Forerunner 945 - Recent Threads

Forerunner 945 dropping phone connection many times a day

aferencz69 — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 11:16:34 GMT

Forerunner 945
SW version 13.70
Google Pixel 10 Pro
Android 17
Garmin Connect 5.30.1

The phone's bluetooth seems to be ok, never drops either headphones (bose qc 35 II & aftershokz aeropex) nor the car connection.

The connection to my watch is dropped many times a day. The watch will show me a 6 digit ID, and the phone will offer me a "pair & reconnect".

I'm not particularly happy. Any ideas how to fix it? Is there a new release coming soon?

Delaminación

1662759 — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:55:30 GMT

Forerunners 945 delaminado (aire entre la pantalla y vidrio ) por error de fábrica, ¿Garmin cómo responde ?

Please don't let garmin watches pause the time counter in thriathlon mode

the_danny — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:22:09 GMT

I have a Garmin 945 watch, which I specifically bought years ago to support my triathlon activities. I want to make a couple of recommendations to the features in triathlon mode.

In a recent Ironman 70.3 I noticed that there was a significant discrepancy of 7 minutes between the official time and the watch time. Watch time was 6:57, official time was 7:04. I compared times and noted that the difference was in the bike segment. Garmin used the moving time and not the elapsed time for computing total time. Indeed, I had to make some stops which totaled to about 7 minutes. I set up the bike setting (for the bike mode alone), to pause the time counter when I am not moving. I did that to avoid taking risks at traffic lights in order to reduce biking time. In triathlon mode, the time counter should only use elapsed time, because that’s how triathlon works.
In triathlon mode, the functionality of the right buttons is counter-intuitive and this was confirmed with discussions I had with other athletes that use Garmin watches. The Start/Stop button is used to start the triathlon event. However, if you press it by mistake during the race, it will pause the time. In triathlon, time is never paused. That functionality should not be available. Automatically, I tend to press that button to transition from one activity to next. When I realized I paused the counter, I have to press it again to restart the timer, and then press the Back/Lap button to transition. My recommendation, is to dedicate the Start/Stop button to start the race and transition for one activity to the next. Use the Back/Lap button to return to the previous activity, in case one accidentally presses the Start/Stop button twice and gets ahead of the race. In other words, let’s say you are in bike mode and accidentally press the Start/Stop button and go in T2 mode, then it would be useful to have a way to return to bike mode, and using the Back/Lap mode would make sense. I discussed these ideas with other athletes and they all thought it makes more sense.
In case you think some people are used to operate in the current mode and would not like the change, then you can offer two modes via triathlon settings. The default mode is the current mode, which allows you to pause the time (which makes no sense) and uses the bike settings, even though the bike setting may use moving time to count time instead of elapsed time. The alternate mode is the one proposed in 1 and 2.

cycling dynamics

Geokovoor — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 05:47:15 GMT

Garmin 945 paired with Vector 3 pedals for cycling, cycling dynamics such left and right power phase, balance etc not appearing.

Is there problem with settings?

Forerunner 945 – extreme battery drain after update to 13.70 / Sensor Hub 22.40

3690678 — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:52:30 GMT

Hi,

I’m trying to solve a severe battery drain issue on my Forerunner 945 (non-LTE).

The watch had not been connected to Garmin Connect for approximately one year. Battery life was still normal before reconnecting it.

After connecting it to Garmin Connect again, the watch updated to software 13.70. From that same day onwards, the battery suddenly drains from fully charged to empty in approximately 2 hours, even when no activity is running.

I have already tried:

Full factory reset – no improvement
Hard reboot – no improvement
Standard Garmin watch face
Disabling phone/Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and other unnecessary functions

Current versions:

Software: 13.70
GPS: 6.60
Wi-Fi: 4.01
CIQ: 3.3.6
BMX: 5.1.0
WHR: 5.01.00
ANT/BLE/BT: 6.15
Sensor Hub: 22.40

The timing makes me suspect the 13.70 update and/or Sensor Hub 22.40, rather than the battery suddenly failing at exactly the same moment.

I would therefore like to test a downgrade before replacing the watch or battery.

Does anyone still have a complete, known-good firmware/downgrade package for the regular Forerunner 945? Ideally 13.60, but another stable pre-13.70 version would also be useful, particularly if it includes the appropriate Sensor Hub/RemoteSW files.

I’m specifically looking for the Forerunner 945 non-LTE (A03525), not the 945 LTE.

Has anyone experienced the same extreme drain after 13.70/22.40, and did downgrading solve it?

Thanks!

Easy Run not easy

6845724 — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 01:09:40 GMT

Why my easy run with coach Amy is not easy and not based on heart rate zone ? I’m training for half marathon?

New TopoActive Europe 2026.11 available for FR945 on Garmin Express

JC — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 17:58:37 GMT

FYI, the latest offline maps can now be updated for free through Garmin Express.

Can't pair my 945 to the phone (Google Pixel 8a). that worked before.

4781135 — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:32:00 GMT

Can't pair my 945 to my phone (Google Pixel 8a) that worked normally for over a year.
First, my 945 frequently lost connection to the phone.
I tried to fix this, unpaired my 945 and can't paired it again.
Did a factory reset on 945.
Deleted Garmin Connect App (and all the other apps).
Nothing worked.
Garmin Connect sees the 945, gets paring code but the pairing fails.
Same happens after retry.
Seems like that the connection is doping.

Are the hardware versions sold in different countries different?

6540963 — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:34:16 GMT

I am a Chinese user. The firmware version that 945 can be updated to through Garmin Connect is 13.00, while the forum's top post shows that 13.70 has already been pushed, service.cn@garmin.com response is 'inconsistent device version'. May I ask if Garmin's products sold globally have this situation? Do I still have a chance to upgrade to 13.70?

I am getting odd Vo2 max readings.

7098099 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:05:41 GMT

I am getting odd Vo2 max readings. I have two watches, a vivoactive 3 and a 945, and lately I have been wearing both for my runs. I am 72. The vivoactive 3 has my Vo2 max at 37 and a fitness age of 56. The 945 has my Vo2 Max at 38 and a fitness age of 66.5. Doesn't make sense. Seems that a 38 should produce a lower fitness age than a 37. Any insights that might explain these readings?

Forerunner 945 Will not Power On

Pmccloud — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 22:05:15 GMT

Ok so I have now had my 3rd Forerunner 945 crash and turns out the cause of the crash was most likely pushing a button while swimming. I just finished a chat with Garmin customer support and they said the watch is not designed to have buttons pushed if the watch is underwater as it can break the seal around the buttons. WHAT????

This is a multisport watch. There is a lap feature for swimming but you have to push a button to activate. Garmin does not believe this is a product flaw. I pressed Garmin on this and they said "it says it in the owners manual". Which you can find in the owners manual, but that doesn't get around the fact that this is marketed as a multisport watch you can use to track swimming. Am I carzy to believe that on a watch marked as a swim tracking watch I should be able to push a button while in the water swimming?

The solution Garmin proposed was I can exchange it for a refurbished model if I payed $140 or they would give me 25% off a new model (FYI - also not designed to push buttons while swimming).

I loved the watch when it worked but would suggest no one use it to track swimming unless you want to risk it failing and Garmin not standing behind the product.

How to change activities from swim to swim/bike/run as it was https://drive.google.com/file/d/19pfTgkwMr28QTZExDw2LVMV5vtqTaXIx/view?usp=drive_link

7350573 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:14:55 GMT

How to change activities from swim to swim/bike/run as it was

drive.google.com/.../view

Garmin Pay In Canada - list out of date

amlsmith — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:51:51 GMT

Garmin Pay is no longer supported by Manulife Bank VISA. The list of Canadian card that can be loaded to Garmin Pay are very very few.

Watch connected to Gramin Express but not recognized

Changry — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 21:32:55 GMT

I have an interesting problem with two contradictory messages ---> green light indicates the watch is connected, but Garmin Express is asking for the device to be plugged in.

Has anyone here experienced this before and able to offer a solution?

GPS fix time increased / GPS firmware downgrade

Bembel75 — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:30:55 GMT

For my FR945 to get a proper GPS fix (green GPS notification), it takes at least 15, usually 30+ minutes. For a few months I have ignored it and just adjusted the distance when running or cycling, but eventually I got annoyed by it.

So I dug deeper into the watch and found the ephemeris data (CPE.bin file in the Garmin/RemoteSW) present, but it seems the software doesn't pick it up ("CPE : Missing" in System/Info).
Deleting the file, the folder, synchronising with Garmin Connect, by WiFi and Garmin Express always brought back a fresh copy of the CPE.bin file, but did not change anything in the behaviour above.
Factory resetting the watch a dozen times (with different firmware versions), deleting the device's xml file or anything else I found in the forum did not help either.

So I have started to downgrade the firmware, hoping a legacy version of the firmware would downgrade the GPS firmware as well. Though I have tested a lot, the only firmware that does not get downgraded is the GPS - it keeps its version at 6.60 - if the main software is lower than its respective GPS version, the GPS version shows up with an exclamation mark like this "GPS : 6.60 (!)".

It was rather challenging to get legacy versions of the FR945, did not get them from Garmin, but have tested these:

Main software: 2.80, 6.20, 6.85 beta, 9.00, 9.56 beta, 9.58 beta, 10.40, 11.03 beta and of course 13.70

Firmware versions of other aspects of the FR945 get downgraded, like ANT/Bluetooth, WiFi, SensorHub and CIQ - just GPS stays on 6.60.
Is this maybe the firmware versions I have tested, do not come with a GPS firmware portion? I have also created a "force.tmp" file in the Garmin folder...

As the watch's hardware works perfectly well, getting a manual GPS fix without using the ephemeris data after approx. 30 minutes and the activity is flawlessly recorded, I assume the latest GPS update might have bricked the ephemeris data file to be picked up and used for speeding up the GPS fix.

Has anyone had this issue, too, and found a way to fix it? Or does anyone have other firmware versions or knows how to (temporarily) downgrade the GPS part of the watch's firmware?

I would lilke to reprogramm the GPS part of the watch's firmware - or downgrade and test - to make sure I can continue to use this really expensive piece of hardware.

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

chronic training load has stopped

Wayne C — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 02:50:07 GMT

chronic training load has stopped updating, I only get acute training load. Is it just me? or is it a more widespread issue?

Screen damaged and won't switch on

9804555 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:36:05 GMT

Hi,

Recently, my Garmin Forerunner 945 screen started to show signs like delamination around the edges. Apart from that problem, the watch continued functioning ok but now while swimming it died and won’t switch back. It was almost fully charged at the time.

I followed all the steps in the “My Forerunner 945 Will No Longer Turn On” help page but nothing worked.

Is this a common problem with the Forerunner 945? Up until now it had been very reliable.

BT does not work

5553690 — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:51:37 GMT

I updated my FR 945 a week ago via Garmin Express to 13.7. Since it lost its pairing with my iphone and unable to repair. Mobile connect find the watch but it does not get pairing code.

Any help in this case?

Running Dynamics question

colinbycroft — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:07:48 GMT

Hi all, I've searched the forum and manual but can't find an answer so hope someone can answer for me.
I'm currently doing Couch to 5K after an injury stopped me running for a couple of years. I'm using the NHS app to plan each workout and using my 945 to track it, just manually triggering laps when changing from walk to run, and I wondered if the 'Running Dynamics', e.g. Average Stride Length, Vertical Ratio etc, consider BOTH the walking and running laps or just the running laps as the 'Auto Run Detection' knows what I was doing and logs it correctly in Connect.

Thanks in advance :)

garmin connect : temps de déplacement erroné

8907437 — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:11:19 GMT

j'utilise ma forerunner 945 pour la randonnée. La montre affiche correctement le temps totalede la randonnée et le temps de déplacement . lorsque que j'envoie les données à garmin connect le temps de déplacement devient faux (il passe par exemple de 5 h à 2 h) . le temps total de la randonnée reste exact . Quelqu'un peut il m'aider ?

My measurement for the 2025 NYC marathon was 44.8km, could this be an error with the Garmin??

cachin84 — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:57:21 GMT

Multisport workout created in Garmin Connect not showing on watch

9055755 — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 20:29:52 GMT

Now that Multisport workouts are able to be created in Garmin Connect, I created a workout for a bike/run brick and placed it on my calendar. But when I went into the watch to select it the workout isn't there. All my other scheduled workouts are on the watch's schedule screen, but the multisport workout is not. Does the watch not recognize multisport workouts for some reason? Any help is appreciated.

Beginner. Marathon plan custom, in my watch

6311211 — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:37:35 GMT

Hello all.

I am a happy new owner of my frst Garmin watch, forerunner 945.

I want to run a marathon in 3 and half weeks, and I would like to give some data of my goal, to my watch, and it proposes to me some daily activities, to achieve as close as possible my target.

Do you think this is possible ?

Thank you in advance for any answers.

Last update in septmber 2025

Hamy45!! — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:59:04 GMT

Anyone having issues with accurate hrv status, heartrate, sleep monitoring with the most recent update? I did the restart and software checks. Still out of wack. Not very happy, only had watch less than a year

Differences in measured pace and report pace

3684016 — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 19:28:42 GMT

Hi, I run with a Garmin FR 945 and an HRM Pro Plus.

The pace that my watch reports, and which is recorded in the garmin connect summary report, is slower than the pace calculated based on distance / km.

See this example from a superset:

The workout was 1.61 km slow, 200 m fast, 600 m semi-fast, 1.61 km goal pace 0.8 km slow. As you can see I had to rest a few times. The watch reported that I was way slower than needed. The highest speed given (and measured on my watch) was 3.39 min/km, in the 200 m fast leg.

Yet, if I just look at the time spent in each stage and divide by the distance covered, my pace was faster:

It shows the mean speed of the fast segment as 3.35 (clearly impossible if my max speed is 3.39) and of the semifast as 4.24, also way faster than the readings my watch gave me. The watch readings match what is in the report. What is up here?