Adding new Compatibility to CIQ App

I got a Garmin MARQ II about 3 weeks ago, and have been gently trying to convince developers to update the compatibility of a few key CIQ apps I use. It's my uderstanding (that I'm happy to be corrected on) that as the MARQ II is basically just an Epix in a suit, that this is simply a matter of updating the compatibility rather than any actual recoding.

One private developer responded to my request in 20 minutes, saying that he'd added the MARQ to the compatibility list in his app, recompiled it and resubmitted it to Garmin. Low and behold, a couple of days later it appeared in the store.

However, after finally breaking through the first level customer service of a commercial developer, I've received this response from them:

"While we do integrate with some of Garmin's devices, Garmin controls which devices are updated as compatible."

That seems totally at odds with what the other developer told me. So which is it, how is compatibility defined? I can understand that Garmin might do compatibility testing when app updates are submitted with changed compatibility, especially for new devices, but surely the developer drives this by updating their app in the first place?

0 asmd over 2 years ago

I think both is correct. I have one freeware app in the store and added compatibility only for Fenix series (7X, 7, 7s), but Garmin added automatically more devices to the compatibility list.
So I think the developer can do it manually and upload it again or Garmin could do it automatically

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to asmd

"auto migration" is a setting on a per app basis. It's so when a new device is announced, there are apps for it on day one. It must be very similar to an existing device your app supports, and next time you update your app in the store, the new device will be lost unless you add the new device to the app. Auto-migration only happens once

0 asmd over 2 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

Thanks Jim!
Never saw this option, will check later.

But what's still not clear for me, Garmin added a few new devices automatically to my app, but the Marc 2 series is not added? It should be also compatible?
This is the app: https://apps.garmin.com/de-DE/apps/72f4a243-e138-4e3b-91b2-404b394cd8b7

Do you know why this does not happen automatically?
Even if this is be done with a scheduler automatically, it should happened already, because the Marc 2 is available since a while?

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to asmd

It depends on how compatible a new device is to one you already support. Sounds like you don't support anything that's "like" the Marq2. Be it display size, CIQ version, touch/buttons, Notice in the screen shot, it has "newly compatible devices"

The app store doesn't have your source code. All it can do is guess that the prg for "device A" should run as-is on "new Device B"

0 NeilJonesOnline over 2 years ago

Interesting... thanks both!

0 jim_m_58 over 2 years ago in reply to NeilJonesOnline

Depending on how an app was written, adding a new device that isn't "auto migrated" can be fairly minor. Things like the Instinct2/2s and Instinct crossover as a bit more work due to the subscreen or real hands.