Equipment and activities - problem with shoes (again)

My recommendation is that you don't use Garmin (fitness products or the Garmin Connect platform) to do what you feel is unsatisfactory for your requirements.

Whether or how you can otherwise meet your requirements will not then be a problem for either Garmin or us fellow members to consider.

As far as I'm concerned, Garmin Connect has already provided sufficient capability for “somebody even remotely serious about tracking activities” to track which shoes were used for which activities – by allowing gear items to be created in a database table, then associated with each activity (automatically or manually, including a way for the user to subsequently make changes). I have eight pairs of running shoes on active rotation, and nothing prevents me from tracking their use in Garmin Connect diligently and accurately; if I fail to make the effort, that's because of forgetfulness or laziness of the user (i.e. not being ‘serious’ enough). It's not up to Garmin or any other service provider to close the gap so that you can be ‘serious’ without expending the amount of effort it takes to be worthy of thinking of oneself as ‘serious’ about tracking all sorts of information.

My recommendation is that you don't use Garmin (fitness products or the Garmin Connect platform) to do what you feel is unsatisfactory for your requirements.

Whether or how you can otherwise meet your requirements will not then be a problem for either Garmin or us fellow members to consider.

As far as I'm concerned, Garmin Connect has already provided sufficient capability for “somebody even remotely serious about tracking activities” to track which shoes were used for which activities – by allowing gear items to be created in a database table, then associated with each activity (automatically or manually, including a way for the user to subsequently make changes). I have eight pairs of running shoes on active rotation, and nothing prevents me from tracking their use in Garmin Connect diligently and accurately; if I fail to make the effort, that's because of forgetfulness or laziness of the user (i.e. not being ‘serious’ enough). It's not up to Garmin or any other service provider to close the gap so that you can be ‘serious’ without expending the amount of effort it takes to be worthy of thinking of oneself as ‘serious’ about tracking all sorts of information.

So, my "recommendation" is that you take a class on reading comprehension. Perhaps you didn't read where I said "If this is yet another gap", etc - but rather focused on a purely emotional response that in no possible way tries to resolve the issue.

Second, you clearly have zero comprehension of the entire process of designing a UI. The comment that "it's not up to Garmin or any service provider to close the gap" is not only false, but is perhaps one of the most ridiculously uneducated comments I've seen. It is EXACTLY up to providers to design user interfaces - and associated documentation - to close any and all gaps, and to enable customers/users to the maximum possible extent.

"If" what you're saying about your ability to manage 8 pairs of shoes is correct, then awesome. However, that "solution" is absolutely NOT clearly documented in any place I've found yet. "If" it truly exists, then I would have preferred at least a pointer to where that solution exists rather than a petty response. I have no idea what field you're in - but sincerely hope it's nowhere near the tech or service industry. I would truly feel sorry for your customers.

Apparently I am another person who has problems with understanding your issue. Currently I have about 40 different pieces of equipment defined in Garmin Connect, ranging from several pairs of running shoes to individual bike parts. Seeing that Garmin Connect might not be the most advanced gear tracker, I have absolutely no problems with assigning ANY piece of gear to ANY activity. I can assign a pair of shoes to a strength training activity, and I can assign a bike to an open water swimming activity, if I so desire. If this is not the kind of functionality that you would expect, then - again - I do not understand what you're missing.

OK then…

It appears as though you can't add equipment such as shoes to any activity other than running, cycling, walking , hiking, swimming, or "other".

Of course you can. Stair Stepper, as a sub-type of Fitness Equipment, is not one of the activity types you listed above, so I'll use that in the example below.

Seems like anything you add is just discarded.

Every assignment of a gear item I have made to a particular activity has been persistent.

See also:

• https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/garmin-connect/146442-assigning-mileage-to-shoes-used-on-run
  
• https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/garmin-connect/135728-default-gear-by-activity
  
• https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/garmin-connect/130620-assigning-default-gear-for-individual-activities
  

So, my "recommendation" is that you take a class on reading comprehension.

Don't blame me if you have trouble expressing your so-called “problem with shoes” precisely and meaningfully.

It is EXACTLY up to providers to design user interfaces - and associated documentation - to close any and all gaps, and to enable customers/users to the maximum possible extent.

No, it isn't Garmin's obligation to you and, quite frankly, just because you want something as a user, it does not automatically or by default warrant someone providing it to satisfy or appease, especially if you aren't paying subscription or membership charges for the ongoing use of the Garmin Connect service.

Apparently I am another person who has problems with understanding your issue. Currently I have about 40 different pieces of equipment defined in Garmin Connect, ranging from several pairs of running shoes to individual bike parts. Seeing that Garmin Connect might not be the most advanced gear tracker, I have absolutely no problems with assigning ANY piece of gear to ANY activity. I can assign a pair of shoes to a strength training activity, and I can assign a bike to an open water swimming activity, if I so desire. If this is not the kind of functionality that you would expect, then - again - I do not understand what you're missing.

I appreciate you at least (as opposed to ASmugDill) saying you don't understand the issue. I get that. Let me be clear about what I've been trying to do. As an aside up front, I've been a Garmin product user factually since Garmin existed - probably long before many current users were even born. I have however as of late been less than ecstatic about some quality issues I've experienced with various Garmin products.....

This issue is about Garmin Connect installed on an iOS device, specifically an iPhone. However, it equally applies to web based Garmin Connect. Anyway, for a variety of reasons I have activities such as "Run Indoor", which clearly appear on the Garmin VivoActive HR I've been using for a couple years. I have multiple sets of shoes "active" in my "gear" profile. However, when I go to Gear, select a set of shoes, go to "Edit", then only the "default" activities are available to automatically assign those shoes to. "Indoor running" never shows up. It's neither available for selection under Garmin Connect via iOS or via Garmin Connect running under Safari/Chrome as a web hosted instance. I know I can have a dozen pairs of shoes available to assign to the default "running". However it doesn't appear as though I can assign (within either app) specific shoes to specific running related activities that are on the VivoSmart HR - since they aren't available for selection under the apps. It gets more complicated after that. "Running" I want to keep separate for "outdoor" running, relying on the GPS. I have "Indoor Running" and "Indoor Running (2)" which reflect running either at the fitness center at work, or at home - which reflect being on one of the treadmills and having the foot pod automatically used. The intent was to track shoe mileage that way, with each of those two activities having a specific pair of shoes automatically assigned. That has thus far proven impossible.

Does this make more sense? This, BTW, is a common question of you google the Garmin apps - and the answers outside of this forum have consistently been "you can't do that". Garmin Support has been of zero value - and frankly has given completely inaccurate information regarding a number of features so I pretty much don't bother with that any more.

If I'm missing something I would be happy to be corrected. I have not yet seen documentation that I am in fact missing something - to the contrary actually.

I appreciate you at least (as opposed to ASmugDill) saying you don't understand the issue.

Has it crossed your mind that I figured what you were talking about, even though you expressed it very poorly, such that a literal interpretation of it would mean something else altogether to someone applying the skill of ‘reading comprehension’? Just to be clear, you're not my customer, friend or otherwise an individual I'm obliged to try and fathom your intent and appease.

It appears as though you can't add equipment such as shoes to any activity other than running, cycling, walking , hiking, swimming, or "other".

This roughly matches the content of the post in the other thread here, to which I have given the link in the second of three bullet points above. However:

You failed to clearly distinguish in your wording of the problem between activity and activity type. What I created in the example illustrated above is an activity. Running, on the other hand, is an activity type; so is cycling, and so on.

You also failed to communicate the issue pertains to automatic assignment of gear items to new activities by default. You can manually ‘add’ or assign gear items to new activities of any activity type.

You erred in assuming that others would share you view that being ‘serious about tracking activities’ implies not requiring attention and effort on the part of the user on a per-activity basis to achieve his desired outcome. As a fellow consumer and technology user, I am of the view that the more serious an individual is about a particular endeavour, the more effort he would be prepared to put into it, and the more obstacles he would strive to overcome within his capability, instead of waiting to be served or for someone else to clear the way for him.

All that said, if you are dissatisfied with what Garmin provides in terms of service and/or capability, then don't use Garmin! That was my recommendation all along. Not how to secure satisfaction for yourself or of your objectives; I don't care about that, and I never pretended to offer you a solution to the problem you failed to properly describe. However, Garmin could do with one fewer dissatisfied customer.

Anybody else? Life it too short to deal with keyboard warriors like dill, so he's blocked. Not going to waste electrons on people like that. I truly would like to determine if this is simply a gap in the application - or if there is something I'm missing. As mentioned - there are a number of questions regarding this specific issue elsewhere, and the general consensus is that this is a gap. It's clear to me that at best there may be a way to get this done but it's a bit "non-standard" and not entirely documented.

@wmhjr you got my curiosity.

I just created an activity called 'Test' of type 'Treadmill Running' and Garmin Connect automatically added my normal running shoes and a HRM, so this works exactly as intended.

If the first use date of the gear is after the activity you have created, then you cannot add the gear. This is by design. However, if you want to retrospectively add a piece of gear to all previous activities, Garmin Connect can do this for you. It isn't too bad in fact.

Gear functionality was rolled out in Dec 2014 so it is 'relatively' new. At the moment most of the current functionality works as intended except for Gear of type Other doesn't automatically add to Fitness Equipment, but they know about it and will fix it at some point. Also, the workaround is straightforward.

I put "garmin add gear based on location forum" but it didn't give any relevant results so I'm not sure I have understood the question.

Could you explain precisely what it is you want GC to do for you? Did you want it to add your different shoes depending on your location? This isn't supported.
If you want something that isn't currently supported, Garmin really is open to suggestions, and you can submit your idea here: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/. They have even taken up some of my ideas.

If I understand correctly, you are wishing for a way to assign default gear (e.g. shoe type) to a particular activity type other than the few options given. I would like the same thing, but it appears that all running gets the same default shoe and we have to change it manually if that one isn't used. It would be nice; however, for me, since I rotate several pairs, I will have to manually change the shoe at least half the time anyway so I am used to checking and updating it after each activity.

I do agree that it would be nice to be able to designate certain gear for elliptical or strength training, etc. also, but it's not that big a deal to me personally.