Forerunner 165 Series - Recent Threads

excessive battery drain problem after 29.05

6050697 — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 01:17:38 GMT

My Garmin FR 165 is experiencing a battery issue. Until about two weeks ago, the battery was performing perfectly, and I only had to charge it every 9, 10, or even 11 days. However, I noticed that for a little over 12 days now, the battery has been draining fast, and I have to charge it every 4 days. I don't know what happened, whether it was a software update or something similar. I use the original Garmin watch faces that came with the watch and do not use third-party apps. I even performed a factory reset through the app to see if it would resolve the issue, but it was unsuccessful.

RE: excessive battery drain problem after 29.05

Garmin - DK — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:11:24 GMT

Thanks for the post, 6050697 . Be sure to follow the steps in this Support Center article which should help: Why Is the Battery of My Garmin Wearable Draining Faster Than Expected?

RE: Music playback cuts out often

1857410 — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:55:59 GMT

I had to move to Shokz headphones in the end to remove the issue. Was fortunate enough to be able to test some first prior to committing. Ended up being an expensive fix and it's still disappointing that others type/makes don't seem to marry well with the watch. Been flawless since this change (Shokz openrun pro 2)

Music playback cuts out often

RDChurchman — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 19:30:01 GMT

Forerunner 165 Music. Spotify set up and music downloaded, no problem. Unfortunately music cuts out briefly but often during playback. Don't think it's my buds as they are fine playing Spotify from my phone and computer.

RE: Music playback cuts out often

ronand — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:00:51 GMT

This happens on most/all garmin watches. It either works great or you get the audio stuttering - there are no cures or settings to experiment with that have any effect. I have tried a few different anker buds and they have problems. My Sony WF1000XM5 work perfect but I dont like using them running. I recently got a cheap set of Sanoto DG08 bone conduction headphones on amazon and they have been working great for the past 6 weeks.

RE: Music playback cuts out often

8684885 — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:43:52 GMT

I also have this problem. Earbuds work fine on other devices, but cut in & out briefly during playback on forerunner 165 music regularly.

What a bad watch you have made! You sold it to me on the premise of it being fit for music lol. 1/5 stars

Loss of ABC functions {altimeter, barometer, compas} after automatic update

9574013 — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 20:18:07 GMT

Hello, today the 6 th of september 2026 an automatic update occured on my Garmin forerunner 165 that I have been using for 1 year.

Since this update: the ABC functions (altimeter, barometer, compass) are no longer available and in the system menu, it is no longer possible to access the altimeter and barometer settings.

How is that possible? The use of these functions was the reason why I elected to buy this watch. If the functions are removed by Garmin is it legal? Of course not because they can not change the capabilities of a product after they sell it.

So GARMIN please advise me how I can return my watch to have a refund or how I can cancel your update and recover the capablities of the watch that I purshased 1 year ago.

Loss of ABC functions after automatic update. ILLEGAL supression of capability by GARMIN

9574013 — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:40:50 GMT

Hello, today the 6 th of september 2026 an automatic update occured on my Garmin forerunner 165 that I have been using for 1 year.

Since this update: the ABC functions (altimeter, barometer, compass) are no longer available and in the system menu it is no longer possible to access the altimeter and barometer settings.

How is that possible? The use of these functions was the reason why I elected to buy this model. If the functions are removed by Garmin is it legal? Of course not because they can not change the capabilities of a product after your sell it.

So GARMIN please advise me how you can refund my watch or how I can cancel your update and recover the capablities of the watch that I purshased 1 year ago.

Music has very low quality

3579464 — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 17:13:22 GMT

Hello everyone,

I just bought the Forerunner 165 Music and the music it outputs is of very low quality. There are crackling sounds on the higher frequencies like cymbals and the bass doesn't sound precise at all. I tried multiple headphones and it's the same problem on each one. I use Spotify on the watch. I tried different quality download settings in Spotify and nothing changed.

Is this a known issue and are there any fixes for this? I bought this watch so I don't have to take my phone on runs, but this music quality is unacceptable and I will have to return the watch if there is no fix to this.

Thanks for your help

Chris

Forerunner 165 v29.05, No steps, no sleep data, no body battery data.

8975897 — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:45:18 GMT

I have been using my Forerunner 165 with version 29.05 whenever it automatically installed. Today I went on a 6.5 mile hike and several other short activities. All the activities recorded accurately with GPS data but when I looked at my step count at the end of the day I have no steps for the entire day and no sleep or Body Battery data. Everything was working fine until today. I didn't noticed until the end of the day.

RE: Software updates making arbitrary changes to settings.

1749998 — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 20:32:08 GMT

Thank you for your prompt response, but you are making assumptions that i have the same technical skills as you. I am 73 years old I have no idea what a screen shot is , or how to obtain a video . And secondly what I'm going to video , assuming i could fulfil your request .

I have just purchased the watch 25th August so you tell me what software version i have.

Yes you can view my Garmin account which must be at least 8 yrs old.

Anton Roberts.

Software updates making arbitrary changes to settings.

1749998 — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:51:36 GMT

I am using a Forerunner 165 and my standard runs have suddenly started uploading to the Garmin Connect app as Intervals with a bar chart summary instead of standard, continuous laps.

I have not changed any settings on my watch or phone. My Auto Lap feature is and always has been turned on. Despite this, the backend software is completely overriding my preferences and forcing my run data into an intervals layout, making it incredibly difficult to view my normal mile-by-mile splits.

Worse yet, trying to fix this within the app is a total headache. The Intervals heading is missing under Show More Data, making it impossible to re-categorise the laps back to a standard run on mobile.

Garmin, please stop changing personal settings and data layouts on our devices via background software updates without at least asking first or giving us a clear toggle to turn it off. If I wanted to track an interval workout, I would select one. Please fix this bug and restore our standard lap views.

Is anyone else experiencing this with the recent Forerunner updates?

RE: Software updates making arbitrary changes to settings.

Garmin - DK — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:40:37 GMT

Thanks for the post, 1749998 . I'm not seeing any reports quite like this one. Please ensure that your phone, the Connect app, and your Forerunner are up to date. If they are, reply here with what software versions you're on, permission to view your Garmin account, and any screenshots or video that may be helpful. With that info, we can investigate more in-depth.

RE: Training Status not showing up?

e7andy — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:37:41 GMT

FR165 doesn't support Training Status.

Training Status not showing up?

Jenna.Ritter — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 21:44:46 GMT

Hello,

I switched to a Forerunner 165 about 3 weeks ago and haven't been able to view my training status. I've been running multiple times per week and my VO2 max is showing up. I tried updating my watch and doing a hard reset. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

problem synchronizing activities

3633342 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 11:14:25 GMT

After installing version 29.05, an issue occurs when syncing activities with the Garmin Connect app on the phone

Firmware 29.05 - oval exterior/wrong data

7122197 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:06:17 GMT

Hi. Problem in the latest beta 29.05. Running on an oval track outdoors. The GPS randomly gets stuck several times for about 30 seconds, it is not visible in the graph (Connect does not, STRAVA does), the pace is distorted. Also, the heart rate jumps irregularly to meaningless values of 175+ when using the HRM DUAL chest strap, for up to 7 minutes. The GPS shows a meaningless elevation of 100+ meters on the oval even after correcting the data in Connect.

Last activity - Connect data/FIT file drive.google.com/.../view
STRAVA - data /GPX file - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ip-712z7vggY8FxErUOr9p3iXfYsrGel/view?usp=sharing

[embed:dc8ab71f-3b98-42d9-b0f6-e21e02a0f8e2:a383f00a-fc4d-4587-86a9-8b4a280a9aaf:type=text&text=https%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2Fa%2FYKNEbPf]

Thanks for the advice..

Frozen watch face and extremely slow response to input after Update to 29.05

7516273 — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:06:01 GMT

Since installing update 29.05, my original Garmin watch face freezes and the watch is extremely slow to respond, sometimes not responding at all to input. It works again for a few seconds at a time, then freezes again. Is anyone else experiencing these extreme performance issues since the update?

Black screen cant get watch face to turn back, everything else still functions (Heart Rate, Sleep Tracking, ect..)

Jackson R — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 01:26:36 GMT

I have a Forerunner 165 that is currently about 8 months old. The display screen has randomly turned off while the rest of the watch continues to function fine, it still tracked heart rate, sleep, activities, ect... The first two times this happened it was about 3 months and 4 months in respectively and a soft reset seemed to resolve the issue and bring the watch back to normal function. About two months later the issue repeated and the watch once again was still able to connect to bluetooth, track activities, track heart rate, and sleep, however I could not get the screen to turn back on with a soft reset. This lead to me doing a hard reset on the device and after which the device began to function as normal. This time around I feel as if I have tried just about everything, ive tried soft reset, hard reset, plugging in the watch to power sources, and nothing seems to be able to get it to turn back on. At one point I plugged it in and the screen came back for about 20 minutes and was functioning fine but then randomly cut out again which leads me to believe it may be software related. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

RE: Black screen cant get watch face to turn back, everything else still functions (Heart Rate, Sleep Tracking, ect..)

xberzerker — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:08:14 GMT

i`m facing the same issue. help GarminCMN or someone else.

Forerunner 165 Series - 29.05 - 100%

Garmin-Kevin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:51:07 GMT

Software Version 29.05 is now available for the Forerunner 165 Series. You may manually download this software update by following the path below:

Menu > System > Software Update > Check For Updates

Change Log

Fix an issue with syncing strength personal records to Garmin Connect.
Fix an issue with configuring heart rate and power fields from Garmin Connect Mobile.
Various bug fixes and improvements.

Atualização Versão 28.05 TELA PRETA

5655948 — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:12:25 GMT

Após a atualização para versão 28.05, meu relógio apresentou tela preta e não consigo mais controlar o relógio.
Tentei todos os resets (HARD, MASTER) se nenhum foi efetivo. Sigo com o relógio apresentando vibrações, com o sensor de batimentos cardíacos ativo, porém ele não funciona.
Aparentemente ele está em um loop tentando reiniciar, porém sem sucesso. É UM PROBLEMA GRAVE.
GARMIN PRECISA POSICIONAR SOBRE ESTA FALHA.

RE: Atualização Versão 28.05 TELA PRETA

4356182 — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:01:54 GMT

Infelizmente a Garmin tirou o corpo fora. O que eu pude avaliar até o momento com alguns reparadores de GPS é que:
1- Parece um problema cronico do 165 e 295 que utilizam a mesma placa central.
2- Um problema no variador de voltagem do aparelho, um componente soldado na placa que se desprende por conta de saolda fraca, da qual a Garmin removeu o chumbo por conta de leis ambientais.
3- Outros reparadores falam que trocando a tela funciona normal.
O que fica a dúvida é : Qual o motivo destas situações aparecerem após update para 28.05 ? De verdade eu fico sem saber o que fazer.

RE: Atualização Versão 28.05 TELA PRETA

8974011 — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:11:51 GMT

estou passando pela mesma situação, tela liga e desliga quando bem entende, se eu deixar fora do braço a noite toda quando eu acordo ele tá com a tela ligada mas se eu usar durante o dia um pouco uma hora ela apaga sem mais nem menos. na versão 28.05 também.

Option to disable the wrist gesture only during sleep needed

8699200 — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:44:14 GMT

I would like to suggest adding a separate setting to disable the wrist gesture for activating the display while sleeping.

The wrist gesture is useful during the day, but at night it can be quite disturbing. Normal movements while sleeping can repeatedly activate the display, causing the screen to light up and potentially disturb sleep.

It would be great to have an option such as:

System → Display → During Sleep → Wrist Gesture: On/Off

This would allow users to keep the gesture enabled during the day while automatically disabling it during sleep.

I think this would be a small but very useful improvement for the Forerunner 165, especially for users who wear the watch overnight.