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Blue triangle looping nightmare after updating to 13.31

Juniorbudel
4 months ago

When I woke up this morning I saw a report about the new version. I did a manual search on the Fenix ​​8 and it found the update. The procedure seemed to be normal, but after completing it, the device entered an infinite blue screen loop.

I managed to turn off the watch. I tried all the procedures I saw on the internet to try to reactivate the watch, but none of them worked, not even connecting it to the PC.

I tried this procedure and also with the variation of not holding the down button:

1- hold down the LIGHT button for ~20s 2.

2- hold down the START/STOP, BACK and DOWN buttons

3. start holding down the LIGHT button again (with all the others) to turn the watch on

4. after the first beep, stop holding the START/STOP button (but maintain the BACK, DOWN and LIGHT buttons)

5. after the second beep, release all buttons and follow the steps to sync your watch with your phone if you want to do an activity with GPS.

It seems that the loop returns before the clock even identifies the commands.

I called Garmin, and they basically tried to do the same thing I had already tried, but it didn't work.

Does anyone have any tips on how to actually do a master reset in these cases?

  • 0 4 months ago

    If you can access the file system of the watch when connected to the PC, delete the entire content of the folder //GARMIN/RemoteSW. If you can't, call the Support again, and request a replacement watch.

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to trux

    I've already tried and the computer doesn't identify the watch, I've already opened the procedure to exchange the watch but honestly this type of problem is inconceivable in such an expensive device, I'm seriously thinking about abandoning Garmin, even though I have the brand's entire ecosystem.

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to Juniorbudel

    I would try that unprompted master reset again but with some adjustments. TBH, I do not own a Fenix 8, but this reset sequence has been the same for most watches for many years. It does take a certain amount of dexterity so it might require a few attempts.

    1. Ensure the watch is powered off. You may need to hold LIGHT for up to 30 seconds to turn the watch off. Once it is powered off release the LIGHT button.
    2. Press and hold BACK and START/STOP.
    3. Single press (do not hold) the LIGHT button to power the watch on while holding the START/STOP and BACK buttons.
    4. After the first beep release START/STOP.
    5. After the second beep release the remaining buttons.

    The reset is successful if the watch finishes powering up and goes through initial setup, like it was day 1 out-of-the box. Try the steps again if initial setup does not appear. If after several tries you are still unable to do this, I would contact Garmin Support directly again, as they might need to RMA your watch. As I'm typing this, I see you might already be doing this.

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to seilogramp

    I also tried this procedure several times, I took care to watch a video of someone doing it to be sure of the times to press the buttons, without success, it seems that the looping is activated even before the clock identifies the commands.

    In my case the watch doesn't give any bib, it returns to the looping.

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to Juniorbudel
    Juniorbudel said:
    a video of someone doing it

    Can you provide a link to that video?

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to Juniorbudel

    Looks like that's for a fenx 3, not that it should be different. My directions are from years of experience and these directions from Garmin in the "Unprompted Reset" section of this page - How to Reset My Garmin Outdoor Watch | fēnix 8 – 51 mm, AMOLED | Garmin Support

    But, if you've got an RMA in process, none of this really matters. Good luckFingers crossed

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to seilogramp

    Yes, this variation of the video is a little different from yours, but in my case, none of them worked. I tried connecting the watch to the PC again and holding down the top left button when connecting, I hear the noise on the PC indicating new hardware is connected, however, it does not identify any hardware. As for the RMA, I am not worried, what makes me panic is knowing that a watch (one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive smartwatch) can become trash with a simple firmware update, how can I be sure that it will not happen again?

    I had a Fenix ​​6 that also failed after 2 years of use, the well-known problem of a hardware failure in the Wi-Fi that made it impossible to use Spotify, among other functions.

  • 0 4 months ago

    As happened a few years ago with the Fenix ​​6X, @Garmin is willing to replace the device, but only in the US, since I live in Brazil, which makes it impossible.

    I had already thought about abandoning Garmin at that time, with a device that lost the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and with that goodbye Spotify, but now we have reached rock bottom, a device with 25 days of use that is UNUSEABLE, unfortunately (I say this with great sadness) it will be my last Garmin device.