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

Bluetooth Issues with Forerunner 225 & Garmin Connect

Anyone else having major frustrations with the new Garmin 225 & Bluetooth Sync?

I can't seem to get any help from any Garmin contact us links on this.

• I have a Samsung Galaxy S5. It finds multiple other Bluetooth devices with ease but it takes me multiple turn-on, turn-off attempts on both devices to find the Forerunner 225.
• If I can get past the first issue above and the phone says it’s connected and the watch say “Status = Connected”, the Garmin Connect App still struggles to connect to the device “Device not found”
• Sometimes the device name on my Phones Bluetooth menu changes from “Forerunner 225” to “nRF51822” which might explain the problem
• Then even if I can eventually get the device recognised on my Garmin Connect app, the sync seems similarly impossible to get going. Not matter what I push it doesn’t seem to force the sync. The only way I’ve managed to get it working at all is to wear the watch to sleep and then sync via the sleep mode activity area.

Obviously a very frustrating experience

0 vincerouge over 9 years ago

Change the watch, same problem

Yeah, also the same here for a LG G4.

Try to do a hard reset, even twice. But it did not solved this problem.

Particulary annoying because I just bought this watch today. Planned to take it back to the shop and get paid back...

I have been to the shop today and changed watch for another one. It seems to be the same problem than before. I will do some more check later

0 Bengkyo over 9 years ago

I think i have a solution here, i also have same problem with u all, but i make some testing about it :

-. Activating Bluetooth at your Forerunner225 and also at your Smartphone
-. Open ur Garmin Connect at you Smartphone
-. Go to Devices at ur Garmin Connect Smartphone
-. And you will see your Garmin Connect will Sync and Connected at your Garmin Connect and your Forerunner225
-. Thats IT...!!! :)

Its work for me, and its sync all my activities, also i dont need to waiting so long for my FR225 connected with my phone again hehehehe

0 Mikobr over 9 years ago

Worked fine until second day

Everything worked fine until this morning when I turned the bluetooth back on my Samsung Galaxy S3. I couldn't connect to, or re-pair with, my brand new Forerunner 225, which had connected fine the day before when I bought it. I'm wondering if the old Samsung Galaxy phones don't work that well as I had similar problems with a Polar H7 Heart Rate Monitor. I used that with the Runkeeper app, and Runkeeper had a note in their compatibility instructions to the effect that the S3 really only worked if it had the Android ver. 4.4.2. My older S3 has ver. 4.3, and neither I, nor the Samsung rep at Best Buy nor my carrier, US Cellular in Sheboygan, WI (after several hours of fiddling around at their stores), could get that newer Android firmware to load on my older S3. Apparently, US Cellular doesn't want to put that newer technology on my older phone even though Samsung says it would work fine. One has to wonder if that is driven by technology or desire for sales of new phones. By the way, the turn-off-phone-and-forerunner-and-restart solution did work, but that's a pretty inconvenient and unreliable solution. I agree this is very frustrating.

0 Mikobr over 9 years ago

Garmin Connect must be running on phone

I called Garmin support (913-397-8200) on 9/28/15, and Riley ultimately explained to me that my Forerunner 225 will not connect to my Samsung Galaxy S3 bluetooth unless the Garmin Connect mobile app is actually running on my phone (at least in the background). So when I have tried to connect unsuccessfully, it is probably because I wasn't running that app on the phone. This apparently has to do with the type of Bluetooth technology used by Garmin to save battery. Whereas with a more typical "BTLE" (BlueTooth Low Energy) connection, the connection is initiated by the phone's Bluetooth setting, the Forerunner 225 connects with the settings in the Garmin Connect app. You start the app on your phone, bring up the menu (the three spaced lines at the top right), select devices and press on the Forerunner icon to connect. Now, I may have some of this wrong and didn't quite understand the Garmin proprietary bluetooth details, but this solution makes some sense and, at least initially, seems to be working for me. Also, this didn't quite occur to me so I add it for what it's worth: You don't really even need to use the mobile app with bluetooth connectivity, and you don't even need any phone at all. If you just attach your Forerunner 225 to your computer with the supplied USB cable and open Garmin Connect on your computer, the Forerunner should sync with the Garmin Connect program on your computer assuming you have entered the correct settings. The solution makes sense in that the primary reason for connecting the phone and the Forerunner is syncing your new data on the phone to your Garmin Connect program. Thus, having the Garmin Connect app actually running when you attempt to connect (in order to sync) does make sense, and it also makes sense to shut down the Bluetooth connection on the Forerunner when that app isn't running. I hope this information may be helpful to someone else (and I'm also hoping it keeps working for me).

0 SullyRB over 9 years ago

I cant pair!!

im having the same issue! it work perfectly the first week. all of the sudden it deleted my activities, training and wont pair. I downloaded the calendar again, but still wont PAIR!!

0 asdfasdfasdf1 over 9 years ago

^ and ^^ - You both need to do the hard/full reset that brings the watch back to factory settings and prompts you with all of the initial questions (English/Spanish, etc.) again. Look earlier in this thread for instructions on how to do it - it involves pushing three buttons at once and releasing one every five seconds or so. There is a bug in the 2.40 firmware download that kills Bluetooth reliability until a full reset is performed. Many of us have experienced the same thing - out of the box, Bluetooth worked for a brief period, then it suddenly becomes hell to get it to work ever again. Garmin, in their infinite wisdom, refuses to publicize this bug (and the corresponding fix), wasting everyone's time in the process.

0 Stepping4InNOut over 9 years ago

Garmin 225 Fails to Sync. Returning it

Same syncing issues for me. Spent 2+ hours with Garmin tech support to no avail. Like others, only way to sync is power down the watch. Disappointing for a $300 product that it's software is so buggy. Seeing that others are experiencing the same issues, I have no faith in Garmin and will return the 225 and switch to Fitbit Surge. I like the look and feel of the 225, but having to constantly reboot the watch is silly. Surge is ugly, but if it works, then so be it.

* Watch is running 2.40 and the Garmin app is the latest.
* Lollipop 5.0.1, LG G3
* My previous Vivofit synced well with the same phone.

Too bad that Garmin can't get it together. With more and more fitness and smartwatches hitting the market, you can't afford to lose your existing loyal customer base. Garmin has slowly been losing ground: http://mobihealthnews.com/44070/report-xiaomi-gaining-on-fitbit-in-wearable-marketshare/

Many of us compare our experiences with other fitness enthusiasts. Just talked to one of the trainers today at my gym who LOVES her Fitbit Surge. I shared with her how poorly my Garmin 225 performed. Over time, this is how you gain or lose customers.

0 Pinkraynedrop over 9 years ago

Well I did the hard reset & lost bluetooth completely off my 225. Great. So now I don't even have that option at all. The 225 says pair device & there is no bluetooth symbol on there at all.

SO what now? I paid $300 for something that wont connect at all? It was working fine yesterday, even synced perfectly. Then suddenly it says 45hrs since last sync & I lost 2 days of sleep data & activity tracking. And then bluetooth went.

I followed the steps above and that was what killed it totally.

Now what?

0 Ktm990smr over 9 years ago

Hi, after i did the master reset of mycket forerunner 225 it connects perfectly with my Xperia 1compact.

0 abilge over 9 years ago

Software update 2.40 seems to solve the problem

I was having the same connection issues. At first the watch connected perfectly to my galaxy note 3. suddenly it started not connect. I tried everyting, hard resetting etc. But it did not solve the problem.

Today I have connected my watch to the computer via the usb cable for the first time. Then I saw that there was an update waiting to be installed. after installing the update, the bluetooth connection was working perfectly. I tried for 3-4 times by pairing and unpairing and it works perfect. I hope this is not a first time charm.