Related
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Does Locating a Phone Lost During a GPS Activity feature work?

mjuniper
8 months ago

NOTE: I know how the regular "Find My Phone" feature works. And I understand that for that feature to work my watch must be connected to my phone via bluetooth. This works fine.

However, at software version 19.18, which I have, garmin introduced a "Locating a Phone Lost During a GPS Activity" feature. It is mentioned here: https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-965/372839/forerunner-965-software-version-19-18---live and here: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-0221611A-992D-495E-8DED-1DD448F7A066/EN-US/GUID-3FEA8636-13DF-4111-B4BF-ADEC57E594AA.html

So I verified that the setting is turned on. Then I started a walk with my phone sitting next to me. Then I left my phone on my porch and walked around the block. Before I get halfway around the block I have lost the connection to the phone but I never get "prompted to navigate to the last known location of [my] device".

Does this feature work for anyone?

  • +1 8 months ago

    Ok, I just did another test: This time I started a ride, rode for a half mile or so then put down my phone and rode on. It pretty quickly notified me of my "lost" phone and offered to navigate me back to it.

    So my guess is that it doesn't activate those notifications until you have gone some minimum distance.

    When I go for a ride, it would be kinda nice if it activated immediately and thus notified me that I had left my phone at home. But when I go for a run, I intend to leave my phone at home so that might be annoying.

  • 0 8 months ago

    Hmm, I just watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XbKQIR7dlY. It says you must be disconnected for 3 minutes before you will get the notification. Maybe that was the difference in my tests and not that I had gone some minimum distance from home. But I suspect there is a minimum distance too.

  • 0 8 months ago

    I know I have gotten this notice a handful of times with my phone WITH ME on runs... the first few times were alarming thinking I had lost phone on a trail run... but it was still in my pocket.  So not sure what the deal is/was.... seemed like it did maybe have to coincide with taking photos on run, which on my android seems to shutdown back ground apps (closes pandora etc).  So thinking garmin maybe was forced closed on phone, then wasn't there to pingback to watch?  

  • 0 8 months ago

    I've been messing with this more in an attempt to understand how it works and if I can count on it. Here are my conclusions:

    - I'm pretty sure turning off bluetooth to simulate a lost connection will not work. No idea why that is but I was never able to get a lost phone alert by turning off bluetooth.

    - It definitely does not take 3 minutes after a lost connection to alert you as indicated in that video I linked to previously.

    - I'm pretty sure there is either a minimum distance or a minimum time from the beginning of the activity (maybe this is where the 3 minutes comes in).

  • 0 8 months ago

    I got the warning a few times, because sometimes I switch my android to another user profile, 'cause my son is with me and he connects to the phone with his watch that doesn't have gps. In these occasions (at least sometimes, but I don't think every time) it did notify me. Though I think even then I didn't (always) notice it as it happened, but rather later, when I looked at my watch.

    However the 1 real time when I actually lost my phone on a race, it didn't help me. But it wasn't a bug in the feature either, because I lost the phone during the warm up we did with friends before the start, so I didn't have started yey the activity. The good news is that someone found my phone and gave it to the race organizers, so it's now back with me ;)