How to prevent watch from connecting to the wrong devices?

I have multiple devices, all with BT active for different reasons, all with Garmin Connect installed so I can check my stats there too.

Problem is, the watch now also gets connected with them, even though I never did the pairing on all the others.

What can I do so that the watch to just connects to my one phone. Disabling BT or uninstalling GC on the other devices is not a valid solution or answer to this question.

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0 CuriousConstruction over 5 years ago

Interesting problem. Offhand I'm not sure there is a solution. In order to add the watch to GCM then it basically pairs it over BT. So when the watch needs to pair and there are multiple paired end points I'm not sure what the order of choice is going to be but I would assume there's no way to set a priority or preferred order.

Short quick answer is to unpair the device on all but the one you use the most or want the most and then use the web to check your stats on the other devices.

There may be another solution but I'm not seeing what it is off hand as I believe if you remove the device from GCM from any of the devices it'll remove it from all of them since it's really removing it from your Garmin account but it's worth a try I guess.

0 KrapfenKringel over 5 years ago in reply to CuriousConstruction

As I said I never paired it with the other devices. Garmin Connect seems to manage the connection all on its own.

0 TobiasLj over 5 years ago

On Android there is a possibility to remove the app permission used to connect to other bluetooth devices from Garmin Connect. Go to Settings->Apps->Connect->Permissions and select "All permissions" (under the three dot menu). You should find the bluetooth permissions under "Other".

Not sure this will do the trick but it is worth a try.

0 KrapfenKringel over 5 years ago in reply to TobiasLj

Good idea, there is no direct BT permission though, but I think its included in the "phone" permission.

0 TobiasLj over 5 years ago in reply to KrapfenKringel

I was thinking about this one:

0 KrapfenKringel over 5 years ago in reply to TobiasLj

That's just an information, not really a toggle.

Sadly none of the switchable permissios restrict it from connecting with the watch.

0 mcalista over 5 years ago

Can you "Forget"the watch under the other device's native BT settings?

0 KrapfenKringel over 5 years ago in reply to mcalista

Again: it was and is not registered with them. It just Garmin Connect connecting.

0 TobiasLj over 5 years ago in reply to KrapfenKringel

Yes, of course. I was a bit to quick there :-) Unfortunately I think that your use case is something that Garmin doesn't support.

I use an application called Tasker, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&hl=en_US, to automate things on my phone. One example is that I enable WiFi Hotspot as soon as my phone connects with my car (BT). You can create very advanced process flows with actions based on triggers. Perhaps there is a possibility to deny the bluetooth communication as soon as your Fenix is attached (based on the MAC address).

There are active forums for Tasker on reddit and on the app home page, https://tasker.joaoapps.com/index.html

0 JoshuaBabb over 5 years ago

I think you have found the most logical answers yourself. You may not want to do it nut Turing off bluetooth or uninstalling GC will be the most viable options in this case. As most of Garmin's users generally only pair their watch with one device. I myself have a few phones but I only have it paird with my main device.

Think of it like a bluetooth headset, your BT is on and if the phone is looking for the device (with GC installed it will be) it will find it.) If you have one headset paird to multiple phones sometimes you have to turn off the bluetooth on the other devices to get it connec6to the right one.