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Garmin Connect on Android failing to connect

Brian S
over 4 years ago

My Vivoactive 3 Music (updated, with version 6.0) no longer maintains a connection to the Garmin Connect app on Android -- in my case version 4.3.9 running on a Google Pixel 3 running Android 11.

I can un-pair and re-pair, and that works, briefly. I completely reset the watch to factory default and deleted all of the Connect app's data and then paired again, and that briefly works too. Then the connection drops again. 

I chatted with support, connected the Vivoactive to my Mac and used Android File Transfer to delete the Activity, Monitor, NewFiles, RemoteSW, and Settings folders (I don't see how that does more than resetting to factory default). Then I removed the device from the Connect app (again) and re-paired (again) and it synced, briefly (again).

Within about 10 minutes the connection to the Connect app was lost, although the Vivoactive remained connected to my Android phone.

I'm out of ideas and so (apparently) are Garmin support reps -- two of them abruptly “exited the session” after running through initial troubleshooting steps -- any one having similar experiences and have any ideas?

I recorded a video where you can see the watch successfully connecting, disconnecting, and connecting to the phone, just as you'd expect it to do. HOWEVER, when connected to the phone the Connect app still says the watch is disconnected: https://youtu.be/5IDHj8-OPrU

  • 0 over 4 years ago

    I think I figured it out by piecing together my experience and comments from .

    When I keep Android location on, the Connect app stays connected. But the Connect app starts failing when phone location is turned off. (Garmin later confirmed that the Connect app was changed to require fine location always be on.)

    However, I found a workaround (at least for Connect version 4.39) to avoid requiring location to be on...  The only widget I have that might need location from the phone is Weather (even though it has a new feature to fix a location). I deactivated the Weather widget and synced, then turned off Android location, and everything has been working for 2+ days.