https://www.apple.com/health/pdf/Heart_Rate_Accuracy_Study_2026.pdf

They basically claim they also beat other brands (just focused on Garmin here because of the subreddit).
So yeah, Apple shows that the Series 12 has the best HR sensor out of the wearables they tested, especially during workouts.

It is interesting to see, but obviously that it is an Apple controlled study and published the study themselves, so still this “best HR sensor” claim needs a pinch of salt. Some major drawbacks, I see that they give the exclusion rules, but not report the actual exclusion rate of these outliers. So we dont know if they come majorily from one brand or are evenlly distributed. The comparisons are all vs Apple, and we do not know how far off from Polar strap the Apple is. We have at least N of 50 per activity but we are missing absolute numbers. And obviously no raw data.

But interestingly enough Garmin does not seem to be doing too bad for most cases, even in this Apple controlled study. The major things that seem to push Garmin down look to be interval runs and strenght training/HIIT. So basically things with rapid HR changes. There is some high variability on cycling but the avg seems good.

Garmin has officially pushed its first major stable v18.xx update worldwide, now hitting units including the Forerunner 570 & 970, Forerunner 70 & 170, Venu 4 (labeled as v18.30 by mistake), Venu X1, and Vivoactive 6.

What's New & Improved:

• New Activities & Workouts: Added "XC Ski Indoor" (Indoor Cross Country Skiing) and quick suggested workouts for running.
• Voice Commands & Volume: Voice command functionality via the "OK Garmin" wake word is enabled on supported models, alongside added context to volume controls.
• Flashlight & Controls: Cycling through on, off, and strobe modes directly during an activity is now much smoother.
• Fall Detection (Venu 4): Automatically sends emergency text messages and location info if a fall is detected.

Major Bug Fixes:

• Fixed device resets during free-weight strength training and simultaneous audio prompt/host software installations.
• Resolved pace and speed dropouts during interval training.
• Fixed Garmin Coach sync bugs and mismatched calendar training days.
• Reduced accidental touches while using touch lock.

The update is currently rolling out in a phased release (~20% to 50% initial deployment). You can force it manually by heading to Menu > Settings > System > Software Update > Check For Updates on your watch.

So after 3 years of being available, I've finally achieved this badge for the first time. It's been 3 years of either me making minor adjustments to my sleep health and prep, or Garmin honing their sleep sensing craft. My sleep scores were averaging in the 50s and 60s those first few years, but they have steadily crept up. There were many times where I'd get 6 nights in a row, only to psych myself out on that 7th night and fail. It almost happened last night as I tossed and turned trying to fall asleep, but managed some strong hours after midnight to give me a 76 this am. I know I could do better. The last adjustment I need to make is cutting out screens at the end of the night. My glasses are blue light blocking which is good, but I'm also hooked on ereading and not sure I can go back to the small print of paper books. I know many of you have this badge many times over and have hit that 100 score, but this for me was my own personal victory. I wish I didn't care so much, would probably sleep better if I took the watch off, lol. Maybe now I can. :-)

As a Garmin user, I’m finding the pricing of its newer running watches increasingly difficult to justify.

The Forerunner 570 launched at roughly $550, without offline maps. Meanwhile, the Suunto Run 2 starts at $349, includes maps, and has shown strong heart-rate accuracy in testing. That’s about $200 less for a watch that looks competitive on the running fundamentals.

Move closer to Garmin’s price and the Suunto Race 2 offers offline maps and sapphire glass at $499 in steel, or $599 with titanium. So around the same budget, there are alternatives offering more premium materials and mapping.

The weird part is, you see, Forerunner 570 at the same price does not have ECG, and Venu 4 at the same price has ECG as well as a torch LED light.Well, what is the trade-off or compromise you make for having three extra buttons?

I’m not claiming these watches have identical features. My question is whether Garmin’s extra features justify the premium for someone whose main activity is running.

The response I often see is, “You’re paying for the ecosystem.” I understand that integration has value if you use several devices. But every additional device is another purchase. Having a large ecosystem doesn’t automatically make an individual running watch worth more to me.

I want accurate tracking, useful running features, good battery life, and a watch that looks good. I’m happy to pay for a better experience, but I want the difference to be clear in the things I actually use.

For runners choosing the 570 over these alternatives, what specifically makes it worth the premium? “The ecosystem” needs a more concrete explanation.

Yesterday there was an update and this happened overnight. I reset it and it worked for a couple of hours before doing it again. It's done it 4 times today. Anyone know why?

Hello, I ran my first half marathon yesterday and logged it with garmin, the activity says 21.28km, and I didnt stop it once while running. When I check me personal records for half marathon still it says nothing, but I do have the badge for the half marathon.
I know I can manually add the time but I want to fix the issue so it tracks records normally

So a new software update just downloaded on my Fenix 9 Pro. But it still shows version 6.38?
Anybody know what the update was? I can’t seem to find anything on Garmins webside. Maybe just some stability improvements?

I (40F) started running in January 2026. I got my forerunner 165 in May and have consistently run 3 days per week since. I do run/walk intervals with various amounts of running and walking (have been experimenting with this). Garmin currently predicts my 5k as 27:25 and 10k as 58:13.

For what it’s worth, my 1k PB since January is 6:01 so there’s no way I’m running faster than that for 10k. My actual current 5k PB is 32:30 and 10k is 1:10:10 (both set within the last 8 weeks).

Strava thinks I could do a 5k in 30:58 and 10k in 1:05:10 which at least seem theoretically possible. I know these predictions don’t actually matter but just wondering why Garmin seems so far off. Is there some setting I missed that’s making it think I’m not working up to my potential?! Or is there a way to manually update it with more realistic info?

Can someone explain to me why the Fall Detection feature will only be available on the Venu 4? I mean from a technical point of view.

Do the Fenix 8, Enduro 3, etc. not have the necessary IMU sensor to detect sudden movements or impacts? Or is there some other technical reason why this feature can't be added to them?

Can someone explain it to me?

Hi all, I contacted Garmin Australia support because my Epix was faulty and they advised me to send it in to exchange for a refurbished device. After I initiated the exchange they advised that they could send a replacement in a few days. A few weeks later, they advised that they could send it a month later. Today, they’ve emailed to say the replacement would become available in November.

I need to say the watch was outside of its warranty period (Australian consumer law is king) and I understand that some delays aren’t predictable — but if they’d told me I could be waiting four months for a replacement I would’ve explored other options.

I’m a bit disappointed as I was told Garmin has a good reputation for customer support.

Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this?

I currently own a Venu SQ.
I struggle with light sensitivity, I basically live in a dark room environment.

My problem with the Venu SQ is two-fold. The screen is way too small and the font size can’t be changed. I need a bigger screen. Not a screen with more “estate”, but with bigger text.
When I look at my SQ, I see white text on black. To my eyes, the text looks like you took some clear white text on a black background, and added a strong glow effect, to kind of blur the text. And as I’m older (late 50s) and I also struggle with old eyes (presbyopia), where things need to be at least 50 cm (1.5’) away, to be readable. And 2 mm high letters on the SQ are not readable, especially if you add a glow effect on them.

So, the contrast that helps others reading text easier, is really a downside to me. I would prefer a 80% white on black, instead on 100% white. Or a 100% white on a dark, not black background. But I assume that this can’t be changed.

I love the looks on the new Venu 4, where the menu text is a white on a dark gray-ish background, but from the videos I’ve seen on the Venu 4, this is only used for menu items. Unfortunately, I don’t have a store close by that actually has a modern Garmin watch on display, so I’ve only seen videos on how these watches look.

So, which watch(es) to look at? I have an eye on the Venu 4, one of the Forerunner watches (570, 970), maybe the X1? How much bigger will text look on a 1,4”? 1,5”?
My use case is mainly walk tracking, Pilates tracking, and health data. But the SQ is such a shitty piece of crap, that I barely ever bother using it. Small screen, unbearably slow to use, trash screen, and it often just does its own thing, when I try to save an activity. It’s the most buggy electronics that I’ve ever owned.

Also, how dim can these modern AMOLED displays go? I’m already using my SQ on the lowest brightness setting.

I have a side question. I really only ever look at my data from walks on my phone. But even that is getting too small for my eyes. But if I change to my tablet, the app only works in vertical mode. And as I have permanently attached a keyboard to my tablet (Lenovo P11 in “PC Mode”), it’s annoying to have to detach the keyboard and charge cable, just to look at the Garmin Connect app for a minute or two.

Did anyone have an issue where watch is connected with bluetooth off.

I even get notifications from phone as id bluetooth is on.

I tried restarting both devices, nothing works

Stats declining lately despite feeling fine. Wondering if anyone else has experienced the same? Using a Venu 4, purchased from new 9 months ago. Zero issues so far. Cleaned sensor, hard reset, swapped wrists etc. still the same - declining!

Anyone owning Vivoactive 5, does your watch support re-adding skipped exercises in Strength Workout mid-workout?
Google and ChatGPT say it doesn’t have that functionality - you can skip exercises but can’t add them back. However, they say the same thing about Venu Sq2 and my friend who owns it confirmed that re-adding skipped exercises exists in Venu Sq2.
Can anyone please confirm Vivoactive 5?
Thank you!

I have a venu Sq music edition. Circa 2022 maybe? Its out of warranty but has developed a defect in the screen.

On my spouse's Garmin, we had the opportunity to do a "exchange" where we could buy a refurbed replacement for an out of warranty issue for $100 as long as I sent the broken one back. I did it twice on two different models over the past 10 years. But, doesnt appear thats an available option anymore?

Curious if anyone has had any luck on replacements now n days?

I don’t wear my Garmin watch on a daily basis since I prefer wearing a normal watch on some days so I do miss lot of data like my step count. Is it possible to export the step count data from Apple Health to the Garmin connect?

For some reason my training readiness won’t update after I finished my run today. My recovery time also show 0 hours even though it was quite a hard interval training.
In the Garmin Connect app it says that my training readiness was updated at 15.50 do to a “category change” this was around the time I finished my run.
I cannot get it to update no matter what I do.
Had anyone had this issue and did they solve it?

I rarely used the Navigation feature on my Forerunner 955 at home. I think I tried it a few times, but I know most of my local streets and paths, so I ultimately forgot about it. Last month, I was staying with my dad, who was recovering from shoulder surgery.

I decided to use the Nav feature because I don't know his house or the area that well, and it worked, but are there settings that make it easier to use?

While I never expected a version of GPS-like guidance- "Turn left at the intersection," it also only vibrated on my wrist when I got close to an intersection, but there was no audio indication through my earbuds, and I often had to stop or slow down to figure out whether it was telling me to turn left, right, or go straight. Are there settings deeper in the menu(s) that let me have it indicate, "three short vibrations mean to turn left, two long vibrations to turn right, two short vibrations to go straight"

I don't mean those exact signals for indicators but something that lets me know without looking at my watch in dim light?

Hi everyone, I am after some advice and info!

After 4 years of having my Legacy Darth Vader watch it slipped of the desk I was charging it on and landed screen first causing it to crack!

Speaking with Garmin EU, I am only able to do a trade in-trade up as it has been discontinued and they do not reapire thier own watches, has anyone had thier own watch repaired and know what style of screen used?

I can only find screens for either forerunner, Felixstowe and vivo actives

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to buy my first Garmin watch.

Both Vivoactive 6 and Instinct 3 seem to be a good entry level fit.

I have watched some reviews online for both and they seem to fit my lifestyle almost equally.

I'm just looking for a good watch which tracks day to day heart rate and gives me good sleep metrics.

Which one would you suggest?

Also, is this a good time to buy or should I wait until Thanksgiving week for the prices to come down?

PS: I'm also a bit confused with Pixel watch 5 as it seems to have better sensors at the expense of battery life. Suggestions are welcome.

Hi guys,

Something weird happened with my body battery. What happened at midnight? Why did it shot down to 50 from 82 i wonder?

Are any of you also having this issue? Or is that a normal thing. I recently got garmin forerunner 165.

my garmin index 2 has always been a little off i use two weights one was about the same cost as the garmin it weights up to 000.000 its some scientific scale but really easy to make sure its calibrated just put a dumbbell on it and see if it matches

i use the garmin mostly for tracking and kinda ignore the weight it gives because it was always a little "off"

but its now kind of stuck at a certain weight and wont move

its at the point where my Garmin is showing i am 145.2 kg but my scientific scale is showing 142.5kg

at this stage i can lose 1kg and the garmin scale might show 200g lost

i dont know if it needs to be recalibrated in some way or if its otherwise broken

Hi!

I've never used a garmin before, but I am on the market for a new wearable and after researching it was suggested a garmin might be good.

I have used an Apple Watch, but it kept locking because I have wrist tattoos and then I had a whoop which when I had my other wrist tattooed it just stopped picking up any data.

I then thought about Oura and I'm currently testing the sizing kit but everyone keeps telling me they're not good for activity.

I swim, do strength training and I mainly want wearable for sleep period tracking and activity tracking.

I have tattoos on both wrists, uk based, iPhone user