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is the 735 the only watch that supports 3 CIQ datafields (all others 2?)

RinseRepeat

Any plans in 2021 for any new Garmin models to support three? 955 maybe?

There has to be enough CPU power these days.

Why not comb through the code and/or use better compilers and find 10% more efficiency and allow the Fenix5/935 series and newer to have 3 if the 735 can do it?

Either that or allow apps to inject FIT data and replace/add native fields in the background without display updates to save cpu power.

Datafields and apps are a huge selling point for garmin as more competitors come to market or improve their own watches.

  • 0

    The Epix also had more than two.  The 735 did it by not having access to the widget loop while in an activity. But there's more than just the number - there's the size, which has grown considerably since the 16k of original CIQ devices.  There's also things like background services that can run while data fields are being used, and I mean those in watch faces and widgets.

    Even with 2, many devices don't allow CIQ watch faces to be seen inside the widget loop while in an activity, or even full CIQ widgets ( you might see a glance if that's available).

  • 0 in reply to jim_m_58

    Thanks Jim for the info you are a mvp around here as usual

    Ashamed to admit I didn't even know about widget access during an activity and have used garmin watches for almost a decade now - in hindsight I think on rare occasion I'd accidentally do a keypress that would pull one up and be alarmed that I just lost my activity but was able to return to it carefully, now I have some insight what was going on!

    (for others like me: during activity press&hold the Back/Lap button to get the watchface, Up/Down to navigate the widgets, press Start button to return to activity, the recording never stops)

    I'd actually be totally okay with that compromise as a user, 2 CIQ with an auto-toggle when you turn on 3 you'd lose widget access, though I am not sure how devs would feel about that.

    Some garmin bike computers allow more than 2 right so it's a cpu/ram thing again, watches have got to be approaching that level of power now, high hopes for the 955/Fenix7 series but I suspect someone out there is beta testing them right now and knows better

    Wait does this mean widgets can be given access to the current activity data? Or FIT recording? That would be amazing. I've been wanting a "better activity summary" widget with adjustable splits, run mini-analysis and things like displaying vo2max estimate with decimals but it seems impossible in the watch, only afterwards with FIT extraction. Or are widgets "blind" to what else is going on on the watch?

    ps. oh wow wow wow Class: Toybox.Activity.Info, okay I have a 2021 project now, "better activity summary" - I take it widgets cannot write to the current FIT though via Toybox.FitContributor, it says "applications" which is not a widget, it's always annoyed me (some) watches know barometric pressure but don't even bother to save it to the FIT at activity start/end and I don't want to burn up a datafield just for that

  • 0 in reply to RinseRepeat

    No, widgets don't have access to the current activity data. Yes, they are blind to what else is going on, although you can do stuff like import a route or a workout, then launch an activity with the object you just imported.

    In general, devs have been asking for the ability to share data between apps for a long time.

    https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/i/bug-reports/allow-shared-storage-between-apps

    RinseRepeat said:
    I'd actually be totally okay with that compromise as a user, 2 CIQ with an auto-toggle when you turn on 3 you'd lose widget access, though I am not sure how devs would feel about that.

    I doubt Garmin would ever implement that tbh.

    And not every watch has a default shortcut to return to the widget loop during an activity. Some older watches (like 230/630) can't do it at all. Other watches (like 935) require you to set a hotkey to do so.