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VivoActive HR Bluetooth - Solution for Zenfone 6 (and maybe others?)

Former Member over 8 years ago

If this solution works for you, please add a message with details of your phone so others will know it might work for them.

Given the complete lack of response from Garmin regarding the VivoActive HR and it's constant failure to connect to Connect I guess it's still falling on the users to find a work around for their buggy software.

So here goes with a solution for the Zenfone 6, running Android 4.4.2 and the latest Garmin releases for the VAHR, 3.40 and Connect 3.13.1.
Be warned tho, there may be some extra steps in here because I've tried following the drivel Garmin put out as 'instructions' that have never, ever worked for me. None of the hundreds of variant instructions they've spewed about the place randomly! :-D

Problem:
VAHR disconnects when moving far from phone - expected behaviour.
VAHR will never again connect to Connect no matter what version of Garmin's instructions you follow. Massive bug that hasn't been addressed for the past year, so probably never will be.

Solution:
1. Unpair VAHR, reboot phone, turn VAHR off and back on.
2. Start Connect, go to menu -> Garmin devices. Your device should be there, but not connected.
3. Click on it and it will tell you the device is registered to your account, but not paired.
4. Press to connect, then on your VAHR go to Bluetooth and 'pair'. Almost instantly the device will pair and the screen will change to 'setting up device'. Click 'show more' and you will see that it never connects and always times out.
5. Go to bluetooth on your phone, search for devices, find the VAHR and pair it, enter the code
6. Return to Connect where it should still be trying to find the phone, click 'show more details' and you will see it connect, set up etc!
Good luck, hope it works for you!

So the summary is that Garmin Connect doesn't pair properly so cannot connect. But, you can't pair it with the phone first.
So you need to pair using connect -> when Connect starts trying to connect to VAHR, pair it with your phone.

Hope this helps some other people who have spent more time pairing their device than they do exercising!

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Update

It is possible that you may not need to re-boot everything each time. Today I successfully re-connected my VAHR using steps 2 to 6.

Connection takes quite a while and looks like it's not gonna work. Don't do anything else on your phone while the connection is taking place or you may have to start again, I had to when a whatapp message came in.

Things are looking up, but it's still the only bluetooth device I have had that can't re-connect automatically!

0 billhart46 over 8 years ago

Verify that you have the latest updates. There where 2 yesterday.

Menu, Setting, System, About, SW Version
SW Version 3.40
BLE/ANT 2.40

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Failing Again

@billhart46
Yes, as I stated it was up to date, I checked it was up to date before posting. Checked again today, no updates available.

I had hoped to come back with good news today, after posting my last update, the quick re-connect method from post 2 had worked and the disconnections were becoming less frequent. Sometimes the quick method needed to be tried twice. Sometimes it reported the device disconnected, but still set it up if left alone. But always it worked without re-booting the phone.

However, today I went up the gym and left my phone behind. When I cam back I was back to square 1, had to reboot both devices, twice, to re-connect. That reconnection lasted <5 minutes before a full reboot was required again. Now, everytime I look it's disconnected. It takes at least a full re-boot of phone and HR to re-connect, usually multiple times because after it first finds the device it will never find it again until both phone and HR are re-booted.

On first attempt to pair from Connect it finds the HR quickly. If pairing fails it won't find the HR again until both are re-booted.

Often it will state that 'paring failed', 'device disconnected', sometimes multiple times, before finally pairing.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

A Solution - Ignore Connect!

The latest update:
During another bout of disconnection, reconnection Connect actually managed to find the VAHR by itself - twice! Couldn't pair with it tho because it did not bring up an option to enter the passcode. :rolleyes:

That aside, I have now found a consistent method of using the VAHR with Connect - basically, ignore Connect. It will frequently say nothing found, nothing paired etc etc. Ignore it, pay no attention to Connect, it lies! ;)

If your VAHR has disconnected:
1. go to phone bluetooth, unpair the device
2. go to VAHR settings -> bluetooth and select pair device
3. go to phone -> bluetooth select the VAHR to pair it will find it almost instantly, enter the code
At this stage Connect will still say that nothing is paired, blah blah, ignore this. Don't even bother going to Connect at this stage.
4. on the VAHR go to settings -> bluetooth (or stay there if it hasn't closed) and there is now a 'sync with phone' option. Select this.
5. The VAHR will sync with Connect perfectly fine.

Typically my phone and VAHR disconnect at least once a day and this method has worked every time for two weeks.

If anything changes, or I find a better solution I'll return and post it. If not, then I hope this helps all who find it. It's an extremely frustarating bug and has probably resulted in a number of VAHR devices being returned which is a shame as it's a treat piece of kit with excellent software options, if it wasn't I wouldn't have stuck with it.
Cheers

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Improving.... Maybe Even Sorted!

Things seem to be improving....

Yesterday my phone battery went flat and it shut down. After a quick charge, I switched it on and....
1. On re-start, I had the circle in the notification area telling me to 'enter the code on the phone'. I've had this before and could never get anywhere with it so I didn't expect much or make notes as I went - so this is from memory a day later :rolleyes:
2. I clicked on it, then went into 'bluetooth -> pair' on the watch. For the first time through this method I got a code up.
3. I entered the code and the VHR and Connect actually paired!

Since then, they have not 'unpaired', or if they have, they have reconnected seamlessly. Every time I start Connect they sync. Looks like some sneaky software update happened on the quiet so here's hoping the issue is fixed! Thanks Garmin, if you did fix it, well done!

I'll try moving away from my phone for a period to be sure they un-pair, re-connect etc. Any further problems I'll report back, but let's hope not.

Interestingly, on the phone, under bluetooth, the VHR and phone are NOT paired.