vivoactive 4/4s (now running sw 6.90) powers off randomly, including when interacting with Wi-Fi

1. Yes please email me

2. Yes please access Garmin Connect 

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. UnitID 3342282358, SW version 6.9, GPS 5.4, 
4. Australia

My watch keeps turning off when connecting to a WIFI network or when im in the running activity and playing music it will turn off when trying to start activity or during. and has recently started turning off just when adding cards and wifi after I have hard reset the watch.

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. 6.9

4. Malaysia

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. 6.90

4. Poland

To everyone on this forum suffering from the VA4 Wi-Fi/Pulse Ox etc issues.
I own a VA4 (and a VA3 and in fact a very old VA1). Wifi doesn't work and Pulse Ox shuts down the watch. 

Over the last month, I've had rather a tortuous and frustrating email stream with Garmin support regarding these VA4 issues. I've offered to help analyze by requesting a number of prior versions of the VA4 software, to install using my VA4 as a test bed, in an attempt to get my VA4 Wi-Fi and other features working, but they have refused to send me any software (except a link to a supposed 6.71 software which turned out to route to the latest 7.01 beta - which also doesn't resolve the issues).

I've asked if they actually have a VA4 unit with this issue to work with...but they never answer that (twice asked) question, so I have to assume that's a negative, which implies faint hope of a solution if they've yet to ascertain what the actual problem is.

Support has said only one thing to me (but not to the forum) about this is and I quote "our Engineering team has found no link to this being caused by the release of the 6.90 software, despite the speculation of some users on the forum thread.  When we have any updates, we will be posting that information in the forum thread."

Well, that lone update they have yet to post on the forum so I do so here.

So, since support has declined to provide constructive progress on a resolution to these issues, and they haven't provided any progress updates to the forum (my friend calls this 'a deafening silence' from support) we can only conclude that they have made NO progress on these issues and we, therefore, cannot expect a resolution any time soon, if at all.

I have rescinded their access to my Garmin Connect data, (which they have now confirmed) - I wonder what a large corporate is now doing with all that private personal training data we've all been allowing them access to in the vain hope we'd eventually get a working watch fit for purpose. Had I seen some progress on a resolution I might be less cynical, but now..........

My VA4 is effectively a VA3 (so I now have 2 x VA3's, yay Garmin!) since the VA4 additional features I bought the VA4 for (Wi-Fi, Pulse Ox, etc) now do not work, and I'm not at all confident (i.e. Garmin support hasn't convinced me) that Garmin is actually or actively working on a solution - the first issues re Wi-Fi and Pulse Ox were posted over 6 months and 6 software updates ago - a competent support team should have provided a fix by now or offered a working replacement. (but since all our devices suffering this are likely out of warranty, a replacement is an unlikely event unless we PAY for it)

So I've joined the massed ranks of Garmin watch users who have lost faith in Garmin.

Same here. I lost faith in  Garmin too. Therefore got rid of my VA4 and bought a watch from a different brand, which is working perfectly.

Could you share what you've choose? I was thinking to buy Fenix 6 or 7 in second half of that year but currently I'm also thinking about other brands...

1. As said, no more Garmin for me. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. True that this is more of a smart watch than a fitness tracker, but then you also get more options then with the VA4. And it works. I really like it. The only downside is the baterry life. That isn't that great. Hence, it's still better then my VA4, which only works when you leave it on the the charger. Even with the new beta version 7.01. 

I have to say that the online support was terrible.  They wanted me to send a video of the watch losing power, and then couldn't accept the size or video format.  They suggested a number of times to call. (I do tech support and that's the last thing I want.)  Just an insufferable pain.

However, when I called, I was told they wanted to get their hands on a malfunctioning device.  They sent me a refurb and I returned the offending watch.  No issues with the refurb so far. 

In general, disappointed that it took so long and that I had to call, but given that I now have a working watch, I'm not switching. 

HTH