How YOU Can Stop Garmin Connect+ Dead In Its Tracks
This is an important post if you want to get Garmin to back down from its new paywall: Garmin Connect+ .
Several of you have said, “That’s it, Garmin, I’ve just returned the watch and bought a [Insert Competitor Device Name]“. I know that’s not true for 99% of people commenting. You know it’s not true, and Garmin knows it’s not true.
Others have said, “Your money talks; take your custom elsewhere.” That’s only a little bit true. We all know that Garmin has the best-featured ecosystem, but there is no alternative for people who want features. Garmin knows this. You won’t leave.
What you need to do
Garmin fears negative associations with its brand.
So, associate the word SUBSCRIPTION with Garmin.
In every sports-related comment you make online, you need to draw attention to the paid aspect of Garmin’s subscription service whilst still being factual in what you say. Add something to your online signature now.
If many people do that, the message will get through to new and upgrading Garmin customers that Garmin needs a subscription for full access. That message will scare the company senseless if it becomes a widely held belief.
Something like this to your online signature would do it.
Bring Back Free Garmin Connect! No Subscriptions – Stop the Connect+ Cash Grab
Or a hashtag like #SaveFreeGarmin is punchier.
Please add further suggestions below: be creative, get others to be creative – or do nothing and pay the subs in the future.
I’ve added the hashtag to my site’s strap line – it will only stay there if enough of you join in—pressure other influencers to influence, i.e. influence in your favour, not the brands.
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Maybe the next thing is Garmin will add an HD subscription. AMOLED watch displays will still display all your data as normal, but at a lower resolution (everything still free) – but if you want to view at full res, then pay up
I think we’re safe from that one … for now
I don’t object to the concept of a value-added subscription to Garmin services. But I do object to what they decided to bundle as Connect+ and charge a fee for.
The coaching plans would have made sense to charge for if they had planned ahead. The AI is silly and I don’t find it compelling but I realize that in principal actual AI compute is expensive.
Most of the features in Connect+ are just incremental updates with a hint that the analytics will get worse over time to force customers onto a subscription model.
The infuriating thing is charging for access to badges which makes the entire Garmin points and athlete level into a pure sham. Now you can just pay for a bunch of 4-point easy to compete badges. Not cool.
The real thing that happens with setting good will on fire isn’t that we all sell our epix or fenix 8 today. That’s not how this plays out. If this they enshitify the platform then at the margin I’m more likely to consider an Apple Watch Ultra 4 in 2-3 years or a Suunto Ocean 2 or something. Or just I don’t buy the fenix 9 because the fenix 8 is still ok and we have lost excitement. Goodwill is one of those things executives don’t value until it is squandered then oopsie you can’t get it back without years of effort.
Garmin has too much ‘free’ already baked in. It has no sensible way out of the free connect platform. It had to start here with a package that clearly isn’t even worth $1.99/mo
over time it can add to the value by putting in more features and perks and the like. Will it? Yes…i think so.
once it appears ‘vguely’ decent value, the revamped existing features will start to go behind the paywall. by then it will be too late.
I disagree, this is how they decided to build and dominate the market. People bought their watches not only because the watch tech is great but because they saw all of the great features that it comes included with. There’s not too much “free” of anything. You’re paying for it upfront with the cost of the hardware. They’ve made it work and do very well in the market.
Garmin Connect is not “free”. It is part of the up-front premium purchase price. They have advertised those features for years as part of the package.
I think they are looking at increasing ARPU because they expert the incremental value of new devices is going to decline and extend the upgrade cycle. Hence growth through services which also includes having monetized the ConnectIQ store. Copying Apple strategy badly used to be the hallmark of Microsoft but Garmin has caught the bug I fear.
you can manualy upload non-Garmin fit files, so it is free
but i obviously agree that it’s an implied part of the package when buying a new device
The value proposition of Connect+ is by far the biggest problem here. Like DCR pointed out in his recent video, I don’t think anyone would have objected much if the value was there. Like an absolutely massive new feature drop loaded with things that actually costed Garmin a lot of money to make because it uses a ton of 3rd party licensing and/or a lot of server load and development cost. Vut what they gave us was this little stinky turd of new badges, avatar picture frames, Live Activity which is a client-side offline feature that costs them basically nothing and should be free, and a Grammerly “AI” paragraph that talks about the data we already see on our watch.
The only thing worth anything is the live track texts, and okay fine, that’s not free for Garmin to supply so they can charge something for that. But $8 a month? Not a chance.
In its current form, this should be, at most, a 99-cents per month subscription. And most of it should be moved to the free tier, the paid tier should only include things that the customer knows actually costs Garmin money to provide. Badges don’t cost them money, live activity doesn’t cost them money, we know it, they know it, so those don’t belong in the paid tier.
yes
i think the point is that the value can’t easily be there. The true existing value is already free (effectively included in the hardware price) and manifests as free training plans, advanced physiology, and other aspects that are charged for by competitors with cheaper hardware. That stuff should/could perhaps be paid for but it’s too late…it’s already been given free.
garmin had to start somewhere with its subscription service. this is it. it will grow in scope (unless we stop it – as above), there’s still quite a bit that will probably be added (here https://the5krunner.com/2025/03/27/garmin-connect-the-future-a-more-thoughtful-take/ ). i think it eventually will have some true value and i am sure garmin already has detailed plans.
dcrainmaker and desfit also seem quite negative about the value of Connect+. They are in the best position to influenece garmin and lots of their customers.
No they don’t have to start somewhere for their subscription service. They’ve been doing just fine without a subscription service. This is just corporate greed like it usually is. They’ve built a very successful model that’s worked extremely well thus far without subscriptions. Ceding this point you’ve already given them runaway to start this evil.
As a shareholder, I’d love to see cheaper hardware ($500 Fenix), but hardware that is locked unless folks are forced to pay a $19.95p/m subscription.
Continuous revenue. I love it!
I’m trying it because it’s a better deal then Strava & because there is a free trail. Except for the AI analytic part I don’t see that much of a difference of other apps that offer both free & subscription.
If I’m not impressed then I will cancel & go back to normal just like I did Strava. I will never give up my Garmin Watch.
there’s not athat much in Connect+, strava has quite a bit of useful stuff…at least useful for me.
Shame on Carmin. I used there watches for years and ir assist me with My training needs and than they give us more functions and just as u get used to ir carmin ask money.. i refused getting getting bullied into it. If I must get an other and watch than i do ir. Could also used my cellphone as a stopwatch
.
They haven’t taken anything away though
except the expectation of a (mostly) free ecosystem after buying an expensive device
I thought they removed custom dashboards about a year ago and then added them back under the Context+ subscription?
I’m not sending my ‘old’ F7ss back. On the other hand, I’m planning to change my watch in 2025 and was aiming for the Enduro3. Given Garmin’s current policy, I’m going to wait for the next Coros and Suunto releases before making any decisions, which probably won’t be in favour of the Kansas brand (a Republican state, incidentally).
“won’t be in favour of the Kansas brand (a Republican state, incidentally).”
LOL at the attempt to insert politics here.
What’s a Kansas and do they wear Garmin?
According to Goods Unite Us, Garmin has made substantial political contributions to republicans; with their top politician supported being Ron Estes – who is against healthcare and women having bodily autonomy over their reproductive rights.
@ BrianTR: This is not an attempt. Your decision as a responsible consumer is to know who you’re giving your money to 🙂
You know, Polar should be taking full advantage of the Garmin announcement.
Their product is good enough for most and subscription free. But they probably wont.
Shame they don’t make a bike computer based on the Vantage V3, just with a big screen.
I’ll stick with my Edge 1030+ until it gives up, but the Garmin platform has never offered me much.
i’m surprised none of garmin’s competitors have made a play on the free-app angle.
I think I am the only one who heard your message. Yes, Garmin equals to subscription and so subscription equals to Garmin.
Btw
Ceterum autem censeo Garmininem esse delendam.
assuming Garmin is feminine
The thing is, if I’m going to pay for a subscription, I’m going to do it on TP or Strava. The ecosystems are so much cleaner than Connect is and my friends are already in those places. The idea that Garmin can outperform either of those two in their fields is laughable especially when there are still people who use Suunto, Polar and Coros.