Since I this morning installed the latest update of the Connect app, it is not possible to fully close it by swiping it away, and it continues to sync in the background.
I do not want that behavior! I want to have control of when it syncs! And I guess that battery in both watch and phone will take a hit because of this as well.
Please revert!
If I swipe it away it will still keep running in the background and sync to the cloud, although I have background activity disabled in the iOS setting for the app. Also, when starting it again there's…
I'm experiencing the same issue with the same connect version and it is draining my battery. Significant battery drain if the app is open and in the background, and a smaller battery drain after I have…
If I swipe it away it will still keep running in the background and sync to the cloud, although I have background activity disabled in the iOS setting for the app. Also, when starting it again there's no longer any "running man", the app loads instantly.
iPhone 17 Pro on latest iOS 26.2.1, connect app v5.21.1.1
On screen vs background usage during about 4 hours:
...although background setting disabled:
For those who are experiencing this:
Are you in the EU? Are you running the latest iOS and Connect versions?
https://the5krunner.com/2026/02/02/garmin-ios-background-sync/
If this post is correct, it seems Apple has been forced to allow 3rd-party devices to sync in the background, due to the DMA. So this is actually supposed to be a good thing, as it gives 3rd party devices the same background sync capability as Apple Watch.
It looks like this can be turned off:
Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessories > Connect > [list of your Garmin devices]
Select a Garmin device and disable Connect under "Apps allowed to connect".
