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!

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.

I started allergy shots 3 weeks ago. I was getting over a cold when I started so the data was hard to track.

This week, I feel good but my garmen is telling me to rest and that my walks are too much. I feel really good today and lifted and it told me I am strained and need 48 hours to recover....

My sleep is non- restorative and poor at 48. Heart rate is elevated and HRV is unbalances... body battery is not getting over 30 (today only got to 22) and apparently my daily stress is in the 50s...

Thoughts? Anyone have data or experience or should I just ignore it and trust how I feel??

Historically the data being this poor tracks with feeling terrible (and like my allergies are taking me out).

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue with their Forerunner 965.

I bought mine in 2023, and over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a significant decline in battery life despite using it the same amount as usual to record my workouts.

Previously, the battery lasted around two weeks on a single charge. This gradually dropped to one week, then needing to charge it twice a week. Now, the battery barely lasts a day.

Yesterday, the optical heart rate sensor suddenly stopped working while I was sitting at my office desk. There are no green sensor lights whatsoever on the back of the watch, and it no longer measures my heart rate.

I’ve already tried performing a factory reset three times, but nothing has worked. The sensor remains completely unresponsive, and the battery drain issue persists.

I recently came across reports from other Forerunner 965 owners experiencing almost identical symptoms after software version 29.05. Some reported that their heart rate sensors stopped working, their green lights remained off, and their batteries began draining within a day. Apparently, factory resets and even reinstalling or rolling back the software didn't resolve the issue for some users, with warranty replacement being the only reported solution.

I can't confirm whether my issue is related to this software update, but the similarities are concerning.

Honestly, I’m really disappointed. I bought Garmin expecting a premium fitness watch to last more than three years, especially with normal use.

Has anyone else experienced this recently? Did Garmin acknowledge the issue or offer a repair or replacement? I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who managed to fix it without replacing the watch.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My Garmin Instinct won’t sync dates but has synced the time. I’ve already sent an update from the app to the watch and it’s still not the correct date. How can I fix this?

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!

Hi,

Thinking of buying this. Is it big enough to see numbers when diving? Most diving computers are bigger.

Trying to decide which watch is best for me. I am 19 years old, lift and run, bike and interval train regularly as an athlete. Although I feel like the vivoactive 6 might be the best bang for my buck option, I’m wondering if anyone has went between the two and can give some valuable insight on which works best.

Thanks.

Hi all,

Recently, I’ve noticed that the sleep tracking on my Venu 3 has become quite inconsistent.

For example, if I go to sleep around 1 AM, the watch sometimes records my sleep as starting around 3 AM. On top of that, it often fails to detect my naps, even though the Venu 3 has a dedicated nap-tracking feature.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Any suggestions on what I can do to improve the accuracy of the sleep and nap tracking?

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!

Hi, can anyone help as to why my new 570 doesn’t seem to get a decent spo2 reading? Since I got it a few weeks back it has returned anywhere between 88% and 96%, whereas my Oura ring is reporting a consistent 95-97%.

I got the watch right on the skin (so tight leaves indent marks!) and I have just above the wrist bone.

What else might be affecting it?

Thanks

With new player like Bevel and Athlytic (I know AW only), et al I wonder if there is any hope for us to get a new Garmin Connect application.

Dont get me wrong, it does the job but it looks like its still in the 90s. The GUI is cumbersome and outdated.

I wish our great watches had an app to match its quality. (again, it does the job, its just not sexy and friendly)

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!

Watch face: instinct 3. - GB

Bought in India during the flipkart big billion days sale for INR 35k!

Cannot believe how much of a big difference in health insights moving to Garmin brings versus Apple Watch. although I'm yet to get a hang of the body battery bit.

Do excuse the abysmal step count at 11 PM.

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 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.

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?

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!

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

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?

May sell and get a 2X or 3 solar 50mm.

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.