[Closed] Garmin Forerunner 235 as non-runner smart watch?

i wear mine as an everyday watch. ~7days battery with activity tracking, ~10hrs gps tracking.

vibrate only alarms work.

notifications are controlled by phone. i don't think there is any way of selecting what you get on the watch.

Thanks for that. Can't believe they still don't allow control of the notifications by app

its not really a smart watch though. more a 'slighty above average intelligence' watch.

The 235 is a few years old now. I'm surprised there isn't a replacement version yet. Yes, it works fine for running/sports etc, but it may be outdated in terms of smart features.

Could look at the Vivoactive 3, which is a similar style, but has a touchscreen, and is a bit newer. Maybe better as an actual smart watch.

It's an OK watch, you can modify the face to different styles via the App, so thats pretty cool, it's GPS so you can use it to track rides, and the HR monitoring thing is OK, if that's your bag, it'll also count steps etc etc, you can turn off all the alerts - if it notices you have walked around for a bit, it'll send you an alarm to MOVE! which is annoying.

Yes you can (via the app) alter what alerts you get to the watch, they are pretty basic (it'll tell you who called, the name of who's texted you etc, but not the message itself.

Yes, you can modify the alarm to vibrate only.

It's cheap and plasticy looking looking mind, and I've already scratched the face on mine, it's also pretty hard to read in low light. If you can stretch to a newer Fenix model, I'd recommend it

Thanks again all.

I know there are more smart smar****ches but I'm really after something 'smart-enough' which I think the 235 is, rather than spending a good but more for something like a fenix given my tendency to kill watches...

Yes you can (via the app) alter what alerts you get to the watch, they are pretty basic (it’ll tell you who called, the name of who’s texted you etc, but not the message itself.

really? how?

I like it, but then again I do use it as a running/cycling watch (wear it full time). I assumed notifications would be a gimmick but they are actually pretty useful, saves finding/getting the phone out etc. (you obviously need to be in BT range though) and you can read a certain amount straight off the screen. Wrist hrm works ok for me, some don't get on with it.

really? how?

In the Connect app, Settings then Smart notifications. You choose which apps are allowed to send notifications.

is that on iOS? because i don't appear to have that option.

but you know you can turn off the MOVE! notification.

It's a decent enough watch and not as big as some of the other GPS watches which I quite like about it. One thing I will say is that you should probably buy a screen protector for it. The screen does scratch a little easily.

is that on iOS? because i don’t appear to have that option.

nope on Android as well, settings>Smart notifications

Yeah, its alright and does the job, but it does feel a little plasticy and doesnt have all the functionality. My GF has one and I used it for a week, then ended up with a fenix 3 (secondhand) which I love.

If you can stretch to the fenix then its worth it, the nav functions on it are much better if you're into exploring. Its a bombers watch and has survived several crashes that I think the forerunner may not have. Fenix can select the notifications you want, and can display them.

Id love a fenix 5x if money was no object.

nope on Android as well, settings>Smart notifications

i'm on iOS. which i guess is why it doesnt work.

re: robustness. not sure what kind of crashes you are having but one that would smash a watch to pieces wouldnt leave much of my wrist either. tried a fenix 3 but weighs nearly twice as much and the weight bounces it around. the new 5s looks a bit better in that respect and i'll probably get that if/when the 235 dies. I have noticed after 2yrs the battery life is starting to degrade a bit and its not replaceable.

Not really talking about smashing it to pieces though are we? But cracking the plastic/scratching it/damage or smashing the screen - course you could in a crash. The fenix is noticeably tougher.

Yeah its 80g vs 40g, but its still pretty light compared to a lot of watches.

Not trying to have an argument though, my missus loves the 235, I love the fenix, get the one that does what you want it to. I like their products in general, though I do have a few niggles with them. Garmin connect in particular is a bit shit.

I'm not talking about smashing them to bits just they stop working. I'm figuring that somehow I'm giving them a hard time as others seem to last.. Looking for something generally robust.

I've had one for a while now and it does the job well. Very comfortable and light to wear unlike my old fenix. Tracking for riding is excellent and I very rarely have connection issues. I doubt it is designed to withstand much outdoor abuse, as in falls onto rocks etc, but as a standard smart tracking watch I think it's great.

Got the 235 - very happy wiht it so far except for not being able to limit the notifications by app (using an iphone).

The gps is very accurate (even though I don't really intend to use it for GPS much) matching my Elemnt Bolt near enough perfectly.

HR is generally ok but on a ride nowhere near as consistent and accurate as my HR chest band.

i’m on iOS. which i guess is why it doesnt work.

It works with iOS too.

Can't find the app by app smart notification setting anywhere in my iPhone garmin connect app - can you spell it out fully where it is?