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Time is often off by about 3 minutes after just few days without GPS

Luc
14 days ago

Hi,

Anyone seeing the issue that suddenly the time is 3 minutes back (always back)? I turned off the watch at night for few days, not sure if that could cause it.

I've seen this issue few times now and can't pinpoint what causes it since it doesn't take long since last GPS time sync that it gets several minutes off.

I have latest FW as well.

  • 0 14 days ago in reply to gaijin

    That's interesting. A few seconds isn't bad. Casio watches typically also lose several seconds every month. I wouldn't notice that. 3 minutes was for me after just 2 weeks but it seems it is quite abrupt. I should track this now daily to see if this is constant or sudden.

    I also wonder if this issue is related to slow performance of watchfaces on connect including Garmin own store watchfaces. It seems to me the OS software is struggling with performance and is in need of more optimization as previous models. Reason for now that I'm using the default watchfaces only.

  • 0 13 days ago in reply to Luc

    After 2 5 days when I did the GPS time sync, the time is still 100% accurate at the moment. Not even a second off. I did leave it on now at night as well (in auto sleep mode).

    I wonder if the update(s) could have caused the -3 minutes. I'll keep an eye on it. Another possibility is shutting down at night but need more testing to see what that does.

  • 0 1 day ago in reply to gaijin
    gaijin said:
    The more the watch connects with Wi-Fi, phone, or GPS, the more accurate the displayed time will be.

    In my experience, on multiple Instincts, there's only one way to get an accurate time sync and that is via the GPS. Syncing via the phone doesn't adjust the time in the same way as the GPS, it only adjusts it to make it more aligned within the ballpark but not down to a second. Which is frustrating because I don't know any other watch brand which would offer a watch with a bluetooth connectivity and not utilise it to sync the time perfectly - even once per day, FFS. 

  • 0 1 day ago in reply to 5016816

    I tested this now for 2 weeks without any GPS or phone sync (or WiFi) and time is still accurate within 1 second which is impressive.

    So I think something caused the time to be off by 3 minutes (especially since it happened 3 times now). Most likely it was the slow long update. The other option could be turning it off at night which I don't do now anymore but that seems more unlikely.

  • 0 1 day ago in reply to Luc

    The time gets practically always off a few minutes after every firmware update. The watch seems to keep the time from the moment when the update starts, and stops counting while updating, which usually takes a few minutes.

    That's one of reasons why I perform a hard reset after any update, and sync the watch (the syncing with the GC app syncs the time too), though there are a few more reasons for doing it, too. Syncing the time over GPS is even a better option, though it happens automatically at the next outdoor activity.