If my start activity button is no longer working is there another way to start an activity?

After cleaning as described in the manual and a full reset (Support will usually ask if you have done these things) the best option is to call Garmin Support.

But if they can't help, discussing options with a local electronics repair shop can't hurt. Maybe they have experience with this kind of thing and have parts. A word of caution though, I am just a hobbyist and have only worked on Fenix 5 and older, but broken buttons are often associated with moisture ingress and more (latent) damage inside. And to complicate things, the diagnostics mode on the 7 model has been removed, which makes testing after a repair quite hard. 

I thought garmin was a watch made for endurance ,buttons stopped working after a swim in slaty water 

Yes, I also bought my Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire in October 2023. I’ve completed three sprint triathlons with it, but after taking a month-long break with minimal use, the start/stop activity button has completely stopped working. I’m really disappointed—I’ve recommended this brand to many friends, but now I’m facing this issue with my own Garmin.

I had the same issue with my previous Fenix 7s Solar Edition purchased 2 years ago (2023). The start-stop activity button was not responding anymore. After following all the steps proposed by Garmin I could not make it work. They offered a free remplacement with a Fenix 7s Sapphire Solar Edition refurbish with 1 year warranty (October 2024).  I accepted that replacement. Unfortunately 6 months later (April 2025) the refurbish watch has the same start-stop button issue. I tried again all the steps to fix the issue with no results. Garmin are now offering to replace the watch again with another refurbish watch with a 3 months warranty. I did not confirmed anything at the moment. I don't want a refurbish watch anymore and a 3 months warranty is absolutely not acceptable for the initial value of this watch. I'm a runner, Hiker and a very active person. I thought this watch was one of the best on the market. I have serious doubts about it now... I'm running a half-marathon in a week.... Like 9513652 mentioned it, I also made 3 of my friends buy a Garmin watch. I am very disappointed with this button issue which makes the watch unusable! 

Can Garmin repair your watch and leave you 6 months warranty? It's much better solution than "new" refurbished model with shorter warranty. 

I have had the same problem for 6 months, cleaning doesn't help, and on the latest software version.  

Thank you Robert. They finally offered a new Fenix 7S Pro Solar Edition recertified (maybe recertified is better then refurbished?) with a 3 months warranty. I could not negociate anything better. I hope this time the watch will last at least 5 years. 

Thank you Robert. They finally offered a new Fenix 7S Pro Solar Edition recertified (maybe recertified is better then refurbished?) with a 3 months warranty. I could not negociate anything better. I hope this time the watch will last at least 5 years.