Instinct 3 - Recent Threads

Crossover AMOLED: Notification behavior while display off

AmrAmin — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:23:43 GMT

There are times when I have the Display on the Instinct Crossover AMOLED set to completely off, especially during meetings when I want to be discreet about wearing a smartwatch. This means I’m relying entirely on the analog watch hands.

However, when I receive a notification, the hands still move to get out of the way as if the display were switched on. This is a rather strange behavior, in my opinion.

If the display is switched off, the hands should continue to display the time normally.

Dual Time Using Mini Window

2382605 — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:07:54 GMT

I can't for the life of me figure out how or even if the Solar Tactical is capable of showing dual time zones with the secondary time zone in the mini-window (or any other field for that matter). All I can get it to show is UTC and Zulu, which are the same and redundant. This would be great to enable when I'm travelling out of my time zone and want to have both local and home time zones showing up.

Can anyone please help? Or is it even possible?

Thanks.

Sleep Tracking Accuracy is Seriously Lacking

Hari Naralasetty — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:14:50 GMT

Hey everyone,

I'm relatively new to the Garmin ecosystem, coming over from Apple Watch, and I have to say; I love the watch overall. My activity levels have genuinely gone up since switching, and the fitness tracking is excellent. But there's one glaring issue I can't ignore: sleep tracking.

The accuracy is way off. For example, the last block marked as "light sleep" in my data was a period where I was completely awake, I even checked my watch during that time. Yet it still logged it as sleep. This isn't an isolated incident; it happens regularly.

A few details about my setup:
- I wear the watch snug (not too tight, not too loose)
- Model: Instinct 3 Solar Tactical
- Firmware version: 13.29

My questions for the community:
1. Has anyone found ways to improve sleep tracking accuracy?
2. Is this a known issue with a fix or workaround?
3. What's the best way to formally report this to Garmin so it actually gets looked at?

Garmin is clearly capable of great things; I'd just love to see the sleep algorithm get the attention it deserves. Would appreciate any tips or insights from those who've been in the ecosystem longer.

Thanks!

How to Turn off voice coach during interval training

DennisAsp — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:16:20 GMT

How do I disable the voice telling me about my previous and next lap during custom training?

All the guides I have found refer to non existing menus

Instinct 3 Heart Rate not working

efreahl — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:03:31 GMT

My Instinct 3 AMOLED 50mm has been perfect for over a year, but lately, the HR tracking is acting up during spin class. It starts off fine (around 120 bpm), but after 5 minutes, it randomly jumps to 210–220 bpm. I’ve tried cleaning it and restarting before every ride, but it’s still happening 80% of the time. Anyone else seeing this?

Instinct 3 - what exactly is reference point?

8051648 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:12:21 GMT

Hi All,

I'm trying to find the easiest/fastest way to save the parking spot and then return to it by my Garmin Solar 3. Navigation to reference point is seems quite suitable for this task, especialy it can be recalled fast with short-cut buttions. But question is which exactly point my watch taking as reference right now? And how to change/assign it (preferably fast, with short-cut buttons)? If I just saving new point - it doesn't become reference by default.

14.05

409c3a3d651e49e3bd7f51955bd2a889 — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 03:12:26 GMT

Ever since I installed 14.05 (beta), there has been SIGNIFICANT lag when scrolling through widgets. It takes 2-3 seconds for it to respond. No change after the 14.06 update either.

Battery stuck in 99% & Pulse Ox (v13.29)

3573132 — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 07:24:42 GMT

After yesterday software update 13.29 battery still shows 99%, pulse oximeter didnt record any data during sleep

Instinct 3 Solar activity Nautical Distance is "usual" distance

3igen3ggy — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:22:43 GMT

Hello,

Garmin 3 Solar Tactical 50mm, newest soft.

Nautical distance in activity show distance in kilometers (for me) instead of nautical miles. Please fix.

Also can you fix this?
Instinct 3 - System.getSystemStats().battery

Thanks

Regarding the screw specifications on the dial of the Instinct 3 Tactical Edition.

3723268 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:12:01 GMT

The screw is worn out and needs to be replaced, but I don't know the model. I only know that it can be unscrewed with a T7 screwdriver.

Backlight not timing out - firmware issue or hardware defect?

2516514 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:30:18 GMT

Hey,

I mentioned an issue I had with my Instinct 3 Solar in another thread yesterday:

Feature Request: Setting for triggering high refresh mode

---

What was it about? My watch did not turn off the backlight, even though I have the timeout set for all 3 profiles (during activity, general use, sleep mode).

Today it happened the second time: but this time not after a nap (where I might have pressed against the watch buttons), but at work.

And before anyone asks, no, I do not sleep at work 😜

Just as the last time I kept my wrist still and looked at the watch for 30s or more -> it went back to low refresh mode (not showing seconds), but the backlight was kept on.

Once I pressed the button for the backlight, the behavior went back to normal (meaning it times out after 8s according to my setting).

---

In order to have a bit more concrete evidence, I installed a watch battery app, in order to have a visual representation of my statements.

You will find 4 attached screenshots from my I3 Solar:

G3QE4307.BMP -> this is the battery graph of the last 6h, just after I noticed the issue... I would say the drop of 15% happened in the last 3h of that graph.

G3QE4629.BMP -> this is the battery percentage over the last 3 days... you can observe a daily drop of around 3.5%, which is more than acceptable.

G3QE5122.BMP -> the same thing as the previous image, but for the last 7 days (only have the app running for 4 days)... around the same daily consumption.

G3QH0456.BMP -> the battery graph over the last 6h, which I took a few hours after I fixed the issue by pressing the button again... usage went back to normal

---

I am rather unhappy with that situation as you might imagine - I really love that watch, but dropping 15% in around 3h is insane, just because the backlight is not turning off.

Before you ask: no, it is not possible that I accidentally changed the setting for the backlight to not time out (most of all since I describe it going back to normal behavior, once I press it manually).

Right now I am not sure if this is a firmware issue (I have read of other people having such situations with other watches), or if this is a hardware defect - I was not able to forcefully reproduce it at will, even when playing around with the button with evil intent (for example ever so slightly pushing the light button, but trying to avoid pushing it all the way in) .

Any ideas? I would like to avoid going for a warranty claim, if this really is a firmware issue, since nothing will change (besides losing out on a screen protector that is already on it).

Best regards.

Instinct 3 for running (from FR965) — real-world feedback?

Piotr — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:37:09 GMT

Hi everyone,

I’m currently using a Garmin Forerunner 965, but I’m pretty sure my unit is starting to fail (GPS multi band accuracy and barometer seem off/broken), so I’m considering replacing it.

I’ve been looking quite seriously at the Garmin Instinct 3 (45mm), and I’d love to get some real-world feedback from people who actually run with it regularly.

A bit about my usage:

* I run ~4–5 times per week (mostly in open environments, not dense urban canyons)
* I follow structured workouts via Runna, but I mostly know my sessions by heart
* During runs I mainly rely on:

* lap average pace
* HR zones
* cadence

* I don’t really care about advanced metrics anymore (GCT, readiness, etc.)
* I almost never use maps

So my questions:

1. How is GPS accuracy on the Instinct 3 (multiband)?
Especially for pace and distance consistency in real-world running

2. How usable is it for structured workouts?
Not looking for fancy visuals — just clear guidance and reliable alerts.

3. How does it feel coming from a Forerunner?
Do you miss the “polish”, or does the simplicity actually feel better?

4. Any annoyances after a few weeks of use?
(UI, data screens, buttons, pace feedback, etc.)

5. Would you recommend switching from an FR965 to Instinct 3 given my usage?

I’m basically trying to understand if I’m making a smart simplification… or if I’ll regret losing the Forerunner experience.

Thanks a lot for your feedback 🙏

Solar battery life when used in battery saver mode - how much sun is enough?

marratj — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:46:20 GMT

Garmin states "Unlimited" battery life with Solar in smartwatch mode and battery saver mode for the Instinct 3 Solar.

My question is: Does anyone has real-life experiences on how much light actually is enough to keep the watch running "indefinitely" in battery saver mode?

The "smart" Casio G-Shock DW-H5600 can be powered for many weeks/months even with 500 Lux indoor lighting and 10.000 Lux near a window is more than enough when only the basic timekeeping/watch functions are used.

Does the I3 Solar even register such low light intensity? Or is real outside sun exposure with 50k Lux really required to keep the watch running for more than a month or two even in battery saver mode?

Persistent inaccurate moving time

6676377 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 23:57:20 GMT

Instinct 3 solar 55m. Moving time is always off by at least 15 minutes while hiking on steep terrain. For instance, today I did a 4.51 mile out and back hike with 2,125 foot total ascent. Almost all the ascent is over the first 2.25 miles. My actual moving time was 2h16m. However, the watch recorded a moving of 1h38m. Hiking activity selected. All + multi band enabled, 3d speed enabled, 3d distance enabled. Auto pause off. Battery saver off. Same occurs when hiking with a map imported from All Trails. Route guidance is accurate. Heart rate and steps appear accurate. Any ideas? Does incorrect moving time affect the other metrics such as calorie burn, training effect, intensity minutes, etc? Thx.

Bodyweight squats: the rep counter works at first but then stops.

Instinct N — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:34:48 GMT

I am using the Instinct 3 Solar.
When doing bodyweight squats, the rep counter works at first but then stops.

It automatically counts reps correctly up to around 10–20. After that, no matter how many more squats I do, the count does not increase.
This has been happening for the past 8 months, and I expected it to be fixed through an update, but it still persists.

When I finish one set and start a second set, it again counts properly up to 10–20 reps. However, after that, no matter how many squats I do, the count does not go up.
My breathing and exercise speed are consistent. Also, this issue did not occur on my Instinct 2.

Feature Request: Setting for triggering high refresh mode

2516514 — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:08:27 GMT

Hey,

I have got myself an Instinct 3 Solar and I noticed that my battery was unexpectedly draining a lot during the night on 2 or 3 occasions now (I have the watch for around 3 weeks).

This caused me to dig deeper into how to optimize my watch to be as frugal as possible, in order to conserve battery.

What I noticed is, that the high refresh state of the smartwatch triggers way to easily, by detecting motion with it's accelerometers I assume.

It would be a huge benefit for me (and I assume others as well) to have a setting, where I can slide sensitivity for that, or outright disable it, so it stays in the low refresh state (display update every minute) until I press a button for example.

Right now there is only a setting for the backlight, in order to react to gestures during general use, activities or sleep - turning off those gestures does not work for preventing the watch to switch to high refresh mode.

I will also post this as an idea - maybe someone else has additional thoughts or other solutions.

Best regards.

Optical heart rate while wearing paired chest strap

Abe Frohman — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:21:15 GMT

With my old Instinct Solar (Gen1), during an activity while wearing a paired chest strap for HR, the optical heart rate (green lights) would not operate. Heart rate from the strap shows on the watch.

With the new Instinct 3 tactical solar, in the same scenario, the optical heart rate (green lights) DOES operate.

Is this normal?

instinct 3 solar

7705412 — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 18:55:31 GMT

In "activities/fishing" mode, you cannot see weather data on the map

Instinct 3 Amoled: turn end of unit beep to vibration

2844073 — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 19:37:29 GMT

During a training the clock beeps five times before the end of each unit.
I can only enable or disable beeps. When disabled I get one long vibration at the end of each unit.
On my Forerunner 255 I got five short vibrations and one long at the end of each unit.
How can I have this behavior on my Instinct 3 Amoled too?
Thanks for any tips!

Instinct 3 stuck at v5.21 and "Restarting..." after updates

1203281 — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 09:05:39 GMT

I've seen similar issues to this on the forums, but I tried everything suggested and I'm still stuck.

This started about a week ago, the watch prompted me to install an update and I accepted. It then installed, but got stuck on "Restarting...". After a manual restart it started up and gave a message indicating update has been successful.

I've since realized it was not, because the next day the exact same things happened and since then it does the same thing every day going through this cycle:

Message indicating to install update to v5.23
Accept (or defer and then it just does it later anyway)
Stuck on "Restarting"
Manual restart
Succesfully updated to v5.21

I have now also tried the following (I'm on Mac):

Installed OpenMTP and used this to clear storage. Managed to get free storage up from ~13MB when I started to ~36MB
Tried to update via Garmin express. This goes through a process and eventually says "You're up to date!" but the version is still shown as 5.21 (screenshot below)
When I unplug the watch from the computer it then says v13.29 available with an option to install.
If I install, it just gets stuck at "Restarting..." again.
If I choose install later and go through the manual steps again (quit garmin express, connect watch again via USD, clear files in OpenMTP, quit OpenMTP and try to update via Garmin Express) I just end up in exactly the same place.

Does anybody have any advice on how to escape this loop?

Crash when entering Interval in Run activity

8462188 — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:24:07 GMT

Hello,
My Instinct 3 crashes when entering into Intervals in Run activity. As in the other post on this forum about it, the solution was to update garmin to 13.29, but after updating and restarting problem still persist.

Rucking activity and Instinct 3

asines316 — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:01:11 GMT

I'm trying to register a reading of Vo2 max with my Garmin Instinct 3 by "rucking". I've come across conflicting info in previous searches.

The "rucking" activity in Garmin Connect is supposedly able to measure Vo2 max, but I haven't figured out how to make that happen yet. I've had many "rucks" this spring that had my HR at 70% or above for extended periods of time (15 min or more), but no readings.

I read elsewhere that a pack weight of anything over 5 lbs disables the Vo2 max measurement for the rucking activity. That seems awfully stupid to me, because rucking usually involves more than 5 lbs. My normal rucking setup uses a pack that weighs 45-50 lbs....sometimes more.

Just yesterday I had a LONG ruck where I set the pack weight to 1 lb.....still no Vo2 max reading. My HR was over 70% for almost 25 minutes straight (using chest strap).

So.....any help?

Daylight Savings Bug

7929263 — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:04:47 GMT

I woke up today at 9am. My garmin displayed 10am until I synced it to the connect app then it showed the correct time. If daylight savings didn’t happen the time would’ve been 8am. What happened?

Instinct 3 Solar/AMOLED/Crossover System Software 13.29

Garmin-Jim — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:18:43 GMT

Hello Instinct 3 users,

We have fully release software version 13.29 to 100%.

13.29 Change Log (since 13.28, current Public release):

Fixed possible crash when using Interval Workouts.

Instinct 3 AMOLED screen bright issue

i.gogolin — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:14:57 GMT

Hello dear Garmin
I noticed that the brightness for the display with the "Always On" feature only works when pressing the "ctrl" button or using the "wrist gesture" command. Then the screen lights up brighter than in standby mode when I do nothing whith my hand. However, if I don't want to enable "wrist gesture," the screen brightness is too low to read information in sunlight, and it cannot be adjusted manually or automatically. What I mean is, if I need to look at the screen in direct sunlight right now, am I forced to either press a button or enable the "wrist gesture" function and twist my wrist? I noticed that the "Always On" display mode has some automatic brightness adjustment (if you cover the watch with your hand, the screen brightness decreases — which is great), but it only works in one direction — toward reducing the backlight. However, when the watch is in direct sunlight, the brightness reaches a certain level and does not adjust further.
Waiting for your answer. Hope, it is a bug and it can be fixed soon

thank you!