ANT+ Is Dying a Slow Death: One Year On

When this site reported in January 2025 that Garmin was winding down the ANT+ membership and certification programmes, the framing was that ANT+ would fade rather than vanish. A year on, that call holds. What has sharpened is the picture around it: the EU’s cybersecurity provisions have taken effect, encrypted Bluetooth heart rate straps are shipping, Polar has added secure BLE to the H10, and Garmin’s new Varia radar has become the first clear example of the fragmentation risk that always sat behind the transition.

The original January 2025 article is preserved below for context. A new section covers what has actually changed in the year since, followed by an extensive FAQ.

The Rise and Fall of ANT+

Introduced in 2004, ANT+ became the backbone of wireless communication for fitness and cycling products. It was valued for low power consumption, simple implementation, and interoperability across brands. ANT+ allowed heart rate monitors, power meters, speed sensors, and other accessories to connect simultaneously to devices such as Garmin Edge computers and Forerunner watches.

Bluetooth Low Energy arrived in the mass market around 2010 and grew steadily. Its advantage was universal presence in smartphones, tablets, and wearables. That ecosystem was something ANT+ could never match, and brands reluctant to license ANT+ from Garmin, including Polar and later Coros, adopted BLE as their preferred route to interoperability.

Why the Certification Programmes Ended

Garmin cited a changing regulatory landscape when it confirmed the closure of the ANT+ membership and certification programmes. The specific trigger is the cybersecurity provisions of the EU Radio Equipment Directive, activated by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 and mandatory from 1 August 2025. These provisions apply to Articles 3.3(d), (e), and (f) of the directive and require wireless devices to protect personal data, maintain network integrity, and guard against fraud. Encryption and authentication are the standard compliance routes.

The underlying ANT protocol supports AES-128 encryption, but the public ANT+ profiles that matter in practice, including heart rate and cycling power, never implemented it. Adding encryption and authentication to those profiles would significantly change how messages are structured and break backward compatibility across the installed base. Garmin concluded that no meaningful appetite existed to fund that work given the maturity of BLE as an alternative, and wound the certification programmes down rather than rebuild them.

Despite the closure, ANT+ support continues. Garmin has indicated it will keep ANT+ available via dual ANT+/BLE chipsets for the foreseeable future, device profiles and developer documentation remain freely available, and licensing for the underlying ANT wireless protocol is unaffected.

The BLE Advantage

Several factors have contributed to BLE’s growing dominance. BLE is embedded in nearly every modern smartphone, wearable, and tablet, creating a vast interconnected ecosystem that ANT+ cannot match. The protocol is regularly updated to meet data security and privacy requirements, keeping it aligned with evolving regulatory demands. It offers developers a single, standardised platform with room to evolve, and it now supports multiple simultaneous device connections in practice, typically two or three concurrent receivers on a single sensor.

What Has Actually Changed in the Year Since

Several concrete developments have arrived since the original article.

Encrypted Bluetooth heart rate straps are now shipping. Garmin launched the HRM 200 in January 2025. Per DC Rainmaker, the HRM 200 is the first Garmin standalone heart rate sensor with authentication and encryption capability on the Bluetooth side, with that capability optional so existing watches and apps continue to work normally. Garmin followed with the higher-end HRM 600 in May 2025, adding running dynamics, standalone activity recording, and a rechargeable battery.

Polar has added secure BLE to the H10. Firmware 4.0.4, released on 4 December 2025, introduces Bluetooth Low Energy secure connection support for the H10 alongside factory reset via Polar Flow and training file access control. This is directly confirmed in Polar’s release notes.

Coros has taken the BLE-only route on its mid-range and higher-end watches. Coros’s own support documentation lists Apex 2, Apex 2 Pro, Vertix 2, Vertix 2S, Pace 3, Pace 4, Pace Pro, Nomad, and Apex 4 as supporting only Bluetooth accessories. Older Coros watches retain ANT+.

The most significant development is the Garmin Varia RearVue 820 radar. Per DC Rainmaker’s in-depth review published in February 2026, the RearVue 820 broadcasts three distinct signals concurrently: the open-standard ANT+ Radar profile, the open-standard ANT+ Bicycle Light profile, and a new Garmin-proprietary secure Bluetooth connection for cycling radar. On recent Garmin Edge head units, the secure Bluetooth connection is paired by default and unlocks new features such as vehicle size estimation and lateral position display. Third-party head units continue to work via ANT+ for basic rear-approach alerts, but Garmin has told DC Rainmaker it does not plan to release the new Bluetooth protocol to third parties.

That last point is the heart of the fragmentation concern. Basic profiles, including heart rate, cadence, speed, power, and pedal balance, remain interoperable across brands. Advanced categories, including cycling radar, richer running dynamics, and future sensor types yet to arrive, risk becoming locked to the sensor maker’s own ecosystem where the proprietary BLE profile is not shared. The medium-term question is whether brands cooperate on open extended BLE profiles or each retreat into private ones, with knock-on effects for interoperability, price competition, and innovation from smaller sensor makers.

Key Dates

• 3 January 2025: Updated ANT+ Adopter Agreement published.
• 31 March 2025: Final deadline for ANT+ certification applications.
• 30 June 2025: ANT+ membership and certification programmes officially end. Profiles and developer documentation remain available.
• 1 August 2025: EU RED cybersecurity provisions, under Delegated Regulation 2022/30 covering Articles 3.3(d), (e), (f), become mandatory for wireless devices placed on the EU market.

Final Thoughts

For two decades, ANT+ was a cornerstone of wireless interoperability in sport. Its relevance is declining, but existing accessories will keep working for years. Garmin’s commitment to dual-chipset support protects the installed base, and most owners will see no immediate change.

The concern is not the near term. It is whether the post-ANT+ world preserves the open cross-brand interoperability that ANT+ delivered from 2004 onwards. That outcome depends on whether the industry agrees extended open BLE profiles for advanced sensors or allows proprietary profiles to proliferate. The Varia RearVue 820 is the first test case. More will follow.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will my existing ANT+ sensors stop working?

No. The end of the ANT+ certification programme does not disable any existing sensor. An ANT+ heart rate strap, power meter, speed sensor, or cadence sensor will continue to work with any compatible receiver and with future Garmin watches and bike computers for the foreseeable future.

How long will new Garmin watches support ANT+?

Garmin has indicated it will keep ANT+ support available via dual ANT+/BLE chipsets on new products. No specific end date has been set. Given the scale of the installed base, meaningful ANT+ support in new Garmin hardware looks likely for years to come.

Do I need to replace my heart rate strap?

No. Any existing ANT+ or standard BLE strap will continue to pair and transmit. Buyers who want encrypted BLE specifically, for privacy or to use features that depend on it, can choose a strap that supports it, such as the Garmin HRM 200, Garmin HRM 600, or a Polar H10 running firmware 4.0.4 or later.

What is the EU RED cybersecurity requirement?

The EU Radio Equipment Directive has been in force since 2014. What became mandatory on 1 August 2025 is the cybersecurity Delegated Regulation 2022/30, which activates Articles 3.3(d), (e), and (f) of RED. These require wireless devices to avoid harming the network, protect personal data and privacy, and guard against fraud. Encryption and authentication are the standard routes to compliance rather than explicit universal mandates, but they are the practical outcome for sensors that transmit physiological data.

Why couldn’t Garmin just add encryption to ANT+?

Garmin has stated, and DC Rainmaker has reported in detail, that adding authentication and encryption to common ANT+ profiles such as heart rate and cycling power would change the structure of transmitted messages and break backward compatibility with the existing installed base. Given the scale of that change and the lack of industry appetite to fund a rebuild, Garmin chose to wind down the ANT+ certification programme rather than redesign it.

Should I buy ANT+ or Bluetooth sensors now?

Dual-protocol where possible. Most current products from Garmin, Wahoo, and similar brands remain dual-protocol. Dual-protocol sensors preserve ANT+ compatibility with older receivers and BLE compatibility with phones, new watches, and any future encrypted BLE requirements.

Does Bluetooth Low Energy support multiple simultaneous connections?

Yes, within limits. Modern BLE sensors typically support two or three simultaneous connections, which covers most real-world cases such as a watch and a bike computer paired to the same strap. ANT+ supports a very high number of concurrent receivers in practice, so heavy multi-receiver setups remain easier on ANT+.

Will I lose cycling power meter data by switching to Bluetooth?

Depends on the sensor and the head unit. Basic power, cadence, and often left-right balance transmit cleanly over standard BLE profiles. Richer metrics such as pedal smoothness, torque effectiveness, and detailed pedalling dynamics are available reliably over ANT+, because a standardised public profile exists for them. Some manufacturers transmit equivalent data over proprietary BLE profiles, but interoperability across head units varies. For rich power metrics across mixed-brand equipment, keep ANT+ in the pairing chain.

What happens to Stryd and running dynamics?

Stryd continues to work over both protocols. The standardised public ANT+ running dynamics profile is frozen as of the end of the certification programme. Any new metrics introduced after June 2025 will not be added to ANT+ and will arrive through BLE only. Whether they remain interoperable across watch brands will depend on whether open BLE profiles exist for them.

What about the Garmin Varia RearVue 820?

It broadcasts concurrently over ANT+, using the open-standard radar and bicycle light profiles, and over a new Garmin-proprietary secure Bluetooth connection. Third-party head units can pair over ANT+ for standard rear-approach alerts. The new features, including vehicle size estimation and lateral position display, require the proprietary Bluetooth connection, which Garmin has told DC Rainmaker it does not plan to share with third parties.

What about earlier Varia models?

The RTL515, RVR315, and RCT715 all support Bluetooth alongside ANT+ using the earlier, non-secure implementation, which third-party apps and head units can connect to. Suunto’s April 2026 firmware added Varia support targeting this older Bluetooth implementation, so these earlier radars work with Suunto watches running current firmware.

What about Di2 and SRAM wireless shifting?

Shimano Di2 and SRAM eTap AXS integrations with head units have relied on ANT+ in recent generations and will continue to work with existing receivers. Any future evolution of wireless shifting integration is likely to involve BLE. Whether that remains cross-brand-interoperable depends on whether open profiles are agreed.

What about smart trainers?

The trainer market is splitting. Most high-end trainers continue to support ANT+ FE-C alongside BT FTMS. The low end increasingly supports BT FTMS only. Garmin watches and bike computers currently rely on ANT+ FE-C for trainer control, so if a BLE-only trainer is on the shopping list, check trainer-to-head-unit compatibility before buying.

Will older watches receive RED-related firmware updates?

Major brands have rolled RED-related firmware to a wide range of current and recent devices during 2025. Very old watches may not. Check the manufacturer’s firmware notes for the specific model and run a manual update check if in doubt.

Will ANT+ sensor prices rise as the protocol declines?

Not broadly, in the short term. Dual-protocol sensors benefit from scale and are still the default at the mid and high end. In the longer term, if advanced sensor categories lock into proprietary BLE ecosystems, expect reduced price competition in those specific niches rather than a broad price rise across all sensors.

Will innovation slow for small sensor makers?

That is the structural risk. ANT+ let a small manufacturer develop a new sensor type once, define an open public profile, and have it work across every major watch brand. A post-ANT+ world without equivalent open BLE profiles forces the same manufacturer to build and maintain separate integrations for each watch ecosystem. That raises the cost of entry for novel sensor categories and favours large incumbents.

Is there any chance of a new open protocol replacing ANT+?

In the short to medium term, no. The practical path is extended BLE profiles, either through the Bluetooth SIG or through multilateral agreement between sports technology brands. A wholly new open protocol is theoretically possible but commercially unlikely given the cost of fielding new radios across the installed base.

What should a buyer do today?

Buy dual-protocol sensors where available. Check that any new watch or bike computer supports encrypted BLE if buying a new heart rate strap. Enable any privacy and lock features on the watch if it holds personal data. For advanced cycling power metrics, keep at least one ANT+ pairing in the setup for the next several years.

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Further reading: DC Rainmaker on the Beginning of the End for ANT+ Wireless, ANT+ programme changes on thisisant.com, Power Meter Market in 2024: Sales and Trends.

Last Updated on 21 April 2026 by the5krunner