#18 The Deep Dive Fix Files: Week Ending 2 October 2026

This is a weekly roundup of significant sports tech problems that the endurance community has encountered and, where possible, resolved. Each entry covers the issue, the affected hardware or software, and the current best fix or workaround known to the community.

Garmin Fenix 8 losing heart rate after firmware 23.39

Several Fenix 8 owners report that heart rate disappeared completely after installing firmware 23.39, both on the watch face and during recorded activities. Earlier versions, including 23.31, gave erratic readings, but this time the sensor stops reporting altogether.

The workaround that has helped several owners is a firmware reinstall. Go to System, then About, and press the light button about eight times to reveal a hidden Reinstall Software option. Owners who followed the reinstall by leaving the watch powered off for more than 90 seconds say heart rate came back.

The reinstall has not worked for everyone, and Garmin has not given a timeline for a proper patch.

Garmin Fenix 8 Pro map download stuck at 51 percent in Garmin Express

A Fenix 8 Pro owner found a North America TopoActive update frozen at 51 percent in Garmin Express, even after leaving the computer running overnight. Unticking and reticking the map, and deleting the garmindevice.xml file and map .img files from the watch, made no difference.

Rebooting the computer running Garmin Express cleared the stall. The fault appears to sit in a stuck background process on the Express side rather than in corrupted data on the watch.

Suunto Race S and Vertical not syncing SuuntoPlus Guides

SuuntoPlus Guides pulled in from TrainingPeaks, TrainAsOne and Runna stay marked as not on watch on some Race S and Vertical units, however many times the app retries. Some watches pile up old guides without deleting them, and others sync successfully only once a week at random.

A soft reset, holding the upper button for 12 seconds and then syncing again, works for some owners. Deleting old or manually created guides from the app restored syncing for several others. A factory reset also clears it but wipes health metric calibration.

Suunto support has confirmed the issue is known internally and expects a fix in a first quarter software update.

Garmin Express on Mac not syncing with Fenix 9 Pro

Fenix 9 Pro owners using Garmin Express on a Mac report failed syncs, maps that install and then show as uninstalled, downloads that abort partway, and unresponsive Music, Apps, Tools and Content, and Garmin Connect buttons. The same Macs sync older Garmin devices without trouble, and Express on Windows has not shown the same failures.

Garmin staff acknowledged the problem and are collecting software versions, but no fix has shipped. One owner switched to a third-party alternative to Express and found it slow and complicated. Some owners also say training load stops accruing correctly in Garmin Connect while the watch is their primary device.

This issue remains unresolved — if you have encountered it and found a fix, the discussion is open on r/the5krunner.

Garmin Edge Explore 2 map update stuck because storage is full

An Edge Explore 2 owner found a North America TopoActive update stuck partway through in Garmin Express. The unit has 16GB of storage, and current 2025 and 2026 map files are large enough to fill it mid-install, sometimes with the update reported as complete when it never finished.

Unticking the map in Express and deleting the garmindevice.xml or map .img files did not help. What worked was deleting obsolete map files through a USB file browser, including old gmaprom.img variants and a leftover D6285160A.img file, while leaving the current system files alone, then reconnecting to Express. A second owner needed several factory resets before the same approach worked.

Garmin Fenix 9 freezing and Bluetooth dropouts on firmware 6.38

A running bug list for Fenix 9 firmware 6.38 includes the watch freezing on the watch face and needing a hard reset, speaker crackle during notifications and calls, and Bluetooth headphones, including AirPods Pro 3, disconnecting when skipping tracks. Owners also report duplicated outgoing messages through the phone assistant, a Garmin Pay wallet that needs several attempts to add a card, and odd battery estimates.

Garmin support says firmware 6.48 is rolling out fixes for some of these issues without saying which. Until then, owners are forcing a restart by holding the buttons when the watch freezes.

Garmin Fenix 7 TopoActive Europe download installing China or Greenland

Fenix 7 owners selecting TopoActive Europe in Garmin Express or Garmin Connect are getting Mainland China, Greenland or Antarctica on the watch instead, with no error message. The thread has run for more than a year and picked up a fresh report last week.

One owner found a repeatable fix: install the Greenland map first, then install Europe. Garmin has not issued an official fix, and contacting support has not produced anything beyond that workaround.

Garmin Connect on iOS wiping Apple Fitness effort ratings

Garmin Connect on iOS clears effort ratings set by hand in Apple Fitness every time the app opens or syncs. The wipe affects previously synced activities as well as the newest one, so the loss often goes unnoticed until you check your training history.

A Garmin support pointer to a general troubleshooting article did not help. One owner stopped syncing Garmin Connect directly into Apple Health and now routes data through Intervals.icu, which pushes activities into Apple Fitness, and says the ratings have held since.

Suunto app 3.14.2 crashing on the Min HR widget

Suunto app version 3.14.2 for iOS crashes as soon as you tap the Min HR widget on the dashboard. Vertical, Vertical 2 Titanium and Race S owners have confirmed it, and one also reports a crash on the connected services page in the same update.

Community members suspect a recent iOS release interacting with the app, though nobody has confirmed the cause. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app is the usual support advice, but nobody has confirmed it stops this crash.

This issue remains unresolved — if you have encountered it and found a fix, the discussion is open on r/the5krunner.

Garmin Forerunner 570 audio muting on the second track skip with PowerBeats Pro 2 or AirPods

Forerunner 570 owners on software 18.29 lose audio on the second consecutive track skip when playing music stored on the watch through PowerBeats Pro 2, AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro 2. The player still shows as playing. Forerunner 970 and Fenix 8 owners describe the same behaviour, and one owner says original PowerBeats Pro are unaffected.

Pausing and playing from the earbud, usually three presses in total, brings sound back until the next double skip. Restarting the playlist, or switching to a different one, buys roughly two more skips. Garmin support has only pointed owners to its general headphone troubleshooting page.

Suunto Race S bootlooping when charged to 100 percent

Some Race S watches fall into a bootloop or a service-mode error when they reach 100 percent on the charger. One owner lost HRV data, and another had to reinstall the firmware to recover the watch.

The only pattern owners have found concerns the power source. One had reboots on an iPad charger and a power bank, then switched to a Mac mini USB port and has had no trouble since. A Suunto community manager suggested a hardware fault but has not offered a fix. Charging from a low-power USB port and unplugging once the watch reads full are the practical precautions for now.

This issue remains unresolved — if you have encountered it and found a fix, the discussion is open on r/the5krunner.

Garmin Connect Android Sleep Coach sleep rhythm chart missing

The sleep rhythm chart inside Sleep Coach is blank for some Garmin Connect users on Android, while the rest of the sleep data loads. Reports cover Connect 5.27.3, 5.29 and 5.29.0.1, mostly alongside Fenix 8.

The fix that has worked is changing the phone language to English. One user running Chinese found the chart appeared as soon as they switched, and it still fails in Chinese after updating. Garmin’s 5.27.3 hotfix did not solve it for everyone.

Garmin Edge 1050 not saving routing mode changes after firmware 32.20

Routing Mode changes on Edge 1050 revert to the default after firmware 32.20, whether you set them on the unit or through Garmin Connect. The reset affects several profiles and routing modes, and two Garmin staff members have reproduced it and opened an internal ticket.

Garmin’s workaround is to create a new activity profile from the template that matches the routing mode you want, since a new profile starts with that mode. There is no fix date, so check the routing mode before each ride.

AirPods connecting and disconnecting in rapid cycles on iPhones paired with Garmin watches

AirPods connect and disconnect repeatedly on iPhones with a Garmin watch paired, breaking music and podcasts on runs. Reports involve Fenix 8, Forerunner 265, Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 970 with AirPods Pro 3 and standard AirPods on iOS 26.4 and 26.4.1. The thread has 177 replies and more than 42,000 views, and Garmin support has acknowledged the fault.

Disconnecting the watch from the iPhone stops the cycling, which several owners have confirmed, but notifications and syncing stop until you reconnect. One user says updating to iOS 26.4.1 fixed it, although others list 26.4.1 as affected. Reinstalling the Connect app has not produced a permanent fix.

Garmin Connect iOS app draining iPhone battery

Garmin Connect on iPhone uses 2 to 15 percent of the battery per hour even when the app is closed, enough to flatten a phone on a long ride or race day. Reports cover iOS 26.4 to 26.5.2 and Connect 5.23.1 to 5.27, mostly with Fenix 8 and Instinct 2 Solar.

Garmin advises removing the watch from Connect and from iPhone Bluetooth settings, deleting the app, restarting the phone, then reinstalling and pairing again. Owners who tried that, or turned off background app refresh, location services, notifications and health sync, saw no improvement. One user who saw the watch listed as “Status – Waiting” in Bluetooth settings cleared the drain by unpairing and force-restarting the phone, but that is a single report.

This issue remains unresolved — if you have encountered it and found a fix, the discussion is open on r/the5krunner.

Garmin Forerunner 970 vibration not stopping after switching workout steps on software 18.29

The vibration alert on Forerunner 970 keeps going after a Garmin Coach session or structured workout moves to the next step, in one case for up to 1km. Reports come from running activities on software 18.29 and some earlier versions.

The only workaround is to stop the workout and restart it straight away while you keep running, which clears the vibration until the next time. Garmin support is collecting activity types, software versions and how often it happens, but no permanent fix has been posted.

Garmin Edge 1050 spoken directions missing on iPhone 17 speaker and AirPods after firmware 32.20

After firmware 32.20, Edge 1050 can stop giving spoken turn directions through an iPhone 17 speaker or AirPods, leaving audio on the unit only. The rider who reported it had audio output set to Phone, sound settings on and Garmin Connect running in the background.

Pairing the 1050 to the iPhone again fixed it. Removing the Edge from the iPhone Bluetooth list first makes the re-pair clean. Reconnecting the Connect IQ apps made no difference, and no Garmin staff member has replied.

Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3 screen dark grey and unreadable in cloudy or shaded light

A Roam 3 owner reports the screen going dark grey and unreadable for about half a ride in cloudy, shaded or indirect light. The transflective display relies on reflected light in sun and on the backlight in the dark, and dull daylight falls between the two.

Switching the backlight from Always On to Auto made the screen readable again, and a second owner confirmed it. Tilting the unit about 30 degrees from perpendicular also helps, and Auto Max gives maximum brightness at the cost of battery life. Wahoo has not commented.

Garmin Forerunner 970 over-reading distance on the track after software 18.29

A Forerunner 970 on software 18.29 signals the 1,000m mark about 40 to 60 metres early on a standard 400m track, an overestimate of roughly 4 to 6 percent. The watch had been accurate for ten months before the problem began in mid-September.

Running in an outer lane adds about 5 percent, so rule that out first. The owner had HRM-Pro pace and distance set to indoors, GPS accuracy on default and a normal running activity, so none of those explain it. Running the same 1,000m with and without the chest strap would show whether strap pace data is the source.

This issue remains unresolved — if you have encountered it and found a fix, the discussion is open on r/the5krunner.

Garmin Edge 1050 losing GPS after installing a Connect IQ app on software 32.20

An Edge 1050 on software 32.20 can lose GPS signal after any Connect IQ app is installed. The signal returns when switching activities and drops again as soon as the app opens.

Uninstalling the app brings GPS back, but you lose the app. Nobody knows yet whether the fault affects every 1050 on 32.20, so add one Connect IQ app at a time and check for a GPS lock after opening it before you head out.

Suunto Race 2 interval training missing sets and not recognised in the app

Intervals built in the Suunto app can stop working on Race 2, with the watch not showing work and rest sets and the app not recognising the finished workout as intervals.

One owner found the cause within hours: two internal trainings were selected in SuuntoPlus. Removing the duplicate fixed it. Make sure only one internal training is enabled in the SuuntoPlus section of the app, sync the watch and recreate the interval workout.

More from last week’s Fix Files roundup.

Browse every issue in the archive at the Deep Dive Fix Files hub.

Last Updated on 2 October 2026 by the5krunner