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Welcome, Garmin fans! After last week's announcement of Garmin Connect+, the new premium tier available in the Garmin Connect app, we've seen a big conversation take place online.
Some Garmin users are furious, stating they want to "take a stand" against the company for introducing a paid tier. Even though the existing free features will remain free, user sentiment is generally that this is the beginning of a slippery slope for Garmin, and more and more features will be added to Connect+ instead of being available on the app's free tier.
Especially egregious is the price of the best Garmin watches, some of them numbering among the most expensive smartwatches ever, and having to now pay still more on top for the whole package.
However, we've also seen some people dismiss it all as hysteria, and there's a few vocal people online going against the grain and signing up to the Connect+ free trial.
We've collated all your emails to us, comments, Reddit posts, memes and all manner of methods of self-expression, and posted it all here for your reading edification.
What is Garmin Connect+, anyway?
For those not in the know, Garmin Connect+ is Garmin's new premium tier available for its previously-free Garmin Connect app, costing $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$12 per month or $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$120 annually, with a one-month free trial available.
For this privilege, Garmin Connect+ will supply Garmin users with new features on top of their free ones, including AI-powered insights dubbed "Active Intelligence" which puts all your stats into context, a Performance Dashboard that allows you to view historic graphs, and improvements to Garmin’s LiveTrack service, including a text-based alerts system.
This isn't the first time it's charged for a service (it also charges for an Outdoor Maps+ subscription plan) but this is a service aimed at all Garmin users, not a specific subsection or service.
Why has this angered Garmin users?
Existing Garmin users are angry, in part, because they feel like their app is going to slowly get taken away. While Garmin has been very careful in its messaging, insisting that everything currently free will remain free, users believe they will eventually have to either leave the platform or resort to paying for a usable version of it.
Even if all current features remain free, as new ones are added and older ones are no longer supported, the existence of a Connect+ tier invites the possibility that future features will only be available to premium subscribers, a galling prospect if you bought an expensive smartwatch with the expectation it would be supported for years to come.
One of the top comments on the video above reads: "No. Bait and switch. We pay premium prices, like my £800 for my Garmin Descent Mk2s, with the understanding that the extra price is subsidising the Garmin Connect platform and its development. Now with just the existence of this, there's little to no chance we'll see any meaningful updates to the free Connect platform from now on. Class action anyone?"
Another commenter puts it more succintly: "Is this the beginning of the end?"
Garmin Reddit is furious
With 7,100 upvotes at the time of writing, this thread has prompted an enormous outcry from the community determined to make their voices heard. Here are a few comments from the 431 and counting:
Comment from r/Garmin
Comment from r/Garmin
Comment from r/Garmin
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar
We took to TikTok to ask Garmin users what they thought about the changes, and got quite a few comments there. One user writes "This is bad news. All new features from now on will be behind a paywall. And in few years, then the initial rage settles, they will move more and more features behind paywall like strava did."
Another said: "wow! I love paywalled AI which tells me the most basic of information which I could gather my self easily."
However, in the interest of balance, not everyone is irate about it. Another TikTok user writes: "If the current features are to stay free then nonworries, pay for the new stuff if you want them if not, don't."
"A greedy company"
The emails have begun to roll in. Remember, if you want to get in touch, email matt.evans@futurenet.com. This one's from Michelangelo:
"I'm writing this email to show Garmin what they are risking by being a greedy company... We have probably around 20 devices from Garmin. We just like the quality and the details you get from a premium device.
"This is why I'm so vocal right now. If Connect+ goes on, I'm definitely done with Garmin. I'll buy another watch for my SO (I was planning for one in May) and I will start doing the opposite of what I've been doing since receiving my original watch. I'll start discouraging people from buying Garmin and propose a valid, European, alternative.
"Tread lightly Garmin, people hate subscription models, especially on PREMIUM products!
Sincerely, A very, VERY, angry customer."
Garmin's AI-powered insights
What exactly is "Active Intelligence", anyway?
Similar to Strava's Athlete Intelligence (also on a premium tier: AI's apparently expensive to run), Garmin's Active Intelligence will offer personalized in-app advice based on your training metrics.
The example above is a good indication of the kind of AI-generated advice you can expect: top-line, general, quick-fire tips to guide your training based on past and current performance, rather than anything too granular and concrete like a workout plan. You'll reportedly be able to get these messages multiple times a day as your activity and recovery levels change.
It's worth noting a Garmin representative emailed and confirmed that the AI was built with user data security in mind. Garmin's aware how sensitive health data is, and the need to keep it secure – especially after a high-profile cyberattack five years ago.
More messages coming through
An email from Vasil says he'll switch away from Garmin if the decision isn't reversed. "Even though I have been a fan of the brand for over 10 years and always buy the latest Fenix model, if the paid version of the mobile application is introduced, I will change the brand!"
Meanwhile, a new comment on TikTok simply says "How do you sign up to it?". Sounds like someone's convinced!
The Garmin subreddit is not taking this well
Garmin is getting rid of what makes it special from r/Garmin
The Reddit post above has some particularly poignant things to say.
"They were different than smartwatch companies locking you to a specific phone. They were different than smartwatch companies forcing you to pay a monthly fee just to use the watch. Heck, they were even different than gaming companies providing you games on a platform and then being able to ban you or change the rules after the fact.
"They felt like one of those companies you loved being associated with.... Yet another great company losing track of its identity and tacking on or removing things that just don't speak to its customer base."
Below are some more examples of negative, highly-upvoted feedback from the subreddit.
I paid $700 for a fenix to avoid the subscription bullshit from r/Garmin
It’s the beginning of the end for Garmin. from r/Garmin
I mean, you've got to laugh...
Me buying my first Garmin watch 2 days ago and joining this sub from r/Garmin
Is the panic overblown?
If you're a new Garmin owner, don't panic. Garmin users aren't going to suddenly see the bottom fall out of their watches' ecosystem; as of now, pretty much all the features on your watch remain unchanged. You can still create routes, generate plans, get your Fitness Age, Body Battery, Endurance Score, workouts, and all the rest of Garmin's goodies as well as ever, without paying a subscription fee. Garmin was keen to emphasize this in all communications about Connect+.
Most of the fear is hypothetical, and based on a term coined by blogger-activist Cory Doctorow called "enshittification". This refers to the process of platform decay, as those in charge of online platforms make things worse for users in order to maximize profit.
We see it with social networks, media websites, online stores, gaming and all other rmanner of online platforms. Garmin users are afraid that their free experience will eventually get worse, as the company attempts to move more of its users onto the paid platform. We've seen it happen enough times that these fears are not unfounded.
On his Pluralistic blog, Doctorow explains it best: "Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. I call this enshittification."
Has LiveTrack changed?!
More discourse in our TikTok video, with one user sounding very optimistic: "Probably not for the AI, but I would be interested in the Live Track, I use it anyway as I cycle a lot in the mountains, so would be keen to see what the difference is".
The updated Live Tracking service offers a personalized LiveTrack profile to share with followers (useful for cross-posting on Strava, for example) and the ability for family and friends to be notified via text when a workout has begun, along with the usual link to share your current location that you get in the free version.
However, our Homes Editor (and former Fitness Editor) Cat Ellis, herself an avid user of the Garmin Fenix 7, uses LiveTrack a lot, and told me her LiveTracking recently changed. The LiveTrack text messages to show auto-starts and finishes used to be part of the free version, but seems to have been removed this week ahead of the GC+ announcement.
Check out her screenshot from this Monday, then swipe to check out Tuesday's:
While Garmin mentioned that all features currently free will remain so, this may indicate a feature was changed shortly in advance of the announcement, which is very disingenuous if so. TechRadar has reached out to Garmin for comment, but email in and let us know if this has changed for you.
Two very different reactions with the same sentiment there
How much does Garmin Connect+ cost, and what do you get?
Garmin Connect+ will cost $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$12 per month or $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$120 annually, with a one-month free trial available.
For the price, you're getting those Active Intelligence AI messages, the LiveTrack texts mentioned below, exclusive badges and challenges not available to free-tier Connect users (something which isn't helping quell the ire of badge-hunters unwilling to subscribe) new social features and a Performance Dashboard which allows you to customize how you view historic data.
This is confirmed to be different to the Performance Stats tab in the free version.
Our reader Corrie emailed in, voicing her concerns:
"I’m a long term Garmin user recently replacing my Enduro 3 with the Fenix 8, both premium watches. Strong advocate of Garmin to anyone who will listen.
"My concern is that new content will go with the new premium paid service and our current content will be eroded to the point where you have no choice to switch either to a new / alternative provider, or to add the subscription."
I'm seeing this sentiment a lot: most people aren't worried about the premium tier as it is now, but what may happen later down the line.
A disappointed reader
Another reader, George, emailed in with this to say:
"I feel like this is Garmin really pushing their luck, they're the dominant player amongst runners in particular and I believe most of us were under the impression that you pay a premium for Garmin devices to keep the backend services free and available for everyone.
"It's especially annoying for those of us, myself included who are well-invested into their ecosystem. I have a Garmin watch along with some of their accessories like the running pod as well as an Edge cycling computer, which allows for integration between the two devices and Connect.
"I feel like when my watch packs up, which probably isn't too far off as it's 4.5 years old, I will likely move over to Coros. Garmin seems to want to be more like Whoop now and I feel like they've lost their community's trust."
While I've always been a Garmin fan, I think Coros make superb watches. The Coros Pace 3 tops our best cheap running watch list thanks to its absurdly long battery life and powerful insights.
In the Garmin subreddit's megathread on the issue, one user had this to say. It really hammers home the argument some users have about the high price of the base watch, then being expected to pay more on top:
Comment from r/Garmin
We rated Fitbit Premium very highly in our review, but it's worth noting the base Fitbit devices are much cheaper than Garmins, and tend to come with a six-month subscription to the service rather than one month. However, this is offset by the fact that Fitbit lock more features behind the paywall than Garmin do, and faced a very similar backlash when the Premium tier was implemented.
We're wrapping up this Liveblog now, but you'll still be able to read all the historic posts below without paying an additional fee.
Thanks for joining us as you start your weekend, and keep sharing your thoughts via emails and comments! We want to know if this is the end of the road for you and Garmin, or whether you plan to give the Connect+ a free trial a go, in order to see what all the fuss is really about.
I'm back!
Matt here! Over the weekend, we've had an influx of comments and emails giving your thoughts on Connect+. So we thought we'd reopen this Liveblog and post a few of your responses. for example, we had an email from Mike, who was considering picking up a Fenix 8 until the news:
"Hi Matt, I just read your article. I have been a Garmin fanboy since I bought my Fenix 6 over 3 years ago. With any tech stuff I always skip a generation and then like to wait for all the initial bugs to get ironed out when I come to a new launch.
"Anyway, long story short: I was just about to get my hands on a top-end Fenix 8, but I'm certainly not going to bother if an £800+ quid watch, which due to gadgets/tech being what they are is bought with a knowledge of future replacement anyway, if I need to pay a subscription to get its best features. What an absolute scam.
"My Fenix 6 is still going good, and I'll go elsewhere now when it dies."
The conversation extends to the water cooler in TR Towers: homes editor Cat Ellis' running club suggested getting the free trial of Garmin Connect+, getting the exclusive badges (many reportedly worth a hefty four points) – and then cancelling it!
in Garmin Connect, points are earned by completing activities and earning badges, allowing you to climb leaderboards and compete against your Garmin Connect network. Badges can be earned by doing an exercise every day for a prescribed time period, covering a certain distance, completing a milestone race, or exercising at a certain time, such as the Lunar New Year badge below.
Most badges are worth one or two points, but Garmin clearly beefed up the points totals for the badges for its new premium tier as an early adopter incentive.
One less incentive to buy
We got an email from Shannon, who told us: "the main thing that swung me over to Garmin was 1) the battery life exceeded most of the popular watch choices, and 2) there was no subscription modelling. I'm really tired of having multiple subscriptions for every lil damn thing.
"At the end of the day it feels like I've bought a product but it's not really mine, or that it's usefulness is being held hostage. If Garmin really wants to play games then I definitely don't want to be involved in supporting Garmin going into the future."
More TikTok chat
Over the weekend, it's not just emails about this issue we've been receiving: there's also been some more discourse in the comments section of our TikTok video about this, which we've embedded below. Weirdly for an app designed to maximize short-term reactionary engagement, people are quite calm about it.
One user said: "I've been using my Garmin forerunner 255 for a year now. never look at anything on Garmin connect, only Strava. So it shouldn't be much of an issue."
Another said: "I don't like it, but if the existing features remain, I have no major issues with this. I wasn't expecting new features, so I don't care if they're free or not."
They've got a point: at present, the new features are only likely to affect power users. Even if the most reactionary takes turn out to be correct, and all new features end up on Connect+ with fewer updates for the free version of the app, you've still got all the existing tools to use for a long time to come.
However, there are a few TikTok Garmin users that are still pretty, ahem, ticked off: Ray said they "worked hard for all the badges for years" and got to level 7 in the app, but "now you can earn the most stupid badges with much points by paying. it suckz!"
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar
"Garmin will die, like HTC"
Strong words from Jagdeep, who reached out via email: "Everything free will remain free. Yes, true. But this is a very grey, vague and hollow statement.
"There will be no improvements, there will be no updates. And the free will eventually become out of date. Also, the free will gradually not be compatible with new software. Garmin will see a massive exodus as users migrate to other platforms. Garmin will die, like HTC."
Anyone else miss their old HTC Desire? I know I do.
Our reader Ben is eyeing up a potential switch to Samsung, while acknowledging he'll be leaving behind an incredible battery life difference.
"I am happy to spend a ridiculous amount of money to buy the new Fenix each year for the new features, and have bought so many, but this is a deal breaker and has really put me off. I have convinced around 10 people to buy Garmins in the last few years because all features are free or included in the expensive price of the watch.
"If I am buying a Fenix 8 Pro in September this year, I expect every feature to be included in the $2k AUD price. If there are features that are locked behind a paywall, that is the end of me buying Garmins and I will have to put up with the terrible battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. Very disappointed in this decision and willing to leave 8 years of data behind in Garmin to start again in Samsung, but at least I'll finally find out what my sleep animal is."
Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra battery life is somewhat limited at around 100 hours, but it's a great Wear OS watch, and Samsung's sleep tracking capabilities, with chronotypes explained as different forms of sleep animal, are very intuitive.
I'm a penguin, apparently, based on my Samsung watch testing: lots of sleep, which is good, albeit with a too-high percentage of light sleep.
An email from Sam
"I’ll just go buy an Apple Watch"
Sent from my iPhone
An email from Stephen:
"Over the past 10 years or so, subscription models have become ubiquitous – an inescapable and increasingly frustrating part of our lives. But, through all of this time, Garmin stood out as one of very few sports tech companies who had not given in to this trend after so many others had; Fitbit, Whoop, Oura, Withings, Amazfit, even Apple, to name a few.
"I would attribute much of Garmin's success to this exact reason – even despite excruciatingly overpriced hardware, software updates and "fixes" that have introduced more bugs than they have squashed, a completely baffling decision to gatekeep features from flagship products that are barely even 1 year old, and, dare I say, Garmin Connect app outages. Still, people could justify these tradeoffs, considering the one key benefit. That has now been lost.
"With Connect+, Garmin has fundamentally misunderstood their point of difference in the extremely competitive sports technology market. Until now, buying "a Garmin" meant spending (arguably a lot) more than you really need to, on a sports watch for example, but gaining access to a complete suite of professional training tools, data, and insights, for good. Key word: the COMPLETE set of Garmin features and tools. Now, that agreement with consumers has been betrayed."
What do you actually get as part of Garmin Connect+?
With all the furore around the new service, it's easy to lose track of what Garmin Connect+ actually is, and what you get for your money.
For starters, reportedly nothing has been moved behind a paywall: Garmin Connect+ is simply charging for a handful of new features, such as AI guidance. We've just published a full breakdown of all the new Garmin Connect+ features here, although unfortunately the list isn't terribly extensive.
An email from Christian:
"I am a long-time Garmin user, and I have more or less completely bought into the Garmin ecosystem, having convinced my wife to do so as well. The introduction of a paid tier is probably a deal-breaker for me.
"Precisely what I liked about Garmin was the quality of its watches, and the openness and support it provided for its software. Right now I am nearing the time for an upgrade on my Garmin running watch, and I will have to seriously consider if I want to stay with the company."
We're going to go dark again for now. Thanks so much for sharing all your comments via email, on our TikTok page, and our articles covering the Garmin Connect+ reaction.
Have you tried Garmin Connect+ for yourself yet? If so, please let us know whether the AI advice, performance dashboard, LiveTrack text notifications and other features are making a difference to your training.