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Garmin instinct 2 and magnets

Hi everyone, I know it may sound quite bizarr, but has anyone had any experience with magnets affecting their garmin watches, as today my watch came into contact with a relatively low power magnet, which got me wondering if a magnet could have a negative effect on the watch?

Thanks

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Garmin - Chris over 1 year ago +1 verified

Highly unlikely and 99.99999% of the time no. The most critical example, magnets do not impact GPS working the way it should but your built in compass could be impacted but I have not seen reports of it…
trux over 1 year ago +1

6016882 said:
which got me wondering if a magnet could have a negative effect on the watch?

Yes, it could decalibrate the compass. And if the springbars holding the wristband got magnetized, you may have…
trux over 1 year ago +1

Garmin - Chris said:
have not seen reports of it throughout our forums over the years

Chris, it looks like you have not been watching the forum closely enough. There are countless reports of problems with…

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+1 Garmin - Chris over 1 year ago

Highly unlikely and 99.99999% of the time no. The most critical example, magnets do not impact GPS working the way it should but your built in compass could be impacted but I have not seen reports of it throughout our forums lately. You can always calibrate your compass again if needed.

Otherwise, if you use Google to research devices that magnets can ruin, the list is quite long but you don't see outdoor GPS watches on the list.

This Support Center article specifically talks about Speed/Distance issues if using Speed and Cadence sensors on a Bike. It specifically says to remove all magnets off the bike as one of the troubleshooting steps.

- Speed and Distance Issue on a Garmin Device When Using a Speed Sensor

0 trux over 1 year ago

6016882 said:
which got me wondering if a magnet could have a negative effect on the watch?

Yes, it could decalibrate the compass. And if the springbars holding the wristband got magnetized, you may have continuing problems to calibrate the compass again. In such case you have several options:

put a drop of a glue on the side of the springbar. It will prevent that it turns, and the calibration with the fixed springbar will be easier, even if it stays magnetized.
demagnetize the springbar (usually only the bottom one poses problems)
replace the springbars

0 trux over 1 year ago

Garmin - Chris said:
have not seen reports of it throughout our forums over the years

Chris, it looks like you have not been watching the forum closely enough. There are countless reports of problems with magnetized springbars.

(+) Compass sensor affected by the springbars - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last report 9 months ago.)
(+) Garmin problems... - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last report 6 months ago.)
(+) compass stuck - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last report 1+ years ago.)
(+) Instinct 2S Solar Compass Incorrect - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last report 1+ years ago.)
(+) Garmin problems... - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last report 6+ months ago.)
(+) Instinct 2S Solar - Compass doesn't work - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last post 1+ years ago.)
(+) Instinct 2 Solar compass not showing correctly - Instinct 2 Series - Wearables - Garmin Forums (Last post 1+ years ago.)

And there are more of them, and not only on the Instinct 2 forum. You will find those reports also at Fenix, Epix and certainly at other models too

Moderator: Edited for clarity. Thank you for the reminder.