Fenix 6x sapphire issues

Hi Gamin,

Up until one or two month ago, my device was working flawlessly. But then, problems began, I am not sure if it was due to an update or not. Every night the phone (iphone) to which the watch is connected is set into airplane mode, I noticed that when turning back the phone in normal operation mode, it would not connect. Then I go and do an activity and them it does connect almost always, During the day, phone connectivity is very erratic. So I did what was suggested as possible solution in some forum messages which is basically all sorts of resets and power cycles, which did not fix the problem.

Botton line connectivity issues persist, in order to stablish a connection I need a workout to initiate it, I do not think that is the way it should work. Is there a way to roll back to a previous firmware version, to check if it is fw issue?

Battery draining issues. Again all of the sudden battery went from almost 3 weeks to around 1 week, that might be related to the connectivity problems, it is weel known that trying to establish a connection is a very power hungry cycle.

- When connecting to macOS (M2), I have cleaned the connector, and used 2 different cables:

  • it does charge, that is already good
  • it is not always detected, and whne it is disconnected from the computer, charging screen ramains for a rather long time, sometimes I even have to restart the watch.

Point of improvements for Garmin:

  • If I am reconnecting-pairing the same watch, please do not send a welcome email, for your new device, I am already pretty upset because my expensive watch is not working as it should do.
  • When checking the version of my device, it is always 26.00. it was 26.00 even after firmware update, and after rolling in the beta program. some of the screen changes and still 26.00?? I think something is not properly handled here.
  • Since a user has the posibility to connect via usb cable, for those who it is still working, it will be great to be able to run some diagnostics on the health of the device, eg: battery charging cycles, etc..

I understand Garmin has added a lot of functionality in the last 4 years. This is my second 6x, first one was already replaced after 2 years and a bit, of course paying, and got refurb with only one year warranty. This second garmin 6x, which is almos 2 years, is already  not working as expected. Shall I pay again for a nother 2 years??? Not sure about that.

I have had Garmin 2 and Garmin 3HR, which are really rock solid engaging watches, still nowadays are working OK. Unfortunately Garmin 6x sapphire does not live up to expectation. And, taking that into account, moving forward to newer version is very questionable.

  • For your beta question, it seems that the latest versions to 26.93 are side load only. If you haven’t tried a manual load of beta then it’s at this link. 

    https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-6-series/f/announcement/364547/beta-version-26-93---phased-roll-out-check-for-updates

    for your phone connection issue - when you take it out of Airplane mode on phone try going into Bluetooth menu and selecting connection. You’ve got your own reasons for putting phone in Airplane mode but why not also put your 6X in Airplane mode to see if that improves your battery issue.

  • hi, 

    thanks for your reply.

    method explained in the post does not work for me, since the only option for updating (Software Update) - Auto Update On/OFF, no other option.

    And as said, no usb connection seems possible.

    I am stuck in version 26.00 (c7a16d5).

    O.

  • I found this article re Mac and Garmin connection issues. 

    support.garmin.com/.../

  • something else, after disconnecting from my computer (macOS), most o the buttons are OK except light button, which does toggle the back light, but it does not bring me to options menu where I can nicely power down my watch or change airplane mode, etcs, only options here seems to press light button until it does does go off.

  • I found some 3 year old posts about the light button having similar issue. Some thought it was software.

    As you can’t access Express you could try Garmin Webupdater to see if that allows a software refresh. There is a version for Mac.

    in your 6X menu, is your USB mode set to ‘MTP (media transfer)’ or ‘Garmin’? 

  • If you use the search bar above, search on Mac computer connection for Garmin express . I got a few hits with that and they may help (I’m not a Mac user)

  • Dear Sir/Madam,

    I regret to inform you that I was unable to participate in the forum during the aforementioned period due to my involvement in an experiment with various power options. Specifically, I explored two options for conserving power on my watch.

    The first option involved setting the watch to airplane mode during the night and limiting my physical activities to no more than six hours per week, consisting of running and swimming. This option was implemented between 6th April and 16th April, total duration of the battery. However, I noticed that the watch's connectivity with my mobile device during the day was not as strong as it was previously.

    The second option, which was implemented between 16th April and 4th May, again total duration of the battery charge, involved setting the watch to airplane mode during the day and only activating it once or twice a day. I did not receive any updates on my mobile device regarding my steps, health, etc. during this period. I had to deactivate airplane mode when running in order to obtain GPS.

    Both experiments with similar number of activities per week.

    there is a significant improvement when in airplane mode, connectivity seem consuming a significant amount of power. However, I am uncertain about what the watch is attempting to connect to when it is not in airplane mode, as my connection to IOS is not nearly as strong as it was previously.


    I kindly request your assistance on this matter, as any help from Garmin would be greatly appreciated.

    Yours sincerely,