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Changing a data screen on the app overrides data screens in another activity

8921078
4 months ago

Hello,

I did not find anything online regarding this issue yet, but its been around for a while now, at least for me.

On the Garmin Connect app, whenever I change a data screen in my "trail run" activity (switch a screen from 5 to 6 fields for example) the loader briefly shows up and then nothing changes : still 5 fields.

But what I discovered the hard way is that it AWLAYS overrides an existing data screen in my "run" activity with the screen I tried to modify in "trail run" AND adds this same screen as a new screen, meaning I end up with 2 unwanted screens in "run".

If I try to do it 3 times it replaces 3 screens and adds 3 more.

It works perfectly when I do it on the watch, but come on…

I am honestly so tired of the UX of the Garmin Connect App.
Having to keep a memo of each activity screen as a backup for when (not "if") there is a bug is tiring.

  • 0 4 months ago

    I just tried to restore "Trail run" with default settings, the problem is still here: I cannot modify any data screen for this specific type of activity. It still overrides my "run" activity, of course.

    Adding a data screen with custom number of fields still works, so the only way to modify the number of fields on a screen is to add a brand new data screen and rebuild it from scratch…

  • 0 4 months ago

    Yeah I just tried this and I can confirm I have the exact same problem. (955, Connect iOS)

    What's worse is I think I had the max number of custom data screens already, so the new screen that was added actually caused one of my screens to be removed. Whoops haha.

    Pretty egregious tho.

    Personally I usually avoid changing device settings through the Connect app bc it seems so slow (sometimes it takes a couple of seconds just to load one screen), even though it may be faster and more efficient overall compared to changing stuff on the watch. (At least the watch UI usually responds more or less instantly even if the UX is more cumbersome, requiring way more button presses / taps to do the same thing as the app). I did once use the Connect device settings to take a "backup" of my data field settings (by opening each activity I cared about, navigating to each data page and taking screenshots). It was extremely tedious (again because of load time for each screen).

    (Even DCR admitted that if you use the device settings through Connect feature, you're gonna see the Garmin "running man" animation a lot)

    8921078 said:
    I am honestly so tired of the UX of the Garmin Connect App

    Same. I feel the same way about Garmin bugs and poor UX in general (like the design and implementation of the Gear tab in Connect). Over the last 7 years, I've seen of ton of this stuff, some of which has stuck around for years without being fixed. I also see basic functionality that just doesn't seem to work at all (like HRM-PRO not syncing steps if you wear it during an activity while not wearing your watch, but the strap is still connected to watch. This worked for me - just twice.)

    But if you complain here (or on the garmin subreddit), the usual reactions are:

    - you'll get ignored

    - people will tell you you're doing it wrong

    - "Apple isn't perfect you know"

    - "I've been a happy garmin customer for 76 years with no bugs or issues"

    - "have you tried factory reset?"

    - "I don't have this problem (sucks to be you / I don't believe you)" (after barely or not even trying to recreate it)

    - [passive-aggressive internet meme / catchphrase from early 2000s]

    Even on the rare threads where there's a lot of agreement about some issue that affects a lot of people, there will always be a handful of mainstays who insist that most complaints are overblown. (The most active / long-serving forum posters will always be the biggest Garmin defenders.)

    And the kind of thing you are complaining about will *never* be mentioned by any tech influencer or reviewer. It seems like some of the features don't exist to actually be used, only to be a checkbox on a spec sheet.

    I think everyone is just so used to things being mediocre or bad that it seems normal to us.

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to FlowState

    Hi FlowState,

    Thank you for your feedback, glad I am not the only one having this issue anymore… I'm on iOS aswell (did not mention that in my initial post).

    To make things clear : I LOVE my watch, it always work flowlessly when I'm in any activity. Never had any issue with data fields or screens while running.

    It's only when I'm looking through my data, history, trying to customize something that the UX feels super clunky. Basically, all my problems are linked to the Garmin Connect app.

    If my "bug report" here stays unheard, so be it, I know I am nothing for a company like Garmin… But I feel like they should care a little bit more about all these "bad UX" reviews I see online before its too late to catch up.

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to 8921078

    All I can say is I know a lot of runners who never open Connect, they look at everything in Strava. I know at least one person who said outright that Connect is harder to use than Strava.

    To Garmin's credit, they're trying to improve Connect. I think it would take more than changing the home screen tho.

    Probably wouldn't hurt to contact Garmin Support (https://support.garmin.com/ or [email protected])

  • 0 4 months ago in reply to FlowState

    Oh and i just noticed that now the Map page has been removed from my default Run activity, and there’s no way to add it back (probably bc it was never properly removed in the first place, so the watch thinks I still have it and will refuse to add a 2nd map page.)

    Tbh I’m not 100% if this was caused by changing the Trail Run data page settings in Connect or by the new beta I just loaded onto my watch, but either way it’s a huge pain. I’m sure it can be fixed if I reset the activity settings to default, but then I’ll have to painstakingly redo all my data page settings.

    In investigating this issue via the Connect app’s device settings feature, I was once again reminded of why I never use it. It’s incredibly slow — any time you open a settings page or change a setting, you’re greeted with a seconds-long running man animation. Again, it negates the usefulness of being able to change device settings in the app (imo). I def prefer a ton of button presses on the watch as long the watch responds to each button press nearly instantly.