My fenix 6 Pro loses its pairing regularly and has to be re-paired from
scratch. I think I've found a way to reproduce it on demand, so I'm posting
the steps in case it helps someone track this down.
Setup: fenix 6 Pro, firmware 28.02 / Samsung [MODEL], Android [VERSION] /
Garmin Connect 5.29.
Steps to reproduce:
1. Pair the watch from the Garmin Connect app
2. Check Android > Bluetooth > paired devices — the watch is listed
3. Turn Bluetooth off, wait 5 seconds, turn it back on
4. Wait 30 seconds
Result: the watch is gone from the Android Bluetooth list AND from the device
list in Garmin Connect. Not just disconnected — gone. Full re-pairing needed.
Reproduced every time I've tried it.
Three things that I think narrow it down:
- Every other Bluetooth device paired to the same phone survives the exact
same toggle. Only the watch is dropped.
- A full phone reboot does NOT cause it. The pairing survives a reboot fine.
So this doesn't look like bonds failing to load from storage — something
seems to actively remove this one when the adapter comes back up.
- The device registration on my Garmin account stays active the whole time,
so it isn't a server-side deregistration either.
It also happens on its own without touching Bluetooth, roughly once a week.
So the toggle is a reliable trigger, not the only cause.
Partial workaround that does work: after it happens, the watch can still
upload over Wi-Fi with no phone involved — but only if you force it by hand
(hold MENU > Settings > Wi-Fi > Sync). The automatic sync while charging did
nothing for 15 minutes with the network connected. Your data isn't lost, it
just sits on the watch until you force a sync or re-pair.
Already ruled out: battery optimisation (app unrestricted, not in sleeping
apps), permissions (nearby devices, location always, auto-revoke off), phone
storage, second phone on the account, watch factory settings (all intact).
Two questions:
- Can anyone reproduce the Bluetooth off/on test on their own setup?
- Is this known? I've found threads describing it as random — if it turns out
to be this, "random" becomes something testable.
