Auto upload triggering

But it only triggers when I unlock device and go into Garmin connect, then it syncs up.

I don't think it's necessary to “go into Garmin Connect” (either in a browser app, or bring the Garmin Connect Mobile app to the foreground, on the paired/connected mobile device).

I carry my Android handset – which has an ‘always-on’ Internet connection via the cellular mobile network – with me whenever I go running, and my Forerunner (previously the FR235, now the FR630) watch is connected to it by Bluetooth the whole time for incoming call control and music control, but I rarely leave the GCM app running in the foreground instead of the Pandora (music streaming service) app. As soon as I finish and save my timed run, the syncing begins ‘in the background’ even while I'm reviewing the VO[sub]2[/sub]‑Max and Recovery Advisor information from that run.

I usually finish my runs, jump in the car, and it'd be nice if the sync was done while my phone was in the glove compartment.

Your watch was most likely in low-power mode, and my guess would be that syncing of activity records does not get automatically initiated in that mode.

Try not locking your FR735XT after your run, and when you get back into the car within Bluetooth range of your handset, press on your watch as if you were preparing to start a new timed activity.

but I'd like it just to start uploading the activity once the bluetooth connection has been found again. Is there a way to do this?

Don't let the watch go into low-power mode, then. You can change the Power Save Timeout setting for the Run activity profile to Extended, which will leave it in training mode (with increased battery consumption) for up to 25‑minutes, provided that you don't manually go back to the watch face (by selecting Done, or repeatedly pressing ) after completing and saving your run.

Auto-whatever (including setting the clock time automatically) on the watch and low-power mode most probably don't mix.

Mine is hit or miss .... maybe 50/50 on if I need to open up my App no my Samsung S5 to get my 235 to sync my recent activity.

Sometimes it seems very automatic, within a minute I get a watch notification from my watch "Your activity is ready to be viewed " (?)....

other times many minutes pass.... no sync.... have to open GCM on phone, then it triggers it.

95% of the time I end my activity near my phone (which is typically near by in the kitchen when I get home) - but maybe it hasn't had a chance to re-connect via bluetooth right away? My indoor workouts (treadmill or bike trainer) I typically have my phone on me, not sure if those auto-upload sooner/instant ....more often... i'll have to track it a bit.

no matter what I've tried with regards to your advice, it only seems to kick in when I unlock my phone, and bring GCM to the foreground.

Not that I don't believe you – I do – but I'm struggling to understand why it would be so.

I have a FR630 and two Android devices with which it has been paired:

• a Samsung Galaxy S5‑Mini handset, running Android‑5.1.1 and Garmin Connect Mobile v3.11.1; and
  
• a Samsung Galaxy Tab‑S tablet, running Android‑6.0.1 and Garmin Connect Mobile v3.17.
  

I did a handful of experiments earlier today using this methodology:

• Disable Bluetooth on all devices except the FR630 and the single Android device being tested at the time.
  
• Ensure the FR630 appears as connected in the Garmin Connect Mobile app on the Android device, and can successfully complete a sync operation.
  
• Close the Garmin Connect Mobile app.
  
• Restart the Android device at the operating system level, to ensure the Garmin Connect Mobile app really is not running, except for any background services Garmin may be installed that are restarted upon reboot.
  
• While the Android device is restarting, take my watch and walk to the bedroom at the other side of my apartment, outside of Bluetooth range from the Android device.
  
• Start a timed (Cycling) activity on the FR630, wait a little while, then stop and save the activity.
  
• Go back to the watch face on the FR630.
  
• Return with the FR630 to the room where the Android device is.
  
• Wait until the Bluetooth icon appears on the watch face.
  
• (Optionally) Send myself a new e-mail message, to confirm that smartphone notifications on the FR630 is working (which implies that the Android device is successfully connected to the Internet, and the FR630 to the Android device over Bluetooth, at the time without so much as physically touching the Android device).
  
• Monitor, using another device, whether/when the new activity has been automatically uploaded to Garmin Connect.
  

My conclusion is that automatic upload truly works with my S5‑Mini – even without my taking the FR630 out of low-power watch mode, including by sending myself an e-mail message and triggering a smartphone notification on the watch – but not with my Tab‑S. I can still cause a newly saved activity to be uploaded via Garmin Connect Mobile on the Tab‑S, by selecting Sync in the Bluetooth Controls widget on the FR630, without manually starting the Garmin Connect Mobile app (after the tablet had rebooted), much less running it in the foreground.

Thanks for the detailed reply. I tried tonight - still didn't get auto sync, but I tried going to the wee widget that shows Bluetooth, etc on the watch, and choose the Sync option - this worked perfectly.

So pretty much lined up with you Tab S. So feels like a step forward, thank you.

I suppose the question is why the Tab S is behaving differently from the S5 - is there some different setting, as if we could figure that out, would hopefully mean that I could get true auto upload on mine too...

I suppose the question is why the Tab S is behaving differently from the S5

Between having different Android versions and running different versions of the Garmin Connect Mobile app, my bet would be on the former being key. However, I'm not motivated to update GCM on my S5‑Mini to v3.17 to eliminate the latter, since it'd be a pain for me to try to restore it to v3.11. (Actually, I've been informed quite recently that there's an Android‑6.0* update available to the S5‑Mini, but I'm definitely not risking breaking things at this point in time by upgrading the handset's operating system.)

Between having different Android versions and running different versions of the Garmin Connect Mobile app, my bet would be on the former being key. However, I'm not motivated to update GCM on my S5‑Mini to v3.17 to eliminate the latter, since it'd be a pain for me to try to restore it to v3.11. (Actually, I've been informed quite recently that there's an Android‑6.0* update available to the S5‑Mini, but I'm definitely not risking breaking things at this point in time by upgrading the handset's operating system.)

My phone is on Android 7.1.1 - so will be interesting to see if breaks on your next upgrade!

I think I've got an old tablet kicking about on a previous version of android - might see about pairing it with that, and see if it works any better.