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What is going on with the HR readings since 14.13?

Former Member
Former Member over 1 year ago

I am getting very weird HR readings both from normal Run activities as well as Swim activities.

So what I'm experiencing is that the HR is much lower than it should be compared to all activities I've done since I got this watch (955 Solar) in the summer of 2022, and compared to how I feel.

It started with 14.13 where I was going out for a normal 5km run but the HR suddenly started to go down after about 1:30, instead of go up, and then after roughly 4:30 it dropped like a rock to 60. When this happened I watched it closely while running and it just sat there, in the low 70-80 and after about 7:30 I stopped the run because I thought the watch was bad.

Here's what it looked like:

Then I checked the forums and at the time some people was experiencing similar HR reading problems. After 7:30 my HR should be somewhere around 160 for me, so I understood that something fish was going on.

Here's an example of a swim activity with Firmware 13.22 back in November, 612 meters in a 12m pool at around 28 C temperature, and 148 HR average and 83% in Swim HR Zone 4:


Here's the same activity today with Firmware 14.15, same pool and same length, same temperature. Even with a slightly faster pace than the one above, now it says the HR average is 113 and 86% in Swim HR Zone 2. What??

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  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Garmin-Sierra has been helpful offline. That said, the problem still exists for me.

    • The problem only began with 14.13. The problem did not exist with software version 13.23. I owned both a Forerunner 255 and a Forerunner 955 and neither had a problem with software 13.23.
    • My Forerunner 955 was swapped under warranty with a new unit and the problem still exists since 14.13 as well. Garmin-Sierra is aware of this.
    • I never paid any extra special attention to band tightness and haven't had a problem in years across approximately 5 Garmin watches until 14.13.
    • The problem is not consistent for me. The problem was more apparent during cold weather and less frequent in hot weather. Overall the frequency for me has been approximately 1 in 10 runs.
    • I've tried all manner of band tightness, but have had the problem when the watch was secured very tightly and also slightly loose and everything in between.
    • I've tried the stock band, a third party silicon, and two different aftermarket nylon bands and have observed the problem with all. That said, given the relative infrequency, it is difficult to judge if one is more problematic than the other.
    • I believe with low confidence that my initial hydration level may be related. That is, I have the impression that if I start very well hydrated, I am less likely to observe this problem, which invariably is observed near the beginning of my runs.

    Bottom line: in my case, evidence points to a software problem and Garmin is aware of it as noted in this thread.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Besides the sudden drops, I've noticed that HR readings stay constant for multiple seconds. The graph looks very blocky. Data Recording is set to every second too. 

    Here is the graph compared with my strap. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Hi, just throwing my hat in the ring.

    My 955 was great for the first 6 months approximately, but for the past 2 months or so, every bike ride activity - MTB, Indoor Trainer, eMTB, Road ride - the heart rate is very low - 80-90bpm - for the first 20 minutes, while I'm bashing up the hill, sweating and grunting (a lot of grunting!)

    Then, after pretty much exactly 20 minutes every time (usually around 19 minutes 30 seconds) it pops up to the 160-170bpm I'm expecting to see. After that, it seems accurate to how I'm feeling.

    I'm always near max heart rate after 6 or 7 minutes, due to the horrible hill not far from my house, which I have to climb to get to the trails, so this is definitely an issue with the watch or software.

    Hope this helps - feel free to contact me for more info (sorry, I can't figure out how to post a screengrab of the heart rate charts, but I have several I can share showing the problem very clearly)

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Fras

    We should bump this every other week until it is fixed.
    any news on the upcoming fix?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Steve

    If it was a software issue I suspect it would have already been fixed.

    Feels alot like hardware, no?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dtunney

    No. I consider this most likely a software problem based on my own experience:

    1) I only observed this issue after updating to 14.13. I had no issue on both a Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 255 using software version 13.x.

    2) I had my 955 exchanged under warranty (for an unrelated issue) and both the older unit and the newer unit exhibited the same problem with software version 14.13.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dtunney

    Also, let me say as someone who works with embedded software that these things can be tricky. We have every right to demand a fix, but these problems can sometimes be tricky.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Has anyone reached out to Garmin Support about this issue and received an official response?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to iosint

    Yes. This thread is a bit long, but various people have had direct interactions with Garmin support and it is reflected in this thread.

    I myself have directly interacted with Garmin-Sierra who is very friendly. The message has been clear - they are aware of the issue, and have sufficient data, but have not announced a fix. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6340692

    The problem is much older than 6 months 12.27

    In my case, the interaction with garmin support was……everything is OK (watch position, type of activity, tattoos, reset….. blah blah blah….. and for greater accuracy use the chest belt.) This is a recreational device and it must be treated as such (official answer). The answer that we see and investigate is good for children. I solved the problem by using the belt for all activities until the next watch.