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As a recreational pootler, I've never used Garmin Connect to its fullest, but I have used it for years (since I bought an Edge 205 many years ago) to record rides and a little bit of route planning. I like it and it's always been free, which is a big plus (and the only reason I use it).
I know that that a lot of more performance focused folk use it extensively.
I've started seeing a fair bit of buzz on the internet about Connect+, a premium level, subscription layer for Connect. A quick glance suggests that it offers AI powered 'insights' and the ability to compare various rides & metrics over time. Clearly it's not something that's going to interest me but I do wonder whether it's the 'thin end of the wedge' that might lead to currently free functions slowly being migrated to the subscription layer.
Has anyone looked into Connect+ in a bit more detail? Might it be a worthwhile subscription for some, or an inexorable creep to a fully paid for service?
There's a lot of detail on DCRainmaker (which I've only skimmed though).
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2025/03/garmin-connect-plus-subscription-walkthrough.html
I've always found anything Garmin to be overly complicated and highly erratic.
I've had a look at Connect+ and there's (currently) nothing in it that I'd want to pay for.
However, despite Connect currently being "free"* there are constant requests/moans about non-Garmin activities not being included in some of the fitness measurements. I always wondered if Garmin might change the model and become more of a non-device specific aggregator. Strava changing their T&C's last year gave more weight to that thought.
(* Built into the price of their hardware).
Everything is going down this route now.
Free version
Paid for version
And every once in a while they'll shift a feature from Free to Premium or somehow make the Free version a bit more shit.
Streaming services do this all the time. Free, then free with adverts but you can pay to remove the ads then free but all movies have to be rented but you can pay a monthly subscription and get the movies included...
The only reason I use Connect is to talk to Strava. Everything gets pushed from Strava route planning to the unit via Connect and then uploaded to Strava afterwards. Almost never look at any of my ride history on Connect.
I use Connect but not in much detail...I'd hope the paid-for doesn't remove any of the stuff already available. I've paid for the hardware so I'd hope I could keep accessing the stuff I've got now.
To put it politely, Garmin can go ++++ themselves if they think I'm paying the stupid monthly/annual subscription they are asking, on top of the $$$ they charge for their devices. Outright greed pitching it at the levels they are.
(And, obviously, they're American so I'm not voluntarily giving them any more money)
And, obviously, they're American so I'm not voluntarily giving them any more money)
This.
Apparently there is an open source app for recording rides which is mainly what I am looking for but I have not got as far as trying it yet.
i wonder when they will stop automatic uploads of "their" / my data to strava .... i hardly look at garmin at all these days and rely on the analysis from strava. This means that i wont buy garmin plus as i have strava premium. I wonder how long garmin will leave it before "encouraging" me ?
Garmin’s primary business is hardware, so I doubt they’d make it difficult for you to load data onto Strava. Can never underestimate the greed and stupidity of companies though…
To put it politely, Garmin can go ++++ themselves if they think I'm paying the stupid monthly/annual subscription they are asking, on top of the $$$ they charge for their devices.
Is there anything in the new features you'd want though? I'm not seeing any.
Agreed - there's nothing useful that I'd be interested in.
I'm more concerned that, eventually, their API connectivity disappears behind a paywall. Then I'd be royally pissed off, particularly at the $$$ rate they are currently charging....
It would be a problem if they expected us to pay to *not* get AI crap stuffed down our throats.
I'm more concerned that, eventually, their API connectivity disappears behind a paywall. Then I'd be royally pissed off, particularly at the $$$ rate they are currently charging....
That would piss me off too, but there's enough going on in the world without worrying about things that might never happen.
It’s definitely a concern. Will the feature rug be pulled from under our feet with devices we already own?
**** subscription models.
I was planning on updating my Edge when the next round of devices is launched (hopefully a 550 this year?) but I’ll be holding off to see how this subscription situation pans out before committing a to a platform with an uncertain future.
I’d say that looking at it from Garmin’s point of view lots of people charge to analyse there data
So i think that it makes sense for them to offer the analysis themselves, at a cost
But they’ll also know that the basics of getting stuff off the device and onto a third party is there business. There is no way that they will expect to sell watches and head units in the current numbers if that suddenly needs paid subscriptions.
Garmin will know that I’m not committed to them. I’m committed to my third party data collector
As Strava continues on its path of Enshittification I've been using it for nothing more than ride recording as it's become a habit. If I want to actually look into the Data I've been using connect. Provided Garmin keep their promise not to start removing features I'm OK with them wanting to get in on Stravas USP.
Having gone from, never recording anything (pre widespread GPS devices) all the way to expensive devices and subscription services and now ditching those services and only wanting cheap devices.
I'm actually ok with only having a rough idea of how far I've been. Never made consistent meaningful use of "data" anyway, so meh to paid analytics.
Garmin seek out people's ideas to incorporate into future products and services.
I've let them know what I think of their Connect+ subscription service. Maybe anyone else disgruntled could do so here:
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/
Garmin’s primary business is hardware...
Presumably that's exactly why they want to diversify their revenue streams and smooth cashflow by adding a long tail B2C SaaS offering that complements their core hardware legacy and can integrate users of external platforms into the Garmin ecosystem.
Presumably that's exactly why they want to diversify their revenue streams and smooth cashflow by adding a long tail B2C SaaS offering that complements their core hardware legacy and can integrate users of external platforms into the Garmin ecosystem.
Poach some Wahoo and other hardware users from Strava? Would make sense to me, I like the way data is presented in connect (these days, wasn't always the case) and Strava has lost almost everything I enjoyed about it.
Garmin seek out people's ideas to incorporate into future products and services.
I've let them know what I think of their Connect+ subscription service. Maybe anyone else disgruntled could do so here:
What is there to be disgruntled about? Something that was free will stay free but if you want more it'll cost you?
What is there to be disgruntled about? Something that was free will stay free but if you want more it'll cost you?
Previously once you'd bought a megabucks Garmin watch or cycle computer everything on Connect was included whether existing at time of purchase or introduced subsequently. That just stopped being the case
What is there to be disgruntled about? Something that was free will stay free but if you want more it'll cost you?
Previously once you'd bought a megabucks Garmin watch or cycle computer everything on Connect was included whether existing at time of purchase or introduced subsequently. That just stopped being the case
Exactly. Having recently purchased a Fenix 8 at great expense I was expecting everything Connect to be free and stay that way. I now wouldn't trust Garmin not to start hiding existing free features behind a subscription paywall like other tech companies, such as Strava. Garmin had previously been the exception. What Garmin have done undermines their own business model and creates resentment among users.
This has come on top of a few other public relations disasters for Garmin recently. Their watches spent a day crashing over and over about a month ago. Some products including the Fenix 8 were released well before being ready. Mine has been working fine since but bricked for over 12hrs. I had emailed in the meantime. They took 3 weeks to reply and tried to say it was the first report of such a issue. Many reports of same issue all over Reddit and their own help forum. Tis a brilliant watch though, on the whole.
The Polar 'Flow' app (if you use a Polar watch) is light years ahead of Connect (doubly so after Garmin re-hashed Connect a year or so ago and made it even worse).
What is there to be disgruntled about? Something that was free will stay free but if you want more it'll cost you?
Previously once you'd bought a megabucks Garmin watch or cycle computer everything on Connect was included whether existing at time of purchase or introduced subsequently. That just stopped being the case
...Some products including the Fenix 8 were released well before being ready. Mine has been working fine since but bricked for over 12hrs. I had emailed in the meantime. They took 3 weeks to reply and tried to say it was the first report of such a issue. Many reports of same issue all over Reddit and their own help forum. Tis a brilliant watch though, on the whole.
Garmin release EVERY product well before it is ready these days. The last Garmin watch I had that actually worked from the off was a 920. That's pretty much10 years ago.
I had a Polar for about 3 years, and forgot how bad Garmin was for managing software, until I got a 955 a couple of years ago - endless faults and fixes that introduced more faults leading to fixes that introduced yet more faults etc etc etc etc etc. Batteries getting drained in a matter of hours, and rebooting half way through a multi-mile swim being examples. One of the times I swam the length of Coniston with a few friends, all their Garmin watches just stopped about 3/4 of a mile from the end, much to their annoyance when they finished.
interesting thread… I’ve been thinking of replacing my aging series 7 Apple Watch with a Garmin watch as I’d like something that is a bit more FITNESS, a little less smar****ch and a bit more robust buuuut this new Garmin Connect+ is putting me off…
might sit and wait to see if there’s some decent changes in the Apple Watch Ultra 3 lat WWDC
I've got an increasingly elderly 745XT that I'll probably have to retire at some point. I don't do massive stats, but it's convenient for recording rides and runs, as well as step and sleep tracking. I've never really used Connect as anything other than a throughway to Strava and a way to load apps onto the watch.
There's a right-to-repair watch being kickstarted at the moment that has most of the features I'm looking for, including the ability to replace components, especially batteries. It's not great having to throw away a perfectly functional bit of technology once the battery conks out.
I'm not going to name it, for two reasons:
1) there's very little chat about the back end for the watch - just the hardware. No word of how you add / remove features or synch it with things like Strava
2) It's a startup, and there's no guarantee it won't Do A Pebble.
That said, I'll probably take the plunge and give it a try. I don't really 'do' watches, and have no feelings either way for Connect, other than that if Garmin starts charging for it, I'll probably not buy another watch from them - they're not exactly cheap, so my assumption had been that some of the cost was the services and software backend.
What is there to be disgruntled about? Something that was free will stay free but if you want more it'll cost you?
Garmins model had always* been that you bought an expensive computer / watch and then within the limitations of that piece of hardware they would roll out any updates to your device as they were developed. Ditto the Connect app, you paid a small fortune upfront for the hardware and the app was bundled with it.
That and unless you're new to the internet / SaaS / paywalls, you should be familiar with the term enshitification. Now that it's clear that Garmin views Connect as "Free" not "already paid for as part for your your £800 watch and £400 cycle computer" expect it to go downhill. Things won't get fixed, features you sort of expect as a basic won't appear. For example there's a bug whereby a watch will automatically detect that you're riding a bike, take all that HR data and use it to plot things like 'body battery', 'recovery', 'training readiness'. But doesn't actually seem to add that effort to your training load. e.g. I did 50 miles last week that don't get accounted for because if I log it then I have to go into strava and set it to private 3-4 times a day and I don't really want my house / supermarket / office shining like a beacon on the heatmap. I bet that somehow get's sorted behind the paywall.
*since the Edge 800 era anyway when they became a bit more of a "computer" rather than just a GPS with a display
Or...just don't automatically sync to Strava and then select which things you want to sync, then your Garmin stats stay accurate.
The Polar 'Flow' app (if you use a Polar watch) is light years ahead of Connect (doubly so after Garmin re-hashed Connect a year or so ago and made it even worse).
Yep, and Polar Flow is part of the reason I no longer pay for Strava.
And, if it's something that matters to you, is a Finnish, not American company.
Or...just don't automatically sync to Strava and then select which things you want to sync, then your Garmin stats stay accurate.
Which then still means remembering to get my phone out several times to manually sync it. It's not the end of the world, it's only 'base' miles. Just a gripe that Garmin is obviously able to log those hours and account for them, but doesn't apply them to all the metrics within the app. People don't pay Fenix 8 / Edge 1040 / Tacx Neo2 prices to have to deal with workarounds.
Anyway, that wasn't the point. The point is that going forward any fixes or new features are going to end up behind yet another sodding paywall. Part of me hopes that the current contraction in the cycling industry leads to a bit of consolidation between these apps. Wahoo bought sufferfest, maybe Garmin should at least consolidate Tacx Premium into Connect+ so that users had somewhere to use all this extra data / analysis. Rather than charging for 2 subs, it'd be cool if Garmin could take the data straight from the Edge on Sunday, do some analysis, figure out your weakness then prescribe you some mid-week turbo sessions to work on. It sort of does already, but (AFAIK) you need to run the workout off the Edge, then stick something else on TV, it doesn't export to any sort of virtual training ecosystem.
So far all that connect+ seems to offer is either half of what strava premium does (no route planning) or what people who'd paid (potentially) over a grand for the upper models of the Fenix 8 expected to be rolled out as standard.
all that connect+ seems to offer is either half of what strava premium does (no route planning)
Route planning is already in Connect.
It does.... it's so poor though I'd forgotten about it.
Anyway, straw poll, who's going to pay for it?
Anyway, straw poll, who's going to pay for it?
Not a chance. I'd consider stumping up for Strava before the lack of any real offering from 'connect+'.
Anyway, straw poll, who's going to pay for it?
There's nothing in the currently announced content/features that interests me.
I'm certainly not averse to paying some subscription services. I already pay for VeloViewer and intervals.icu.
I wouldn't pay as nothing there is of use or value to me. However, I am slightly concerned that the stuff I get from Garmin and Connect now for 'free' (after paying out for the hardware) will start being removed from standard offerings and moved to the paid-for package.
Not a chance I'll pay Garmin a subscription for Connect+ (at least not with the announced features and/or at the announced price). I've already given them lots of money (Tacx turbo trainer, FR945, Edge 530 and Edge Explore plus various eTrex units years ago) and pay for Strava premium and, seasonally, I'll be paying for Training Peaks.
So, (a) there's too much overlap with my existing subscriptions, (b) I'm generally pissed off with Garmin's non-replaceable batteries policy and (c) I'd rather not pay any more money into the US at this point in time
The point is that going forward any fixes or new features are going to end up behind yet another sodding paywall.
But they don't tend to release new features for existing hardware now, do they? Bug fixes yes, and maybe some features for very recently released watches, but no more? I've got a forerunner 245 - fairly old, but it's got basically the same sensors as newer watches. But it doesn't have things like HRV, training readiness, morning report etc that newer watches do. I'm fine with that, partly because I'm not sure I need them, but it seemed part of the Garmin model - buying the watch bought access to the set of features available at the time, while people paying more, or more recently, were also paying for access to software features released since I got mine.
This change could go either way (although I'm cynical so I probably agree with you). If anything available when I bought a new watch or bike computer went behind a paywall, they'd lose a lot of trust and it's bit fraud-adjacent (but probably within small print somewhere). But it's possible that a subscription would mean getting access to new features on older devices which you wouldn't otherwise get, in which case it gives a useful option for some people and no one loses out.
Problem for me is that I want to buy a watch with mapping, which means not a cheap one. This adds uncertainty which makes me a bit reluctant to spend potentially £500 on a Garmin when I don't know how it'll all work in a year or three. I was already looking at options from Coros and Polar, this probably pushes me towards them not Garmin.
if I log it then I have to go into strava and set it to private 3-4 times a day and I don't really want my house / supermarket / office shining like a beacon on the heatmap.
Also you can set all activities in strava to be private by default. In the app, settings -> privacy controls -> Activities, set to "only you". I do that, then you can set individual activities to visible if you want. Point taken that it's still rubbish that it's necessary.
log it then I have to go into strava and set it to private 3-4 times a day and I don't really want my house / supermarket / office shining like a beacon on the heatmap
Setup Strava with private as the default option. Iirc start and end of rides are automatically hidden now and if not you can set hidden areas easily enough.
Seems they've listened to their user base...
https://the5krunner.com/2025/04/01/garmin-u-turns-on-connect-subscription/
1st April
Dammit. Lol. Didn't even register.
haha, yea I saw that and thought "this has to be an April fools, but it's a really shit April fools".
But it's possible that a subscription would mean getting access to new features on older devices which you wouldn't otherwise get, in which case it gives a useful option for some people and no one loses out.
That would be fair enough if the device battery actually lasted long enough. In my experience, the battery life of Garmin devices seem to dive after about three years of use. And, except for eTrex units which used AA batteries, none of my recent Garmin's have had replaceable batteries....
Recent Garmin adopter here.
Just signed up to the months free trial of Connect+ to see if it offers anything useful.
Will no doubt forget to cancel it if it's not worth it, but it's the price of a pint a month.
I'm a sucker for full functionality, so have Strava Premium and even pay to help feed the hamsters here
log it then I have to go into strava and set it to private 3-4 times a day and I don't really want my house / supermarket / office shining like a beacon on the heatmap
Setup Strava with private as the default option. Iirc start and end of rides are automatically hidden now and if not you can set hidden areas easily enough.
Just remember if you set up an exclusion zone around your house, you can't actually get koms in that exclusion zone...... I was really pushing it hard for a couple of weeks before somebody pointed out that there was no way I could get the Kom 🙂