at the end of the ride to pick up.

The ride photos can still be picked up by a number of different ways:

1. scanning at the end of the ride - possible for some rides like Buzz Lightyear but not for all like Haunted Mansion for example
2. contacting photopass after the ride to get them to try and find the photo - you need to supply approx time and a photo of what you were wearing that day (I always use a different photopass photo from the day)
3. bluetooth on your phone if enabled will also link through the photo

[natanddaz]

Originally Posted by gismo1554

They do not die. We still have ones from 2018 we are using without any issues for standard things



No you don't need a new one.

Traditional magic bands have 2 different functions. One is the standard functions that aren't battery controlled so never die - scanning into the parks, lightening lane/DAS check in, photopass scans etc. Then there is the long range battery operated function. This does die as it has a battery attached. All this works with is ride photos where you don't scan at the end of the ride to pick up.

The ride photos can still be picked up by a number of different ways:

1. scanning at the end of the ride - possible for some rides like Buzz Lightyear but not for all like Haunted Mansion for example
2. contacting photopass after the ride to get them to try and find the photo - you need to supply approx time and a photo of what you were wearing that day (I always use a different photopass photo from the day)
3. bluetooth on your phone if enabled will also link through the photo

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Excellent info thank you! I will be taking ours from 2019 and will just put Bluetooth on our phones not paying out for new ones as I suspect this will be our last trip for a while.

[vampiress88]

Originally Posted by gismo1554

They do not die. We still have ones from 2018 we are using without any issues for standard things



No you don't need a new one.

Traditional magic bands have 2 different functions. One is the standard functions that aren't battery controlled so never die - scanning into the parks, lightening lane/DAS check in, photopass scans etc. Then there is the long range battery operated function. This does die as it has a battery attached. All this works with is ride photos where you don't scan at the end of the ride to pick up.

The ride photos can still be picked up by a number of different ways:

1. scanning at the end of the ride - possible for some rides like Buzz Lightyear but not for all like Haunted Mansion for example
2. contacting photopass after the ride to get them to try and find the photo - you need to supply approx time and a photo of what you were wearing that day (I always use a different photopass photo from the day)
3. bluetooth on your phone if enabled will also link through the photo

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How do you do the blue tooth bit?

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

How do you do the blue tooth bit?

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If your phone has MDE on, you take a picture of the QR code, for example on the outside of the queue at Haunted Mansion, which is meant to then mean it associates that with your mobile, and the Bluetooth on your phone if it is on is picked up by the receiver, and will automatically trigger the photo or video. This is the one where you are sat with the ghost in the doom buggy for example. But sometimes that system is down and doesn’t work with Bluetooth or a brand new magic band. I’ve had it fail with both last two trips. So you are always safer scanning anyway if an option exists. It doesn’t exist though on Haunted Mansion, I don’t think so if it’s down it’s down.
Point is your phone will do what the band does to trigger a photo or video being uploaded to your account as long as the system is working, you have Bluetooth switched on, and you photograph the QR code going in.
Remember, the band holds no information and is a very dumb device. People think it holds tickets etc- it doesn’t. All it contains is a unique code which it broadcasts to sensors in the park. RFID on the touch points just like your credit cards, and a weak transmitter which runs out after a year or two for the auto photos or videos. When the sensor in the park detects that code, it knows it’s you, as the band code is linked to your account on the server. So the computer linked to the sensor in the park, not your band, speaks to the Disney server, knows it’s John or whatever as it’s detected that simple code from your band, knows John’s account, where the tickets are stored and knows John has a ticket which sends a signal back to the computer to flash green and let you into the park, into Genie or whatever. It also knows John’s band has just been detected by a sensor on Mine Train, for the video, and uploads the video to the account linked by that code, so John gets to see himself riding on Mine Train automatically.
The bands are really dumb devices that store nothing but a code, all the ‘magic’ is done on the computer systems simply because they know that code is you as you linked that band to MDE.
And as I said, all the important stuff where you touch the band, to enter parks, Genie, get in the hotel or pay at the tills is RFID and doesn’t need a battery so should in theory go on forever. We are still happily using our Magic Bands from 4 years ago for all this no issue.

[vampiress88]

So for the photos as this seems to be the only issue I will have. So when they get pictures with the princess and I scan the band that’s ok but the auto ride photos they are different

[gismo1554]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

So for the photos as this seems to be the only issue I will have. So when they get pictures with the princess and I scan the band that’s ok but the auto ride photos they are different

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Yes exactly. The scanned photos are absolutely fine just the ride ones don't link threw automatically. For us its not a big deal as only really Haunted Mansion & Buzz we do from the list (and my sister does Frozen) but Buzz you can scan after you get off the ride and the others we either use bluetooth or just ask the photopass team to find (still missing one Frozen one from May however)

[TheNDawg]

Hi

I used my Magic band in November 2021 that I originally got in 2017, it opened my hotel door and linked all my photos etc

[Itsabunthing]

I know this is an old thread, but hopefully someone can answer. Our Magic Bands are from 2019 and they are no longer showing on MDE. Can I just re-link them on there or will I have to get new bands, please?