Garmin appears to have stopped processing new applications to the Garmin Connect Developer Program sometime in spring 2026, according to reports from developers and correspondence seen by the5krunner.
The application form has disappeared from Garmin’s developer website. Instead, the programme page now says: “Stay tuned for more updates on the program.”
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Several developers who applied around March and April say Garmin Connect Partner Services told them that new API requests had been paused while the programme was being updated.
Cycling analytics platform CycleLytic applied on 2 March 2026 and shared its full ticket history with the5krunner.
- 2 March 2026 — Garmin verified the application and said it had entered the approval process. The expected wait was two business weeks.
- 30 March 2026 — Garmin changed that to “a few business weeks”.
- 12 May 2026 — A separate request for Training API access was told that the application form was unavailable while Garmin completed updates to the Connect Developer Program.
- 20 May 2026 — After CycleLytic escalated, Garmin said it was working on a “significant redesign and modernisation of the API program and related processes”. It also said it could not process new requests already in the queue and could not say when processing would resume.
- 11 September 2026 — CycleLytic’s March application was still waiting for a decision.
In other words, CycleLytic appears to have applied before Garmin stopped processing new requests, but its application then got stuck in the queue.
Existing approved partners continue to work.
This does not affect Connect IQ, which remains open. Garmin released Connect IQ 9.2.0 on 25 August 2026.
There is also a problem with Garmin’s own documentation. The Connect Developer Program FAQ still says new applications are normally confirmed within two business days.
That clearly does not match what developers are being told now.
What this means
- Garmin owners using existing integrations see no announced change.
- Manual export still works, including individual FIT files and Garmin’s bulk account export.
- For developers, the public route for getting new Connect API access is currently closed.
CycleLytic says its Garmin integration is already built and deployed. It has a webhook endpoint, file parser and storage, alongside working integrations with Strava, Wahoo, ROUVY, Suunto and Hammerhead.
But it has never received a Garmin activity because Garmin has not approved its API access.
Wahoo‘s Cloud API, by comparison, has no reported equivalent pause. For a developer choosing where to build today, Garmin is therefore a difficult platform to target.
Why is Garmin doing this?
We don’t know.
Garmin says it is carrying out a “significant redesign and modernisation of the API program and related processes”. That tells us a major change is underway.
One possible reason is that Garmin is changing the rules about what developers can do with Garmin data, including how they can use it for AI and machine learning.
- In July 2025, Garmin introduced API Brand Guidelines requiring Garmin attribution when Garmin data appears on third-party services.
- Strava then sued Garmin over several issues, including Garmin’s API terms and attribution requirements. Strava dropped the lawsuit three weeks later without publicly explaining the settlement.
- Strava had already tightened its own API rules in November 2024. Those changes included restrictions on using Strava data to train AI or machine-learning models.
That makes changes to Garmin’s own data-use rules a plausible explanation. But it is only a theory. Garmin has not said this is what it is doing.
Strength-training app Hevy says Garmin rejected its application for full API access and directed it towards Connect IQ instead.
We don’t know when Garmin made that decision, so it is not evidence of the current pause. It does, however, show that Garmin has restricted some third-party access in the past.
There is another possible explanation.
- Garmin has acquired Tacx, Firstbeat, MYLAPS and, in July 2026, TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic.
- Garmin now has more products, services and data systems to manage. Bringing all of this together could require a major overhaul of how developers apply for access, how access is approved and how data can be used.
- Garmin may simply be rebuilding a developer programme that has become complicated to run.
There are other obvious reasons too. Running a public API creates support costs and privacy and security responsibilities, especially when the data includes health and activity information.
A reason for developers to be cautious
Garmin bought Firstbeat in 2020 and said third-party licensing would continue. Since then, obtaining new Firstbeat licensing has become more difficult.
The comparison is not exact but it is a useful reminder that third-party access can change over time, even when a company initially says it will continue.
Connect IQ is not the same thing
Connect IQ is for apps, watch faces and data fields that run on Garmin devices. Whereas the Connect Developer Program is the route used by cloud services that need access to Garmin activity and health data.
Strava is one workaround
One common route is:
Garmin > Strava > third-party service
This allows a service to get Garmin activities indirectly, rather than connecting to Garmin itself.
Yet, Strava has tightened its API rules twice since November 2024. If it tightens them again, some services could lose an important way of getting Garmin activity data.
What happens next?
Garmin announced its acquisition of TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic on 22 July 2026, several months after the developer pause began.
So the acquisition did not cause the original pause, although it may be part of why Garmin is now reviewing how its different products and services work together.
The main unanswered question is simple:
What will Garmin replace the current developer programme with, and when will it allow new developers back in?
Quick answers
Is the Garmin Connect Developer Program still open?
No. Garmin appears to have stopped processing new applications by spring 2026 and has removed the application form. Existing approved integrations continue to work.
Does this affect Connect IQ?
No. Connect IQ is a separate programme for watch faces, data fields and apps running on Garmin devices.
Has Garmin said when the programme will reopen?
No. Garmin’s private replies describe a “significant redesign and modernisation” and give no estimated date for resuming application processing.
Last Updated on 14 September 2026 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
