This discussion has been locked.

You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Segments don't work anymore

Former Member over 10 years ago

Hi,
I've been importing my road cycling activities to Garmin Connect using GPX files that I create with a GPS tracker app on my mobile phone. Until beginning of October everything worked fine including segments. However since then there seems to be a problem and segments don't work anymore when I import a new activity. GC always says 'You did not cross any segments' although I know for a fact (from previous activities) that there are segments defined on this route. Even my own segments which I created some weeks ago don't show up when I ride the same route again and import the activity.

Moreover I cannot create segments anymore for new activities. When I click on 'Create Segment' an error message appears -> 'Sorry, this activity does not have GPS data to create a segment.' Although I do everything exactly the same way as in the past. It used to work until beginning of October and since then I get these errors.

It could be related to the new version of Garmin Connect, but switching back to classic doesn't help. (Maybe GC became more restrictive and now supports segments only for activities uploaded from a Garmin device?)

My older activities that I imported before October still get displayed correctly with all segments (mine as well as other people's). But when I ride the same route again now and import the activity to GC, it neither recognizes any segments nor can I create segments by myself.

Does anybody know what's going on? Did anything change in the way GC handles segments?

Thanks!

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

I have noticed exactly the same problem, although I am uploading from a Garmin device (Forerunner 110). I have not apparently crossed any segments since September 30, yet I know that I have on several occasions. Have Garmin simply switched off all new segment data since then due to the obvious problems that they have been having. Even before September 30 it could take several days before any segment details would appear. Uploading the same data to Strava, and I can see Strava segments in a less than a minute.

So, Garmin - what is going on at the moment? Are you continuing to support segments or are you just hoping that the problem will go away and people will just use Strava instead? Maybe the problem is that Garmin are aware that many people are uploading GPX activities from Smartphones and other non-Garmin devices, to Garmin Connect and then expecting to use the service free of charge. A solution is needed here, or at least some kind of announcement!

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

My ride this morning crossed 3 segments - two were picked up by Garmin Connect. Yesterday's score was 1 out of 2!!!
So it looks as if segment detection is still a bit hit and miss.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Maybe the problem is that Garmin are aware that many people are uploading GPX activities from Smartphones and other non-Garmin devices, to Garmin Connect and then expecting to use the service free of charge. A solution is needed here, or at least some kind of announcement!

This I would understand. Actually I'm going to buy myself a Garmin Edge 1000 for x-mas but wanted to begin tracking and uploading my bike tours in advance to have my segment best times on Garmin Connect so that I can get more value from the Edge 1000 as soon as I'll have it...

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Me too!

Actually I'm going to buy myself a Garmin Edge 1000 for x-mas...

I was thinking of doing the same, or maybe an 810. The Forerunner (a Christmas present 3 years ago) doesn't quite do what I want now I am cycling. However, I'd like to see the segments working.

I also wondered, given the other remark this morning that 2 out of 3 segments were recorded, that Garmin is expecting too great an accuracy - too tight a tolerance. If the file from the GPS device makes it look as though you have deviated from a segment too much then maybe it doesn't allow it. Perhaps an Edge 1000 would record your route more accurately as it uses two satellite systems. However, I've noticed on some other threads, that some users are complaining that, if a segment is uploaded to their Edge 1000, then on approaching it it counts down and then does nothing, which must be very frustrating. Perhaps this is an positional accuracy issue as well. It may also not be a problem with Strava as they might allow a greater deviation from the segment. This is all speculation of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if this were a simple software issue.

We could do with some advice from Garmin.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

I also wondered [...] that Garmin is expecting too great an accuracy - too tight a tolerance. If the file from the GPS device makes it look as though you have deviated from a segment too much then maybe it doesn't allow it.

Makes sense. But I don't think that this is the problem. I've been using the same GPS device (app) for the last 3 months and until end of September I never experienced any issues in conjunction with Garmin Connect. Moreover I ride the same tour every now and then and only for the rides after end of September it doesn't find segments.

And the error when I try to create a new segment (''Sorry, this activity does not have GPS data to create a segment.') is also new. E.g. I uploaded an activity in September and used it to create some segments. When I open the same activity now and try to create (add) another segment it brings that error. Taking all this into consideration my suspect is that something with Garmin Connect's segment feature is either not working at present or they changed it for unknown reasons.

some users are complaining that, if a segment is uploaded to their Edge 1000, then on approaching it it counts down and then does nothing, which must be very frustrating.

If this is true then I very much hope Garmin will fix this until Christmas... (or latest until the bicycle season starts next year). Or they run the risk of losing a potential Edge 1000 customer... ;-)

It may also not be a problem with Strava ...

I'm testing Strava at the moment and the longer I do so the more I'm getting convinced that I should use Strava instead of Garmin Connect. Not alone that it works, it's also better, faster, and overall more advanced.
Strava even offers automatic sync with Garmin Connect which makes it very convenient to use even with a Garmin device such as the Edge 1000....
One of my concerns was that Strava is not as widely used here in Europe (Austria) where I live, but having played around with it for a while it turned out that this was unfounded. There are lots of segments etc. available in my area.
The only drawback is that some interesting features require a Premium subscription while GC is free (so far)... ;-)

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Re GPS accuracy - I think that this is a real issue. If the GPS data is a little "off" when the segment is created, very few matches are found. Similarly, an activity with less than perfect GPS data will "miss" segments. Garmin appears to be much less fault tolerant than Strava in this respect.
However, I actually prefer Garmin's general approach to segment analysis over Strava's!

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

If this is the case then it really doesn't take much of an error to prevent a match, and there are very few matches since the start of October 2014. Another peculiarity is if you select leaderboards over the past 30 days where there are segment times listed that go back 6 months or more! I was just looking to see how many had appeared recently.

Is Garmin Connect broken? Are Garmin only really interested in selling GPS devices? If so this is a pity as I too prefer Garmin Connect to Strava in several ways, including Segments, and you do have to upgrade to premium to make Strava useful, and then have the facilities that Garmin Connect has for free. I've also got a good deal of data in GC - nearly 500 activities taking over 700 hours over the past three years.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Is Garmin Connect broken? Are Garmin only really interested in selling GPS devices?

Apparently. In my opinion Garmin Connect is either broken as far as segments are concerned or Garmin reduced the GPS fault tolerance and thereby shot themselves in the foot.

In any case something happened about 2-3 weeks ago. Most of my bicycle tours lead across heavily frequented city bikeways which are paved with segments. Until beginning of October Garmin Connect found lots of segments along these activities. Since then it doesn't find a single one. And it won't let me create segments anymore. Not even for older activities for which I had created segments already in the past.

For me that's a strong evidence that Garmin changed something which did not exactly improve the usefulness of GC...

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Definitely something wrong! My ride today crossed 4 segments that had always been detected, since segments exist, at least until a few days ago. Same device, same ride, but this time no segments were detected.

Don't know maybe it will be a question of processing time?

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Don't know maybe it will be a question of processing time?

Up to the end of September I thought this this might be the case as segments might take several days to appear. Since then there's been nothing though. I just keep wondering whether Garmin have bitten off more they could chew by introducing segments. Maybe they haven't got the server capacity to cope with it at the moment. If so, what are they planning to do about it?