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Heart Rate Broadcast BLE Issue After Firmware Update

Fedesanga

Hi everyone,

I’m experiencing a heart rate broadcasting issue on my Garmin Cirqa after updating to the latest firmware.

With firmware 2.32 and earlier, everything worked correctly in both ANT+ and Bluetooth (BLE) with:

Garmin Edge 530
Garmin Edge 840
Zwift on iPad Air
TrainerRoad on iPad Air
Rouvy on iPad Air
Strava on iPhone 15 / iPad Air

After updating to the new firmware:

ANT+ still works correctly on Garmin Edge
BLE has started experiencing problems, specifically:

Garmin Edge 530: BLE connection continuously loops between “Connected” and “Disconnected”
Garmin Edge 840: same “Connected” → “Disconnected” infinite loop
Rouvy on iPad Air: BLE heart rate broadcast no longer works
TrainerRoad on iPad Air: BLE heart rate broadcast no longer works
Strava on iPhone 15: BLE works perfectly but not on iPad Air
So the issue seems to be specific to BLE broadcasting introduced with the new firmware, while ANT+ remains unaffected.

Has anyone else experienced the same issue with Garmin Cirqa after updating the firmware?

In particular, I’d be interested to know if anyone has tested BLE with Edge 530/840, Rouvy or TrainerRoad.

  • 0

    I have a Garmin Edge 1030. The heart rate broadcast failed following the 2.5 update. What worked for me was in the Garmin Edge 1030 go to... Settings>Sensors and remove the Cirqa from the list. Then go and Add Sensor. in this case the Cirqa.

  • 0

    I have a Garmin Edge 1030. heart rate broadcast failed following the 2.5 update. What work for me was within the Garmin Edge 1030, go to.... settings>Sensors and remove the Cirqa device. Then go to Add Sensor, in this case the Cirqa. It may be listed under Search All. This suggestion may or may not work for you.

  • 0

    Yes. My BLE enabled Spin Bike computer has stopped working after update to 2.50 software.

  • 0

    I’m also experiencing the same issue after the firmware update. ANT+ works fine, but BLE keeps disconnecting/not working with my devices. Hopefully Garmin can fix this in the next update.

  • 0

    Same issue here. It works well with my 1040 ANT+ but not with Woosh thru bluetooth Rage

  • 0

    Same here.  My cirqa just stopped broadcasting HR to my ipad running zwift after last update.   This was literally the only reason i favored the garmin over a fitbit air or whoop (i know whoop can broadcast but you need the app). 

  • 0 in reply to pedaler5b

    I have already tried all of these steps with my devices, but it still doesn’t work.

    What you listed, however, is only partially correct: unless you manually force the search for BLE sensors, the Edge devices tend to search for and detect ANT+ sensors first.

    I’m pointing this out because exactly the same thing happened to me with the Edge 530: I deleted CIRQA, started a new sensor search, and it was automatically detected and added as ANT+. It works correctly in ANT+.

    With BLE, however, the situation is completely different: CIRQA keeps switching between “connected/disconnected” and is unable to maintain a stable connection.

    So, in my opinion, the issue is not simply related to the pairing procedure or sensor priority. It seems to be a specific problem with the BLE communication between CIRQA and the Edge devices.

  • 0

    Thanks for the post,  . Since broadcasting heart rate over ANT+ still appears to be working as expected, I'd like to gather a little more information regarding the BLE behavior. Could you please provide the following details?

    • When the BLE connection drops on the Edge, what is the Module Status LED doing on the CIRQA? Does it continue flashing orange, or does the LED behavior change?
    • Does the Edge automatically reconnect afterward, or does it remain disconnected?
    • For the iPad Air testing, does the CIRQA appear as an available heart rate source but fail to connect, or is it not being detected at all?

    Any additional details you can provide will help us better understand the behavior and determine the most appropriate next steps. **

  • 0 in reply to Garmin - KS

    The LED does not flash at all during these BLE “connect-disconnect” loops, either when connected to an iPad or to an Edge 530/840.

    When EDGE is in BLE connection mode with CIRQA, it remains stuck in this continuous connect-disconnect loop. If I switch to ANT+, however, the CIRQA connects and works correctly.

    On all devices I have tested, including both Edge units and the iPad Air, the CIRQA is correctly detected and appears as an available BLE heart-rate sensor. However, as described above, the connection cannot be established and the device remains stuck in the connect-disconnect loop.

    Interestingly, as I mentioned previously, my older iPhone 15 still connects and works correctly with CIRQA over BLE.

    This strongly suggests that something in firmware 2.50 has changed or modified one or more Bluetooth connection parameters. Before updating to firmware 2.50, CIRQA worked correctly over BLE with all of these devices, including the Edge 530/840 and iPad Air.

    Any further investigation into the BLE changes introduced with firmware 2.50 would therefore be very helpful.

  • 0 in reply to Fedesanga

    That is happening for me on Zwift too, just had to drop out of a race as I couldn't get the HR to send data, it sees and pairs fine but disconnects in seconds, worked fine before the 2.50 release