Related
Options

Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar Bluetooth headphones connectivity issue

7984434
over 1 year ago

I'm using my Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar for morning runs. One of the main reason I bought the watch was to be able to leave my phone at home and listen to music whilst on the run using Bluetooth headphones. Sadly the music only plays for about 5 minutes or so then it gets spotty to a level that I must disconnect the headphones and reconnect them. Once I do that, it's fine again for about 5-10 minutes. Then the problem is back. I don't use any other kinds of sensors and I do not carry my phone on runs, so the watch is only connected to the earbuds.

I've tried firmware updates, resetting headphones, one earbud at a time to start, constantly re-pairing, disconnecting the watch from the phone first, rebooting the watch. Nothing seems to work. It is incredibly frustrating given how much I paid for the watch and listening to music via Bluetooth headset was the main reason for the purchase. I went to see if other ppl having such issues and dear oh dear, the internet is filled with these Bluetooth connectivity issues. I was wondering, will Garmin work on a fix or will this be just ignored? It seems to me that the issue is quite a long standing one. I am thinking of returning the watch and just get another brand. Looking forward to your thought, advice, input...anything really...

  • 0 10 months ago

    You are not wrong, I have had the Fenix 5,6 and now 7x pro solar, funnily enough the 5 worked the best. I too have tried pairing again, connected to wifi, not connected to wifi, FW upgrades, Sony, Bose and Sonos equipment and the 7x BT is just bad. Music was one of the main reasons for this watch as I just can't fully switch off if i'm carrying a phone. Am hoping to get back to Australia (work in Africa) and warranty it at the Good Guys. Garmin is full of *** too, never seen them properly acknowledge problem, it wasn't quite as bad with the 6 but people were already posting about it. Garmin has lost me as a customer, I am even considering doing the unthinkable and going to an Ultra if it has spotify support, buying an 8 after no acknowledgment is just not on the cards.

  • 0 10 months ago

    I have an answer that has solved this problem!! When using headphones, the first headphone you take out of the case becomes the master headphone that links to your phone. The other then links to its pair. If you wear your watch on your left wrist, always take the left headphone out of the case first. If you wear your watch on the right wrist, always take out the right headphone first. This completely and totally solved my connectivity issues, and I can now listen to music without interruption on my runs. Hope it works for everyone else too! 

  • 0 10 months ago in reply to 6343859

    I have tried that and never worked, however I did find a solution too. And this works seamlessly without doing any tricks and magic.

    I purchased a Jabra Elite 4 Active and it just worked straight away. Never disconnected once, nor I experienced any interference.

    I've been using it for months now. I just didn't want to rush here in case I was wrong.

    I think the reason is the Bluetooth version the earbuds uses. These Jabras are using Bluetooth 5.2. So I would probably risk to say that any earbuds you get that uses 5.2 or above will have no issues with the watch.

    There.

  • 0 10 months ago in reply to 7984434

    Thanks for the feedback-is kind but its not the BT version - Sonos Ace, which uses Bluetooth 5.4, tried again today for a laugh, less than 3 min before it started dropping and i had the watch on my chest 40 cm from both headsets, same for the Sony  WFXM4 which is BT 5.2. So annoyed at Garmin for dropping the ball on this, am bailing on the cycling kit and watches and vehicle devices for the foreseeable future. I will try some Jabra in case it is something else than BT version, but my next smart-watch will be an Ultra or Galaxy, the garmin will be for specific workouts like the gym but not running. I don't get how they can be so good with their glass systems for aircraft and so crap with managing the watch FW.

  • 0 10 months ago in reply to 3215484

    Sorry for this stupid question, but is it always on the same spot?  

    I have also problems with connectivity on certain spots (next to some buildings and radio poles en route). 

  • 0 10 months ago in reply to 3215484

    Yeah, I still find it unbelievable that a company such as Garmin would not address the issue or support their users and community. Just staying quiet whilst you try to find a headset that actually works with their watch. I now own 3 sets of wireless headphones. 2 of which is not working with the watch. I shouldn't be forced to do this when I already forked out the £500+ for that silly watch.

    Anyways, I have the Jabra Active Elite 4 now, but I also know Jabra  won't be manufacturing headsets anymore. 

    So what will I do once the current set dies....? Well..

  • 0 10 months ago in reply to 7984434
    7984434 said:
    So what will I do once the current set dies....? Well..

    I've used Jabra earbuds with great success. I'm currently using the jaybird Vista 2 and am very satisfied with how it works with my watch. 

  • 0 9 months ago

    Thanks, everyone, for bringing this up. I'm also having trouble connecting Bluetooth headsets to my Fenix 7 Solar Pro. The problem seems to be with Bluetooth v5.4, as v5.3 works fine. I tested two different Xiaomi earbuds: the Redmi Buds 5 (v5.3) paired successfully, but the Redmi Buds 6 Active (v5.4) paired initially and then disconnected after a minute or so. It kept reconnecting and disconnecting several times before eventually disconnecting permanently.

    This is an expensive watch, so it shouldn't have such issues. Since the Redmi Buds 5 belong to my daughter, I'll use the Redmi Buds 6 Active with my Xiaomi Note phone (where they work fine) and get the Redmi Buds 5 Pro instead. They're IP54-rated for dust and water resistance, making them ideal for workouts. I just hope I won't waste my money again.

  • +1 9 months ago in reply to tscostas

    Hello, we are sorry you are experiencing Bluetooth connection issues. Please review the following FAQ's to assist in troubleshooting headphone connectivity/  

    I Am Having Reception Issues When Using My Bluetooth Headphones with My Garmin Music Watch 

    I Am Having Bluetooth Headphone Connection Issues With My Watch 

    Bluetooth Headphone Compatibility for Garmin Watches That Feature Music

    If the headphones used have an additional footpod/Accelerometer sensor feature, ensure it is not paired as a footpod. (Look for "FP" in the sensor details of the paired headphones) Specific to Jabra headphones, we have this; Audio Cuts Out When Using My Jabra Headphones With My Garmin Music Watch  

    Some customers have experienced an improvement to reception by turning the Bluetooth off on their phones. While we know this is not an ideal experience, knowing if this works to improve the connectivity will help us to better understand the issue.  

    If you are still having trouble with this, please feel free to reach out to me via Private Message. I will collect the details of your experience, to report this to our engineers.