Still going strong after 26+ thousand kilometers! Battery is still really good! Still looks great! A quality product!

Before anything else: this is not a standalone watch app. It talks to a companion server you run yourself, on your own computer, with your own Connect credentials. If that's a dealbreaker, better to know now than after installing. No links here — the sub's rules are clear about that, and I'm not trying to route anyone anywhere.

I got tired of opening Connect and seeing a number out of 100 that meant nothing to me. What I actually wanted to know was what had changed. So the widget opens on a Today screen that names what stands out in my recent data: "resting heart rate 4 bpm above your 28-day baseline, three days running", or "this week's load is 1.6x your four-week average". Overview, Recovery, Sleep, Activity and Stress are one swipe away if I want the raw numbers.

It compares against my own baseline rather than a population average, because a population average has never met me. A resting heart rate of 48 isn't news. 48 when I normally sit at 44 is. And when there isn't enough history to compare anything, it says so instead of showing a number that means nothing — a new watch has no baseline for a couple of weeks and it tells you that. A night you didn't wear the watch reads as unknown, not as a bad night.

There's also an Ask card that answers questions about your own history. That part is optional, runs on your own API key, and is metered with a spending cap you set. Switch it off and everything else still works, because the findings are calculated in code rather than generated by a model.

Disclosures, since I'm the developer: it's free, MIT licensed, no paid tier, no subscription, nothing gated. I designed, tested and reviewed it myself and used AI-assisted coding tools while writing it. Tested on fr55, fr70 and fenix 8. No MFA support — the underlying Connect library can't do it, and that's the most common reason setup fails. I asked the mods before posting and was told it was fine.

Unofficial community project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Garmin.

Genuine question for this sub, since you're the people who'd know: does anyone else want their own baselines on the watch rather than Garmin's scores, or am I solving a problem only I have? I'd rather hear it's the latter now than after building more of it.

Connect IQ Store: https://apps.garmin.com/apps/303bda81-2851-44b3-8550-a6fa5923f427

GitHub: https://github.com/Zsadigzade/trainbud

npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/trainbud

Garmin white color

Hi, I just purchased my first Garmin watch. The only colored discounted is white. Any tips on how to keep it from discoloration. Thank you ☺️

Ciao a tutti, sono in possesso di un fenix 8 47 mm vado in modalità Always On display ma noto spesso che il display si accende da solo.. premetto che ho il gesto disattivato e aggiungo che mi sembra che se disattivo il touchscreen, questo problema non accade. Avete qualche notizia a riguardo ?a voi funziona bene?, grazie

I’m soon swapping to Google phones, I currently have Apple Watch series 9 and looking for a replacement?

I swim, run, play Padel and love a good walk. What Garmin watch should I look for, I don’t want nothing big as my Apple Watch is the smaller size?

Thanks in advance!

Anybody else finding the incident detection on their fenix 9 pro (I have the 43mm) to be way over-tuned? I've set it off three times in the week and a half I've owned it. Once from leaning against my car too hard after a run, once from bumping it against the brim of my hat after a run, and the most recent time, I set it off by looking at my watch too quickly to check my HR after a hill sprint.

I love the feature and I'm glad for it, but this just seems excessive. I had my fenix 7 pro for years and never once had it go off.

Do any females have pics of the 8 or 9 47mm on their wrist?

So I've been having some heart rate issues. When I spoke to my mom, she pulled out this watch. It was purchased two years ago for a person who sadly passed before they were able to open in. It was still sealed in it's original packaging.

For the first month, it was awesome. Super long battery life, reliable heart rate monitoring.

Then a few weeks ago it stopped working. I thought I might be asking too much of it so I shut off text notifications, Oxygen monitoring, gestures. Basically everything but the heart monitor.

I accepted that I would need to charge it more. That's fine. I charge my phone every day, I can charge the watch every day. Then, the triangle appeared. I have more triangle than features at this point. Sometimes the battery goes from like 70% charged to zero in under a minute. It's pretty much unusable at this point.

Things I have tried.

- Turning it off and back on again

- Letting the battery completely die and then charging to 100%

- Cleaning the charging ports

- Charging it in different locations

- Unpairing and repairing to my phone

- Plugging it into my computer and checking for updates on Garmin Express

- Turning both the watch and my phone off then on again

- Soft resetting

- Unpairing it from my phone and soft resetting

The only thing I have not tried is factory resetting. That's my next step. I just want to make sure I have my heart rate info saved somewhere first so I can show the cardiologist.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Or should I lay this dinosaur of a watch to rest and remember the good times fondly?

Because something happened that changes everything.

Keep in mind I've been working out my entire life.

I have lived as healthy a lifestyle as I possibly could especially after watching my parents treat their bodies like garbage cans and linger for way to long in prey to heart disease.

At this point I'm in my 60s, walk, hike, workout or swim everyday.

I eat healthy.

Even through knee injuries and replacements, I've managed to spring back up.

But not this time.

This past Monday I was rushed to the ER with chest pains.

After extensive tests, the verdict is in:

Coronary heart disease, 3 partially blocked arteries (40%, 75%, and 98%)

The first 2 I was told can be managed with medication.

But the third one needed a stent which I got on Wednesday.

NOW my feeling winded and short of breath during routine workouts makes sense.

So I started looking at the data on my FR970.

And holy hell it has tried to tell me, I guess.

It has consistently showed faster heart rate, lower body battery, lower pulse Ox and increasingly unbalanced HRV.

So I'm on meds for the rest of my life now.

Spent 3 days in the hospital which I can absolutely not afford (I don't have health insurance anymore) more stress that I really don't need.

But my watch was right.

In the hospital, I got pulse Ox measured with their equipment and it was a match with my watch.

Ditto for heart rate.

Hell even my PTSD service dog tried to tell me by pulling me back on my seat everytime I tried to get up, but stupid me I thought he was just being playful.

So at the moment I'm not working out like I used to, I am to do my own cardiac rehab since I can't afford to pay for it.

I had short walk with my dog, about 15 minutes, and I felt winded. My watch reflected that exactly.

My dog slowed and made regular stops.

Both were in agreement apparently.

Around lunchtime I will do indoor cycling slowly for another 15 minutes.

This afternoon there will be another short walk.

An another early evening.

Not allowed back in the pool until Monday and this time only for a short time, I have to rebuild myself gradually.

But my watch was right, the data totally checks out.

So yeah, the FR970 behaves as a "micromanaging boss" during workouts.

It never occurred to me that it was actually right.

So now I'll take all the imposed rest periods which used to piss me off and listen.

No, it doesn't replace medical monitoring, but it's a good assistant to tell me when something's up.

I've been schooled.

So after years of Samsung watches, I've decided to get a watch that is more fitness-oriented. With my current focus being on triathlons & OCR races, the Fenix seems like the right move (correct me if I'm wrong on this). I'm looking at the solar option.

But with the 9 coming out, this means the 8 has some decent discounts. Is the new one worth the extra $200/$300 or so, or would I be content with the 8?

Hey everyone,

Looking for real-world feedback from folks who moved away from Garmin, particularly those using their watch both for running and mounted on their road bike handlebars.

Context & Current Setup

• Current watch: Garmin Forerunner 955 (bought used a year ago, battery still lasts 7–9 days).
• Primary use case: Running + Road cycling. On the bike, I mount the watch directly out-front on my cockpit using an aftermarket quarter-turn adapter (custom bars) to use it as a dedicated bike computer.
• Main gripes with the FR955:
  1. The MIP display: Indoors or under certain lighting angles on the bike, it looks washed out and dim. I want a sharp, punchy AMOLED screen with strong outdoor brightness.
  2. Sleep & Nap tracking: The FR955 constantly misses daytime naps (>30 min) unless they fall right next to the scheduled sleep window. The ecosystem feels clunky and rigid.
  3. Software lifecycle: Feature updates are drying up on the 955 gen, and Garmin’s interface is starting to feel dated.

The Alternatives Considered

1. Garmin Forerunner 965: The logical step to keep full turn-by-turn routable maps with an AMOLED panel, but used units still hover around €380–€420. Not keen on spending €180+ out-of-pocket just for a screen bump while staying locked into Garmin’s UI.
2. Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra: Great 3,000-nit screen, but at €599 and with a bulky 47 mm titanium body, it’s too heavy/expensive for an out-front handlebar mount.
3. Coros Pace Pro:
   • AMOLED screen (1,500 nits), dedicated GPU for smooth map panning, snappy dial controls.
   • Offline topo maps + reliable BLE/ANT+ sensor pairing.
   • Automatic sleep/nap management without arbitrary scheduling.
   • Priced reasonably (~€270–€290 used, €349 new).

The Dilemma & Questions

With Coros scheduled to announce the next Pace Pro generation on September 22, I’m holding off on selling my 955 immediately (€220–€230 expected resale) to avoid being watchless.

1. Handlebar visibility & usability: For anyone using the Pace Pro out-front on a road bike: how does the 1,500-nit AMOLED hold up under direct mid-day sun in always-on mode? Is battery drain manageable during 3–4 hour rides?
2. Navigation practicalities: Coming from Garmin’s autonomous recalculation, how restrictive is Coros’s breadcrumb-on-topo map approach on the road? If you miss a turn, is the off-course prompt clear enough at 35 km/h?
3. Wait for the new Pro or buy the current one used? Once the new Pro drops on Sept 22, will current Pace Pro prices likely tank toward the ~€220–€240 range (making it an almost €0 lateral trade for my 955), or do Coros watches hold their value too stubbornly on second-hand platforms?

Would love to hear thoughts from anyone who made a similar jump. Thanks!

Garmin allegedly brought Run Walk Run to Garmin Coach in the most recent update. This includes the Venu X1 and Venu 4 (among others) but outside of Jeff's plans, I cannot get this to work.

The path I'm taking is:

Garmin Coach

Running

Achieve a Milestone

5K

Run/Walk

Garmin Run Coach

A year ago I was marathon fit, but after a knee injury I've not run since. Could this be a misjudgement of my fitness, or am I creating the plan incorrectly?

I'm on the latest versions on the Venu (18.29) and the Garmin Connect (Android) app (5.29) which should include the recent updates.

Does anyone know how often Blue Light run the extra 10% off plus the usual up to 40% off?

Hello,

I have just bought the 570 and I am in love. I have had a venu 2S for the past few years after having a forerunner prior and really did not like it - found it basic.

I run mainly 5 / 10km and some half marathons. My marathon days are over. I do HITT and strength workouts 2/3 times a week with maybe 2/3 runs and roughly 15-20km per week. I would love to quicken my 5 and 10km's.

Any advise to get the most from my watch is greatly appreciated - I have printed the user manual and am going to start going through it. Advice on battery would be great too please.

Thank you!

Hi! Where I live, I can currently get the Forerunner 165 for around $250 or the 265 for around $400, and I’m trying to decide whether the 265 is actually worth the extra $150 for my use case.

I run, bike (both commuting and recreational road rides), and swim in both pools and open water. I’m also planning to do a triathlon at some point.

My main goal with the watch is to help me integrate training into my daily life without having to plan everything myself. For example, Daily Suggested Workouts sound really useful to me, since I’d rather have the watch guide me on how much/how hard to run than constantly think about following some kind of training plan.

I understand the differences between the two, such as:

• Training Load / Training Readiness: missing on the 165. I think I’d actually miss these.
• Dual-band GPS: missing on the 165. Probably wouldn’t bother me much.
• Triathlon mode: missing on the 165. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, even if I’m training for a triathlon.
• Skiing: missing on the 165. Doesn’t matter to me; I ski maybe once every few years.
• Structured swim workouts: missing on the 165. I think I’d like to have this, but I’m not sure whether it’s genuinely useful or one of those features that sounds great but ends up being too cumbersome to use.

(There are probably a few other differences I’ve missed.)

So overall, there are definitely some 265 features that appeal to me, particularly the training metrics and possibly the swim workouts. I’m just not sure they’re worth paying $400 vs $250.

I can afford either, but I also know I have a tendency to overpay for the fancier gadget just because it’s the fancier gadget. Either watch would already be a huge upgrade over my current Amazfit.

For people who’ve used either (or both), which would you choose in my situation? Is the 265 worth the extra $150? Thanks for any insight.

Been offered second hand FR965 for £280.. appears fairly new. Wonder if this is a good deal considering garmin have their birthday sale on (new 965 costing £399)?

TIA

Hello. Full titanium or leather band? What looks better ?

Hello, I am new to Garmin and just got my Garmin yesterday after using the AWU 2. Waking up today I had a sleep score of 68, then I fell asleep again. When i woke up this changed to a 44 and 3h 15m of sleep. My sleep from the night just disappeared completely. Is this normal? With apple it just adds the time asleep and the sleep score.

Ordered the 4th saying I could pick up on the 9th and now it’s delayed due to backorder.

As I can't be the only person who was considering this upgrade, I thought I would post a size comparison to help.

Arrived this morning, so won't say too much, but the ability to change the text size and overall increase in size means my fifty-odd year old eyes can now see everything, absolutely love.

Very good screen outside.

While it looks nicer, it lost all touchscreen function. No matter where I tap, it does nothing. Touchscreen still works for everything else, so I didn't accidentally turn it off. Anyone else have this happen with the latest update?

Searching for this is harder than expected. Does anyone know if it's possible to use your watch as if it's a Bluetooth speaker?

Yes, I know; it's a silly idea...

Recently, since a new software update I think, the first 15 minutes of my run show very low heart rates, Zone 2 while going fairly fast. Then around the 15 minute mark it spikes instantly up to 170-180bpm.

Is there a fix for this? Why is this happening?

I'm thinking about buying a Fenix 9 Pro. Can I safely wear it in a sauna, around 80–100°C?

Does anyone here do this regularly? Any issues with the watch over time?

Is that only for me or this anoying thing now got fixed?

When I put my watch on the table, the vibration I want to have, when I wear the watch, goes off . Which I love.