These charts rank the most popular watch faces, apps, data fields and music services on the Connect IQ Store, the Garmin app store for watches and bike computers. They update on the first day of every month from the store’s own popularity order, and each row shows how far the item has moved since the month before.
Number ones for October 2026
| Chart | Number one | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Watch faces | Goals VAW.BE |
New |
| Free watch faces | Face It® Garmin |
New |
| Apps | Women's Health Tracking Garmin |
New |
| Data fields | F3b Dozen Run f3b |
New |
| Music | Spotify Spotify |
New |
| © the5krunner. Link required. Connect IQ Store most popular order at the end of October 2026. | ||
The charts
- Best Garmin watch faces: the top 10 overall and the top 10 free faces, with notes for Fenix 9, Fenix 8, Instinct 3 and Forerunner 970 owners.
- Best Garmin apps: the top 10 watch apps, from Garmin’s own health tools to komoot and Google Maps.
- Best Garmin data fields: the top 10 fields you add to a run, ride or swim screen.
- Garmin music apps: Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and the podcast apps that put audio on your wrist.
How the rankings work
Each chart follows the Connect IQ Store’s most popular order, captured just after midnight on the first of the month. The store uses one worldwide order, so the charts are the same in every country, and its prices are in US dollars. Garmin does not publish how it calculates popularity, but lifetime downloads clearly do not decide it: Goals, with more than 100,000 downloads, sits above Garmin’s own Face It, which has more than five million.
The store shows downloads in bands rather than exact counts, while ratings and review counts are exact. Each row in a chart expands to show a short summary written here, how many watches the item supports, when it was first released and last updated, whether it pulls live data through your phone, and its record in the chart: months in the top 10, best position, longest run and months at number one. Garmin’s own Connect IQ Store app is left out of the apps chart.
Installing from the Connect IQ Store
Every item in these charts links to its store listing. Garmin closed the web store for installs and purchases, so those links now hand you over to the Connect IQ Store app on your phone, which sends the download to the watch. A paid item is bought once in the same app, and many paid watch faces offer a free trial or a free version first.
New listings have been slower to appear lately, because Garmin’s approval queue stretched to two weeks in October. The latest Connect IQ SDK adds themes that let a watch face change colours and artwork, and apps can now use the microphone on watches that have one.
Connect IQ apps reviewed here
- CAMIX 9, a watch face built from owners’ requests.
- GMT, which fixes the second time zone when the clocks change.
- Ready to Run, a watch face that warns when heat makes a run risky.
- Hybrid Smash, which names every HYROX station on the watch.
- Squadrats and Tiloscope for tile hunters.
- Crystal Reborn, the return of a long-running favourite.
For watches, firmware and everything else from the brand, see the Garmin hub. Developers will find the tools on Garmin’s Connect IQ developer site.
Quick answers
What is Connect IQ?
Connect IQ is Garmin’s platform for third-party watch faces, apps, data fields and music services, and the Connect IQ Store is where you install them. It works on most current Garmin watches and Edge bike computers.
Is there a Garmin app store?
Yes. The Connect IQ Store is the Garmin app store, and installs now happen through the Connect IQ Store app on your phone, which sends each download to the watch.
How often are these charts updated?
On the first day of every month, from the store’s popularity order at the end of the month before. Each row shows its movement against the previous month.
Are Connect IQ watch faces free?
Many are. The charts show the price of every item, and a separate table lists the top 10 free watch faces. Paid faces are a one-off purchase, often with a free trial.
Does the Connect IQ Store rank apps by downloads?
No. Garmin does not publish its formula, and items with far fewer downloads regularly rank above older favourites with millions, so the order reflects recent popularity rather than lifetime totals.
Explore the full resource library
This site covers endurance sport technology across a range of dedicated reference sections. Each one collects the most relevant articles, tests, and analysis on its topic in one place.
Buyer guides
- Best sports watch: tested recommendations by sport and athlete type (triathlon, running, marathon, cycling, hiking, and women)
- Best Garmin watch: Forerunner versus Fenix by series, sport, and budget
- Best wearables: fitness trackers, recovery trackers, heart rate monitors, running power meters, and female athlete tech
- Best cycling products: computers, smart trainers, power meters, and cycling heart rate monitors
- Buying guides: every upgrade guide and product comparison in one place, by brand, for owners deciding whether to move to the newest model
- Gear I use: the watches, bikes, sensors, fuel and sleep kit tfk actually trains and races with, and what his partner uses
Brand and product guides
- Amazfit: the full Amazfit range from Balance to Cheetah to T-Rex, accuracy tests, HYROX partnership, and Zepp Health analysis
- Apple Watch: athlete-first coverage of Apple Watch across running, cycling, and triathlon
- COROS: watches, features, and firmware across the full COROS range
- Garmin: the company, the platform and the full range, and the starting point for choosing across every Garmin product line
- Garmin Edge: bike computers from entry-level navigation to flagship endurance and mountain biking
- Bike computers: Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, COROS and the value brands compared
- Bryton: the Rider range compared, from basic GPS units to the S810 with maps
- Garmin Fenix: every model, feature, and firmware development for Garmin's flagship outdoor watch
- Garmin Fenix 8 Series: which variant to buy, upgrade advice, accuracy data, and the full Fenix 8 review and firmware coverage
- Garmin Forerunner: the full Forerunner line covered from entry level to triathlon flagship
- Garmin Instinct: rugged GPS watches for endurance and adventure athletes
- Garmin Features Explained: how Garmin's metrics work, from Training Load and Body Battery to Race Predictor and HRV Status
- Garmin Connect IQ charts: the most popular watch faces, apps, data fields and music services on the Connect IQ Store, updated monthly
- Google Fitbit: Fitbit Edge, Fitbit Air, Google Health, Pixel Watch and the Wear OS platform
- Magene: which Magene bike computer to buy, from the C506 to the C706, with tested verdicts
- Polar: watches, sensors, Polar Flow and training science across the full Polar range
- Runna: coach-written running plans that adapt as you train
- Suunto: Race, Vertical, Run and the SuuntoPlus ecosystem
- Strava: features, privacy, segments, and how Strava fits into a serious training setup
- Ride with GPS: route planning, navigation and how it works alongside Strava
- Wahoo: KICKR trainers, ELEMNT bike computers, and the Wahoo ecosystem
- WHOOP: strain, recovery, sleep and the full WHOOP ecosystem
Specifications database
- Full Specifications Database: detailed spec sheets, battery life, sensor lists and generation-on-generation comparisons for current Garmin, COROS, Amazfit, Samsung, Google Fitbit, Huawei, Polar, Suunto, Wahoo and Apple Watch models
Glossary
- Sports Technology Glossary: non-branded terminology across running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, hiking, strength training, HYROX, sensors, ecosystems, and brands
Sport and topic guides
- Running Watches: how to choose by discipline (road racing, trail, track, beginner, and multisport)
- Triathlon and Multisport Technology: watches, sensors, and race-day tools for swimmers, cyclists, and runners
- HYROX: training science, race analysis, and technology for the functional fitness race format
- parkrun: technology, training, and performance for the weekly 5K
- Hiking Technology: navigation, safety, and trail tech for walkers and hikers
- Heart Rate Monitoring: optical sensors, chest straps, accuracy comparisons, and how to set training zones
- Optical Sensors (PPG): the 40 things a wrist optical sensor could measure, from heart rate to glucose, ranked by evidence
- GPS Accuracy: how satellite systems perform across brands, terrains, and conditions
- Sports Watch Battery Life: battery claims, real-world tests, and how to manage battery life across Garmin, Apple, Amazfit and COROS
- Recovery Trackers: WHOOP, Oura, and the science of readiness scoring
- Muscle Oxygen Sensors: SmO2 and NIRS explained, Train Red and Moxy compared, and the category from BSX and Humon to Garmin and WHOOP
- Female Athlete Tech: wearables, physiology, and performance for female endurance athletes, covering cycle-synced training, RED-S, HR accuracy, and VO2max
- Sports Science: peer-reviewed research on HRV, VO2max, lactate threshold, running power, wearable accuracy, and supplementation
- Testing Methodology: how this site tests GPS accuracy, heart rate, battery life, and other performance claims
Content series
- Release Radar: confirmed launches, leaks, and rumours across Garmin, Apple, COROS, Polar, Suunto, and Wahoo
- Deep Dive Feature Files: weekly firmware feature updates across all brands (bug fixes excluded)
- Fix Files: weekly firmware bug fix tracking across all brands
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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