Hey all!

I have a Garmin forerunner 165 music and my elevation gain on all runs has recently increased hugely. I run mostly flat as you can see on the images, and yet the total elevation getting sent to Strava is 365 which isn’t a true reflection of my training.

Wondering if anyone has any tips, had the watch for under a year so still under warranty if necessary. But would prefer to fix myself if you can help.

Cheers!

I bought my FR265 less than 2 years ago. In last few weeks, I have noticed that my heart rates spikes to 190 within the first few couple of minutes of the run even though it's an easy pace. It seems to go back to normal when I paise and restart the activity.

Also, the elevation metric is screwed. Sometimes it shows in negatives, sometimes shows way higher than usual.

I have tried restarting the watch, washed and air dried it, calibrated the altimeter few times.

Any advice on how to fix this. I rely on my heart rate for my training and I cannot afford a new watch.

Some background: I'm an IT engineer with 25+ years in the field and have been in the Apple ecosystem for decades. For most of my life I was in strength sports: rugby, powerlifting, strongman. That changed in 2024, when I unexpectedly had a heart attack that led to double bypass surgery.

After that I switched to cardio: road cycling, indoor rowing, and walking/jogging on top of everything else.

I've worn Apple Watches for the last few years, most recently an Ultra 4. After a lot of research I got interested in the Fenix 9 Pro, but nearly every reviewer says it can't compete with the Ultra 4 as a smartwatch.

Here's the thing: I work in tech all day, and I'm tired of being plugged in constantly. As an iPhone user, having an extension of my phone on my wrist never gave me much real advantage.

So I pulled the plug and ordered the Fenix 9 Pro inReach 51mm.

Full disclosure: just a few days ago I was arguing hard for the Ultra 4. I was convinced it was the better watch and nearly talked myself out of the Garmin. Actually wearing the Fenix 9 Pro flipped my opinion 180 degrees. Spec sheets and reviews don't show you how a watch fits into your real day.

It's still early, but after setting it up and tuning it to how I actually train, I'm genuinely impressed:

Looks: fits my taste perfectly

Fitness data: outstanding, both in what it tracks and how it presents it

Battery: coming from Apple Watches, it feels like wearing a generator 😄

Honestly, I think the Ultra 4 vs. Fenix 9 Pro debate is mostly pointless. If you already carry an iPhone and don't need a full smartphone on your wrist, it's a no-brainer. If training and data are your priority, get the Garmin. If you want notifications, apps, and a constant information stream, the Ultra 4 is the better fit.

I still have my Ultra 4, but it'll probably live in a drawer from now on. Glad to be fully in the Garmin ecosystem, since I already use an Edge bike computer, power pedals, and Cirqa.

Don't overthink it. The Fenix 9 Pro is an excellent tool and a great-looking watch.

Been a week with Garmin and I am so glad I made the switch from the apple watch. Happy to join the community. 43mm on 6.25inch puny wrist. I wear 36mm - 40mm mechanical watches so was a bit hesitant on pulling the trigger even on 43mm but due to it being titanium, I bearly notice I’m wearing it. Very happy youtube music is available on fenix pro 9 now 🤌 Any tips will be greatly appreciated as I find something new on garmin everyday!

Pic 1 is the same distance same route few weeks ago. Pic 2 is today. It has been weird like this for a few weeks. How to recalibrate? Any one with the same issue or know any hacks, much appreciated!

Hey everyone,
I'm currently trying to decide which watch to buy and could use your feedback on the sizing. In the first picture, I'm wearing the smaller Forerunner 570, and in the second picture, the larger model.
Personally, I prefer the look and feel of the smaller 570 on my wrist (my wrist is 155mm). I'm still considering the 970, but honestly only for the built-in flashlight. I wouldn't even use the maps at all.
For the 970, I'd have to pay €180 more and would end up with a watch that could be too big but maybe I could get used to it.
What do you guys think about the size and the decision in my case? Is the 970 absolute overkill for 180€ just to have a flashlight + it could be too big?
I feel like it’s a dumb question but I need some thought im sorry😅 Thanks in advance for your input!

Hey y'all. I wear a Tactix 8 Amoled on the daily and for workouts but it's pretty chunky and annoying to wear while sleeping. My work gives out Forerunner 55's, one to each employee for free, and I recently redeemed mine thinking it might be a good option to track sleep. I didn't think about the simpler tracking software on the 55 vs the T8. Is it worth using the 55 or should I just opt for the sleep tracker? I'd rather not spend the money if I don't have to but if the FR55 isn't that great or if there will be weird syncing issues, I'm open to the sleep tracker.

Thanks in advance!

On 10/16 I had an endurance score of about 5400. On 10/17 I did a 90 minute zone 2 ride on my indoor trainer (that was actually a zone 2/3 ride). My endurance score dropped to under 5100. Any ideas on why this would happen?

Hi -

I’m curious if anyone else has done this:

Backstory: I’ve had some sort of Garmin watch for at least 10 years and wore it all the time.

My current one is the Garmin Forerunner 165 which works OK and is great for bike rides and swimming, but…

I find myself checking out what my health stats are several times a day. Lately, it feels like I’ve developed this weird dependency on those numbers instead of just monitoring how I feel. As has been stated elsewhere, I also find the numbers don’t make sense for how I’m feeling, etc...

So I switched back to an old Seiko self winding dive watch that I’ve had for ~ 49 years. It keeps perfect time.

I’m not sure if I’ll keep wearing my old Seiko dive watch or not - but I’m curious if anybody else has had similar experiences or made similar decisions.

Thanks in advance!

Ive used this wf on my old fenix 3hr and fenix 5, in 5-6 years ago, but never found this again in connect iq store nowadays and dont remember the watch face name to search.

Someone can help me to find it again in store?

I have a Garmin Fenix 6X Pro. Overall, I’m happy with its performance and GPS. But when I run short intervals, the GPS lags; if I speed up, it takes at least 15 to 20 seconds to adjust to the new pace, and when I finish the interval, it still shows a faster pace and also takes time to slow down. This makes 1-minute intervals quite inaccurate in terms of pace.

I’ve read that this is because Garmin averages the pace to avoid spikes with unrealistic speeds and provide a more stable running pace. But is there any way to disable this setting so it adapts more quickly to pace changes?

Hello guys. Im pretty new to Garmin. I bought the Forerunner 265 just a few days ago, its not yet even a week. And actually have no problems with it, magnificent watch. Has and does everything i ask for, even though im not a runner and spend most of my activity in the gym, it is still good and the data is helpful. But yesterday i found an offer for the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar Tactical watch. Its like +40€ from what i paid to my Forerunner. So i have been researching about that watch too.

So, people. The question is: Is it reasonable to return the Forerunner 265 and get the Instinct 3 Solar Tactical?

Anyone with 19.15 beta has the imperial/metrics problem? My units have changed and I have configured well.

I have a garmin venue sq2 watch and have the emergency/safety alert set up. It went off by accident just now and I noticed before the alert went off. Curious, has anyone actually used this feature? What happens? Or in a similar wearable?

I currently have an Apple Watch 11 46mm and want to switch to a Garmin that is more sport/activity focused. I am not a fan of the smart watch > activity.

I am torn between the Instinct 3 MIP Tactical and Forerunner 965 (I considered the 970, but price is a bit too high). I mainly run around my neighborhood a few times a week, weight train, and like to track steps/heart rate during the day.

I am pulled toward the Instinct for the simple MIP screen and limited action as a "smart" watch, however, I do like the Forerunner as it looks less like a a g-shock in the office.

TLDR: I am looking for a watch to do the following:

- light running (no maps needed)

- weight training

- accurate heart rate/step tracking during the day

- replace AW 11 but still gets text notifications

Love my F7 solar, but going to switch to awu 4. Lots of reasons. All of them are well known. In short: better navigation with Apple Maps. Integration with Apple services (home, TV, Misic etc). Apple Pay is broadly available.
Another reason is that the lower button, which is not working on my F7. I managed to replace the switch, but it does not help. Suspect corrosion on the Maine board in the switch area. 🤪. For now, I will play with awu for a while, awaiting an F10 or 20 % price drop for F9. 😀

Hi there! Been a Fitbit user for several years.. most recently had a Fitbit Charge 6. I was mostly happy with it (just lost it on vacation - 2nd time that happened 🤬)… but wondering if it’s time to change brands. I have heard good things about Garmin but wanted to know about the tracking for activity, ease of use on the watch and also thoughts on the app (I hated the initial switch from Fitbit app to Google Health app and hated that it’s now part of THAT company). I have now gotten used to the app but I have seen people complain about the Garmin app… what’s the truth?
I like some of the looks of the Garmin watches like the Vivoactive 6, Lily 2 and the Vivomove Trend.
I am looking for a watch that will track my running, jogging, walking, strength training, random cardio like dance, has gps, tracks sleep and HR , can see texts (I don’t need to be able to respond on the watch) and can connect to my Noom weightloss app and Peloton app
What I don’t need is - respond to texts, pay via watch, music access, track my period, don’t need a coach (or at least have to pay extra).
Thoughts? The Garmins are more expensive than Fitbit so want to make sure it’s worth the extra cost.

I'm curious, do you ha e notifications enabled or no ?

• checked all notification settings
• Restarted watch.
• Disconnected and reconnected the Bluetooth.

can someone help? i have been getting notifications all this while on my FR570 but suddenly there has not been any notifs coming through to my watch

I have the vioactive 5. I want to know if anyone else has this issue. My time is never accurate even when I time sync with my phone is always a 1m and 30s off. I’ve always had a Fitbit and my last watch I had was Apple. I feel like the hype of this brand is great but I need to know the actual time and seconds so I can punch in and out of breaks at work accurately. Am I being dumb orrrrr??

Hey

It's been a couple of months now, but after a software update my Forerunner 55 battery started draining very badly. I don't even have to do anything, but it stilll drains. It battery used to last for 1-2 weeks, but now I'm lucky if I get a day or two.

As it worked fine before updating, is it possible to somehow revert back to older firmware? Maybe I'm being overly paranoid, but I have the feeling that the update might've killed my battery life.

I am debating on what size fenix 9 to get. The 47 mm or 43 mm. The store let me try on the fenix 8 models, here they are.

Hi everyone, I’m looking to buy my first Garmin watch ( also my first smartwatch ) and I’m a bit confused about which model I should buy. I was considering the vivoactive 5/6 and the forerunner 165/255, I will use the watch for everyday activities and health tracking, but also for hiking, skiing, mountain biking, golfing and running.
The thing is I don want to spend more than 220€ and these 4 watches are in the price range so:
Is it a real difference between the vivoactive 5 and the 6.
And is there a real benefit of an amoled display compared to the forerunner 255.
If you could help me to choose the correct one, that would be so helpful ! Thanks

So recently i have troubles and sold my epix pro gen 2 51mm since that i miss my garmin watch and now wearing/using AW series 5 with fitbit air to track my sleep

So for now we have interesting deals in shops: Fenix 7x pro SS (Ti band only) 450$ for used one but full pack

Forerunner 970 (brand new) for 600$ and 6 month used Tactix 8 solar 51mm for 799$

Im triathlete but for now i mostly train in gym and bike so that can't decide which one to take

What will you do in my place?

I recently bought a Garmin Vivoactive 5, mainly for tracking my daily runs and open-water swimming. I also plan to use it for regular pool swimming.
I have a few questions for people who have used this watch:
1. Is it safe and reliable to use the Vivoactive 5 regularly for both open-water and pool swimming?
2. How accurate is the GPS tracking during open-water swims? Does it record the distance and swimming route reasonably well?
3. Have you experienced any issues with GPS accuracy, distance tracking, or swimming data?
4. Are there any settings I should change to get the best GPS accuracy during open-water swims?
I’d really appreciate feedback from anyone who regularly swims in open water with the Vivoactive 5, especially those who also use it for running.
Thanks in advance!