Fenix 5plus battery drain

Is here any solution to this battery drain problem? Im having Fenix 5+ with sw version 13.00 and ant/ble/bt version 6.09, so its up to date. Still with this combination the battery drains out approx 2% per hour, so the battery lasts only for two days. Full reset is done from the watch and there is no 3rd party apps installed.

Macarro Sflow IFK_lasse

I am sorry you are experiencing faster than normal battery drain with your Fenix 5 Plus series watches.

If you are fully updated and have already performed both the soft reset and factory master reset, please contact your nearest regional Garmin Outdoor Product Support to discuss exchanging your watch.

Hi, I'm new to the fenix 5 Plus club with a 2 weeks old S model.

The battery seems to discharge way too fast compared to the 11 hours advertised in GPS mode on the box.

Yesterday, at the end of a 1h15 trail running session, the battery level lost 21% (it was at 93% before starting the activity). Nothing fancy was activated: ClimbPro, GPS + Glonass, autolap every kilometer, data recording every second. No music, no map activated neither displayed in data screens. I paired an Ant+ HRM chest strap. I did not have my smartphone with me. I noticed Segment Alerts was activated (Strava related I guess).

Today, 9% battery loss for a 35 minutes regular running session (not trail) of 6km ! Again no smartphone with me, no music, GPS only (normal : no Glonass, nor Galileo), Data Recording : 1s, Ant+ HRM chest strap and auto lap every km with alerts tone and vibration as set by default. I disabled everything else : Audio Prompts, ClimbPro, Auto Climb...

My old Vivoactive HR looses only 10% per hour with same settings. I remember having 15% left after a 8 hours long race, with some data screens.

Same for swimming sessions (in swimming pool, not open water): the fenix 5s seems to loose 10% every hour where the VAHR battery loss is at around 6-7% if not less.

That's really disappointing, there's no way it'll last 11 hours with GPS, I'm not even sure about 5 hours. The watch has the last updates v13.00 & Bluetooth software version 6.09.

FYI : out of the box the device required to be recharged as it was impossible to power it on. Service menu gives 33 0 as Batt-Model.

In smartwatch mode (Activity tracking, Move IQ and Wrist Heart Rate are enable) with some smartphone notifications (let's say between 20 & 30 max), the battery looses 15-16% every day without any swimming or running activity, which is pretty close to the 7 days announced on the box.

El mío sólo GPS sobre 5 h fénix 5s plus, 

same problem with me and 2 weeks ago everything was ok. I am 12.71 bt 6.09

Just got my new Fenix 5s Plus Friday, and I've had to charge it daily ever since. I updated the software to latest within the first two hours of powering it on because I wanted to try out the Locus Maps app (and the watch didn't yet have any map capability yet so must have been an older firmware). 

Not playing music. Haven't really got it out for a run yet. I don't think I've tracked more than 4 hours total.

Not sure what happened with OldSurfDude or Macarro but when my watch arrived (from Garmin directly according to UPS) it was fully discharged and had to remain plugged in over half an hour before it would just turn on. This is really bad for long term life of the battery to be stored fully discharged like this. My wife's new Vivoactive 4s didn't have the same issue, came about 1/2 charged like Li-ion batteries should be stored. I think something went wrong in production and these were getting turned on either during packaging or in the box.

First round with support left me feeling stranded, like I'll be returning this watch and my wife's and looking into other brands because they're just not interested in helping me.

The support person didn't give any impression that he took my complaint seriously. I was asked to open up the watch storage from PC and delete a list of folders, then sync again, no explanation given why we would do this or what it would impact, and then was told "let us know if it's still an issue in a few days, and after at least 2 full charge cycles". I followed instructions but finished with no faith this will get resolved, and come ON if I am running two full charge cycles in a FEW DAYS that IS THE PROBLEM!

As a technical support professional myself it's really distressing to be handled this way. I paid a premium price for a high-end device that's basically broken on arrival. I purchased so I could run week-long backpacking trips with this watch, relying on the GPS at periodic rest stops and/or charging from a backup battery while we set up camp for the night, but so far it looks like it wouldn't last through a day's hike with just GPS running. The support agent should at least acknowledge this isn't the new-user experience they're trying to provide ... 

... unless this IS the kind of experience they want to provide. 

I wish I could get 3 days. Try paying hundreds for a brand new watch from Garmin and it won't last one day of casual use. Apparently convincing support there is a problem is going to take at least a week. Good thing I've still got 26 days in my 30 day no questions asked return window. Sucks though, I was really looking forward to this watch. 

Are you sure you have a 5s Plus? It definitely has maps also with older firmware. I use Locus Map since many years on my phone, but there is no need to use it on a Fenix Plus. Before filling the watch with 3rd party software (which quite often causes trouble) you should try out the included features.

Remove all 3rd party apps, charge it completely with a high capacity charger (not on a PC), after that swith it off and on again and then see how the battery life is. Be aware that trying out functions, running with the map screen visible, navigation, music etc. cost more processor performance and therefore reduce battery life.

It's a funny thing. The Garmin website still displays maps on the Fenix 5 Plus series as being available only on the 5x Plus. If you go read the specs and features today you'll see that.

There's a blog article from REI explaining that it was such a popular and requested feature for the 5 and 5s that it was added in a firmware update.

I was quite surprised when my brand new 5s plus arrived, I couldn't get any map widget to come up after I charged it and synced it from my phone. I had the expectation it could do a firmware update over bluetooth like many other wearables (Fitbit, Pebble, apple watch all do this) so I really thought it should be fully up to date. I was just about ready to send it back. The connect app didn't even indicate there might be new firmware (a glaring flaw IMO, because how are you supposed to know there's an update?)

Anyway, it wasn't until I tried to install locus maps that the Connect IQ app told me I had to update the watch via Garmin Express.

After updating, the maps feature was right there ready to go.

So, in case you lost track my new user unboxing experience was:

First 45 minutes "it won't even turn on? Is it broken? WTF?" until it finally charged enough to turn on.

Next 1 hour, getting familiar with the interface, trying to find how to open maps but also trying other features, then watching a video on where the maps item is in the menu, leading to "WTF!?! THERE'S NO MAPS? It should be right there! I synced it, it doesn't say there's an update. Check the Garmin website again... Maps are only on the 5X plus!?! What the hell!?"

A few minutes thinking about sending it back, then realizing there's no rush so I may as well fully explore what is capable of.

Browsing app store I locate the locus maps app, try to install it, then get notified I've got to update the device through Garmin Express. Nothing prior had mentioned Garmin Express. Ok, time to update.

Next hour is just waiting for the update, during which time the watch reached 100% charge. During that time I'm going back online thinking "I'm sure I'd seen a review that showed maps on this watch" and then I found the REI article from over a year ago. Not sure how this watch shipped direct from Garmin last week didn't have new enough firmware to include maps but ok.

Finally watch firmware update is done, fully up to date as of Friday last week, which includes the bluetooth fix mentioned in this thread.

I play with features a bit that evening, track myself walking the dog for 15 minutes. Go through the paces of syncing and playing three songs via Amazon music (plugged in and charging during sync because the watch told me to). Download and install two of the more popular watch faces, with some weather info, and that's basically it.

After being fully charged at about 5 pm that night, the watch battery is down to 23% the next morning. Again WTF?!? 

Lots of chores to get done on Saturday, didn't play music, tracked a short run of about 20 minutes, and ended up plugging the watch back in before bed because it was down to 45% already. Seriously WTF I thought Garmin was a decent brand.

Sunday I charged the watch back up to full around 11 AM because it was near dead again. I made time to fiddle with locus maps a bit because it would add turn by turn directions to the watch from courses created easily in the locus maps app, and that's pretty cool when you're on a motorcycle. Turns out that course import got broken by the latest Connect app update, just a week or two before I got this device. Oh well. Didn't do much more with the watch. Just wore it, checked the time, read less than 12 WhatsApp messages on it. 

Monday morning the watch is at 35% again. I contact Garmin support by chat. The guy doesn't even acknowledge the issue just starts with "plug the watch in and sync with Garmin Express. Is there an update? If so, accept the update. "It's already up to date, sync finished in about 30 seconds."

Okay great, he says, know open up the watch as USB attached storage and delete these 8 folders. Didn't tell me what directory they might be in but okay, there was only one of each so I deleted them. No explanation offered why we're doing this. Then he concluded with "ok good, run it like that for a few days, and through at least 2 charge cycles. If it's still having an issue after that, let us know."

Okay? No "here's what I expect to change" or "this should help because..." Or "when we delete these folders you can expect..." Or "here's some tips to extend battery life" or "I'm sorry your experience of your brand new $700 watch has been awful so far". Didn't even suggest they'd take care of it if we still had this issue in a week, just "let us know"

So yeah, you're wrong about 5s and 5 having maps from day one but that's not really important. Thanks for sharing your "expertise". So far the whole customer experience has been a steaming pile of crap. 

I newer wrote that the 5s or 5 have maps and there is no map update for them, even if it is written somewhere "in the internet".....

All members of the Fenix 5 plus series have maps. If you were not able to see them, you obviously never heard of something called "Manual":

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/fenix5plus/EN-US/GUID-80AB2853-3966-4F8A-94A2-131448AC34E3.html

Turn by turn notifications also work without Locus Maps and deleting folders on the watch is obviously not a good idea.