What's happening to watchfaces that calculate "active calories"?

I modified a Connect IQ SDK sample app ("UserProfile") so it displays birth year, weight, and height from your user profile.

If all of those are set in your profile, but the app fails to display any one of them, then it explains why those watchfaces are either crashing or displaying bad data. If the app shows all the data correctly, then maybe something actually has changed which only affects old apps (which would be a bad thing regardless.)

Ofc if the app crashes, it's a clear sign that something is very wrong.

The zipped app PRG file is attached below.

UserProfileMod.zip

You can sideload it to your device by unzipping the PRG on a PC or Mac, connecting the watch to your computer with the USB cable, and copying the PRG to \GARMIN\APPS. If you have a Mac, you will need OpenMTP to access the watch's "file system".

Once it's sideloaded, you should be able to access it from the app/activity launcher, just like other CIQ apps.

You can delete the app afterwards by either deleting it from the file system (if it's still visible), or by using Connect IQ (iOS) or Garmin Express (PC/Mac).

Here's an example of the output from the CIQ simulator:

If any field isn't present (according to the API), then the app should display "Not Set" for the value.

Thanks. Sorry I cannot get this to work. I got the .prg file in the GARMIN/APPS folder but then had to disconnected the USB cable. When I disconnected the WF said "Verifying  IQ apps" or something similar. Connected via USB again and the .prg file had been deleted. Tried multiple times.

Sorry I should’ve clarified that the PRG would probably be removed (“hidden”) from the user-accessible file system after you copy it. I wasn’t 100% sure if that type of app would be removed for your watch. (Older watches only remove music apps, newer watches also remove other types of apps.)

Regardless, the app is still on the watch and it should be available from the app/activity launcher — press the top button from the watchface, and scroll to the bottom of the list.

And yes, you have to disconnect the USB cable before you can use the app.

:/ hmm

Not even if you scroll to the bottom of the list and select “+ / Add”? (Not that you should have to do that.)

Can you open the Connect IQ app on your phone and see if it shows the app as installed (it should be called “UserProfile”)?

Hmm I see that the exact file I posted doesn't work on my 955 (although it should, regardless of the fact it was built for vivoactive 4S.) I had tried a different build on my 955 and it worked.

I'll try to build again, but I'll double check that it at least works on my 955 first.

Last activity is "Navigate" then add more, and these is no more!. No apps in Connect IQ

Sorry! I'm not sure why your sideload didn't work, as I definitely built it for vivoactive 4S. I have noticed that sideloads on my 955 now fail if they were built for the wrong device (in the past, wrong-device sideloads would work), but that doesn't seem to be the case here. I don't own a VA4S, so I'm unable to try the VA4S sideload on a real VA4S rn.

Rather than wasting your time trying a bunch of different sideloads, I found a couple of apps on the store that display the same info and support VA4S:

https://apps.garmin.com/apps/4b242c3e-6e57-4ac7-a780-a7c89a6f6521 - weight, height

https://apps.garmin.com/apps/976fb6e7-b289-4606-adf4-1eb643215ec0 - birth year (you need to be wearing your watch, as it won't show any data without a live HR. scroll down to the 2nd page to see your birth year)

I tested them on my 955 - weight, height and birth year are all displayed properly for me.

(They are both widgets, so they'll be available for you by scrolling up or down from the watchface.)