A Critical Integrity Flaw in the Connect IQ Store Ranking System

Subject: Concerns and Suggestions Regarding the Connect IQ Store Ranking and Discovery System

The Connect IQ Store currently lacks an effective recommendation system and sufficient safeguards against ranking manipulation. As a result, developers can potentially improve the visibility of otherwise average-quality watch faces by artificially increasing their ratings, reviews, downloads, or purchases.

Because the platform does not appear to have strong mechanisms for detecting or limiting this behavior, the most prominent positions have remained dominated by a relatively small group of developers for many years. This makes it extremely difficult for new or independent developers to gain meaningful exposure, regardless of the quality of their work.

The store’s discovery experience also feels highly repetitive. Watch faces that users have already viewed or downloaded should not continue occupying the same prominent positions indefinitely. Video platforms, for example, generally avoid repeatedly recommending content that a user has already watched. However, when users return to the Connect IQ rankings after one or two months, they often see nearly the same products in nearly the same positions.

The store would benefit from a “Show me something different” or “Refresh recommendations” option, as well as a more dynamic rotation system for featured and highly ranked content.

I would suggest considering the following improvements:

• Introduce stronger detection and prevention measures for artificial reviews, downloads, and purchases.
• Give greater ranking weight to reviews and activity from verified, genuine users.
• Reduce the influence of unusually large review counts, so that a product with 10,000 reviews does not automatically receive an overwhelming visibility advantage over one with only a few dozen legitimate reviews.
• Use actual engagement signals, such as whether a downloaded watch face remains installed and actively used after a certain period.
• Consider retention rate, active usage, uninstall rate, and long-term user satisfaction as ranking factors.
• Personalize recommendations by reducing the visibility of products a user has already viewed, downloaded, or dismissed.
• Reserve part of the front-page exposure for randomized or rotating discovery, giving newer and lesser-known developers a fair opportunity to reach users.
• Regularly refresh ranking results instead of allowing the same products to remain permanently at the top.

A healthier ranking system should reward product quality, genuine user satisfaction, and long-term usage—not simply whichever developer can accumulate the largest number of reviews or downloads.

Without meaningful changes, the current system creates pressure for honest developers to participate in the same artificial competition simply to remain visible. That is not a sustainable environment for developers, users, or the Connect IQ ecosystem.

I hope Garmin will review these concerns seriously and consider building a fairer, more diverse, and more manipulation-resistant discovery system.

Thank you for your time and consideration