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Bluetooth connectivity: defective watch or lower my expectations?

VO2equalsAge
over 2 years ago

I've had Bluetooth connectivity issues between my 255 and my Pixel 4a since I bought the watch about 5 months ago. The watch would not stay connected to the phone for more than an hour or so unless I was engaged in an "activity." Lately, the problem has gotten worse. I have to go through the reboot phone/reboot watch routine a couple of times a day if I want the devices to connect. Sometimes even that doesn't work. Unpairing watch>uninstalling Connect>reinstalling Connect>repairing generally works, but what a hassle! Sometimes I can't get the watch to connect before a run; then in the middle of the run it connects (I know because I start getting lap alerts on my headphones); then disconnects again after a few miles.

I don't think the problem is my phone; other BT devices pair, connect, and reconnect without issue. My prior fitness watch was a Fitbit, and it had no problems connecting (and staying connected) to my watch.

I know from reading these forums that BT connectivity issues exist for other users. But I'm wondering if my watch is defective. Will Garmin warranty a watch with these issues? Or should I lower my expectations?

Details: Garmin 255, running 14.13. Pixel 4a, running Android 13 w/ Dec. 5, 2022 security update.

  • 0 over 2 years ago
    VO2equalsAge said:
    I know from reading these forums that BT connectivity issues exist for other users.

    Maybe occasionally, but not in general.
    My FR255 stays connected, no BT problems, also not with FW 14.13. Samsung Galaxy A52s, Android 13 and Jan 23 patch.

    VO2equalsAge said:
    But I'm wondering if my watch is defective. Will Garmin warranty a watch with these issues? Or should I lower my expectations?

    Try to contact [email protected] and see, what they will do for you. You should not lower expectations, as these problems are not the rule.

    Maybe it is a problem between Pixel and Forerunner specifically, I don‘t know. Have you had the chance to try BT connection between FR and other smartphones or BT devices?

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    This is a known Android 13 issue, you should try to update your Pixel 4a to the latest update, it might or might not fix your problem.

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    Update: I contacted Garmin support (via chat). That was a positive experience, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the support tech responded. Eventually, we got the watch and phone to connect by turning off BT on both devices, rebooting both devices, then turning BT back on on both devices. They stayed connected for the rest of the day, which was a record for me.

    But the problem isn't completely resolved. If I take the watch out of the phone's BT range, they disconnect. Sometimes they will reconnect automatically, but most of the time I have to go through the whole turn off BT>reboot both devices>turn BT back on routine again.

    Back to support chat . . . .

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to VO2equalsAge

    When I had a problem it was resolved by the following:

    1. Forget watch on BT settings

    2. Remove GC app from phone completely

    3 soft reset watch ( hold light button in until it powers off , then restart )

    4. restart phone

    5 reinstall GC app and log in 

    6. repair the watch