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Pairing issues when a tablet is nearby

Zebrathree
over 5 years ago

I've had an F3 for a long time and just bought a 6X Sapphire, but for the last few days I've had real problems with it not auto reconnecting whenever the BT connection is lost between the watch (v 9.00 firmware) and my phone (Samsung) which uses the Garmin Connect app (latest version). Every time I walk out of range from the phone the watch face shows a pairing code, which fails, then it keeps attempting to repair until I cancel it all out. After literally half a day trying to wonder wtf is going on I realised (with help from another post in the 6X forum) that my Samsung tablet is causing the problem. If I turn the bluetooth off on that, the phone and watch function as expected. The tablet also has Garmin Connect installed but I haven't actually got round to adding the 6X as a bluetooth device in the tablet connection settings so I don't know how it's connecting up and causing this problem. The 6X shows in the devices list in the GC app but it isn't connected and as far as I am aware never has been ia the tablet.

I can't say I'm very happy with this really, OK I have a workaround but it means I now can't use my tablet if I'm away from the phone to watch or listen to any media using BT headphones as I have to turn the BT off or suffer the endless pairing attempts on the watch. I could do it but would have to have all three devices on me while doing so. I also use GC on the tablet a lot as it's easier to read than my phone. This seems like a bug to me, but was keen to hear what others think. Thanks.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    That's good to know! I wonder if you would mind pairing one (say the F3HR) to one of the devices that you added GC to but don't have anything paired with? That would replicate my situation... In my case the phone was paired with both but the F6 only with the phone.

    This is all really useful for telling Garmin when they respond to my ticket. Thank you!

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to KiwiSean

    I've just tried some more stuff with mine, I checked my watch (6X) wasn't connected via BT to the tablet; it wasn't and as far as I can see it never has been. It is, however, in the device list on the GC app on the tablet. Not connected or synced, just in the list.

    Then I deleted it as a device there, but it also deleted it as a GC device off my phone (which it was connecting to and syncing with). TBH I wish I hadn't bc now the phone seems to have effed up the connection and synchronsation with the watch so now it's now stuck in a seemingly endless sync loop. This also seems to delete any cards you have stored in Garmin Pay too so you have to set all that up again. Can you keep me posted with what Garmin say as this is starting to piss me off really. Thanks.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to KiwiSean

    I have paired the 3HR with the tablet. The 3HR will now sync with both the tablet and the phone, but it will only connect to one or the other at once, not both.

    Interestingly, pairing the 3HR to the tablet also pulled the 6X into tablet syncing without having to pair that separately. Basically, if I disable Bluetooth on one device then both watches will sync with the one that still has Bluetooth available. If I toggle Bluetooth off on that device and back on on the other than the watches reconnect to the newly enabled device.

    If Bluetooth is enabled on both devices and I move both watches out of range then both watches reconnect once back in range. I've only tested this once, but the 6X connected to the phone and the 3HR to the tablet. Maybe this is random or a preference is set by the last pairing made.

    Basically, everything works interchangeably. The only restriction is the standard for Bluetooth of only one live connection at a time.

    Apart from pairing the 3HR once to the tablet (I had to remove it from the listed devices on the tablet first) I have not once seen another pairing screen appear. It's all locked and loaded and ready to rock. I cannot break it or make it misbehave. No more pairing digits on either watch.

    .   . 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    Thanks very much for doing that. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Zebrathree

    Oh no! Sorry to hear that. I hope you can sort it without too much hassle or stress.

    I will post what I hear from Garmin.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to KiwiSean

    So I've now done what eezytiger wrote and my setup is now working the same and as I would expect. I think the issue is caused by NOT pairing with the tablet and the pairing code message is the watch trying to pair with the tablet when it's gone beyond phone range. Once you pair with the tablet I guess the watch doesn't need to pair any more and I think this is what was causing the problem. You can only connect in GC with one device at a time, obviously, but I've tested my setup now a bunch of times by turning the BT off on each device (tablet/phone) in turn. When I do this whichever device still has the BT on automatically connects with GC.