Fenix 6 stuck in boot, can I recover it if offical app does not detect it but free python script talks to it?

d.r.y 1 month ago

Hello,

My Fenix 6 Sapphire watch is stuck in the Blue triangle, notorious case as I ve seen on forums. As this is old model, it is not subject to replacement by Garmin.
However, I would really like to recover it If possible, as I just bought brand new battery for it.

Offical Garmin apps struggle to detect the watch, GarminExperss failing to detect it. Old Garmin Web update app always detects it, wants to update, but each time
it finishes download the firmware it says firmware file is corrupted.

Under Linux, If I plug my watch in while holding the Start button , I'm able to also pick up the divice on USB bus and there is also ttyUSB serial device created
by Linux kernel garmin driver driver.

I'm using pygarmin Python free scripts to communicate with the watch. It reports that Garmin Link protocol level 1 is supported by the running watch.

See next post .

Top Replies

trux 1 month ago +1

You could try the tips from other similar threads:

fēnix 7 Pro Solar boot loop (FIX) - fēnix 7 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums

Yet another watch stuck in boot loop - Forerunner 955 Series - Running…

All Replies

0 d.r.y 1 month ago

"python -m pygarmin.pygarmin -p /dev/ttyUSB2 info"

Product information

Product ID: 3290
Software version: 2.20
Product description: FENIX 6 PRO V02.20

Supported protocols and data types

Link Protocol 1

Would be VERY great for me, and others perhaps, if Garmin shared what protocol command could be tried, how to try upload a new software image which will boot. Or if there is way to trigger built-in recover, beyond what those buttons could do (again, none of the official Reset buttons sequence works for me)

0 trux 1 month ago

You could try the tips from other similar threads:

You can also try installing an older firmware version, and then update to the recent version again with Garmin Express. Older side-load firmware packages can be found on the Beta Program forum.

0 d.r.y 1 month ago in reply to trux

thank you for responding,

trux said:
You can also try installing an older firmware versio

well the problem is installing _any_ firmware verion, as no Garmin PC app (Express, or WebUpdater) seems the watch under my Windows.

0 d.r.y 1 month ago in reply to trux

If you look at the top post in this thread:
https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-6-series/263933/16-60-firmware-bricked-my-fenix-6s-pro#pifragment-1292=1

The top original problem is what I experience. This thread is 4 years old, there was no solution posted, and OP didn't say if/what garmin did to fix the watch if at all.

But how he described it is what I have.... Cannot see watch as a usb storage, only as a Garmin GPS device.

0 trux 1 month ago in reply to d.r.y

d.r.y said:
well the problem is installing _any_ firmware verion, as no Garmin PC app (Express, or WebUpdater) seems the watch under my Windows.

You do not need any Garmin app for that. And since you tell your Python tools can access the watch's filesystem, there should be no problem side-loading the firmware. Find the files including installation instructions on the Beta Program forum.

0 d.r.y 1 month ago in reply to trux

trux said:
ince you tell your Python tools can access the watch's filesystem,

no, you have mis-understood: I never said it can access its filesystem.

The watch speaks only level L1 (link ) protocol which is not file system. so that MTP layer, which is needed to access its internal fs, that never comes up. So i cannot see or navigate any files inside it.

Only basic things like query watch verison, as I pasted above.

0 TheKayDee 1 month ago

Have you tried leaving it that way until the battery dies? That was the only way I could recover from a boot loop end of last year when the infamous Garmin map updates killed watches globally. Fortunately for me, the battery died within a day and so the wait wasn't too long. Patience is the key because reconnecting to a computer to try other methods will only delay this further.

0 af784a7ee8624f3e9723aef9170a8849 17 days ago

Hello,

Have you been able to make any progress on the problem ?
Did you find something to fix your issue ?

0 d.r.y 12 days ago in reply to af784a7ee8624f3e9723aef9170a8849

No it was not. Watch is failing

0 d.r.y 12 days ago in reply to TheKayDee

Yes, I have tried a few times this method of leaving the watch powered or with triangle, until it runs out completely.

This solution or result seems to may be work if watch goes through full power on reset - that is, none of the resets as documented by Garmin, through buttons, would achieve this - and probably allows to come out of a bad bug where the system cannot recover unless someone pulls socket out. ( Systems design should usually include watchdog for this, to reset from a runaway code). It's great if such bug is highly rare.

So after I've drained it, or for other reason, it did come back, but it doesnt last long till I hit blue triangle again.
This manifests by first everything becoming slow, like extremely slagish button response. Soon after, system goes back to blue triangle again.

I have reset software, and deleted any update files in Garmin gps folder. There was a post about it somewhere, that there was a corrupt map update or something. Still, watch can crash, for example, on trying to connect to wifi.

It crashed now again, as I write this. I have reset it with light button couple of times, and it came back out of triangle mode without draining battery.

But its in odd state. It displays time wrong, even though I have synced with GPS time multiple times, bluetooth doesnt seem to work, and it crashes if I try to connect to WiFi.