Rest HR is higher than Low HR since upgrade

An investigation was opened for the reports of users seeing a RHR that is higher than the Low HR value displayed on the watch. There were design changes with the recent software updates that changed the way that the device calculates a RHR value. Previously, the unit only displayed the the lowest heart rate value for the day as the RHR. The device is now displaying an average of your lowest heart rate values throughout the day. This is designed to give the users a more accurate RHR value, rather than just displaying the lowest value for the day. To get the most accurate RHR value, we recommend that the device be worn at night. If you are not able to sleep with the device, then wearing it during periods of rest will also allow the device to record a more accurate RHR value.

Boy it would be nice if we could get the FR235 guys and the Connect guys on the same page so that the numbers would match even remotely.

An investigation was opened for the reports of users seeing a RHR that is higher than the Low HR value displayed on the watch. There were design changes with the recent software updates that changed the way that the device calculates a RHR value. Previously, the unit only displayed the the lowest heart rate value for the day as the RHR. The device is now displaying an average of your lowest heart rate values throughout the day. This is designed to give the users a more accurate RHR value, rather than just displaying the lowest value for the day. To get the most accurate RHR value, we recommend that the device be worn at night. If you are not able to sleep with the device, then wearing it during periods of rest will also allow the device to record a more accurate RHR value.

I suspected it was something like this. Thanks for always coming in here to provide accurate updates and info. It goes a long way, in my opinion.

An investigation was opened for the reports of users seeing a RHR that is higher than the Low HR value displayed on the watch. There were design changes with the recent software updates that changed the way that the device calculates a RHR value. Previously, the unit only displayed the the lowest heart rate value for the day as the RHR. The device is now displaying an average of your lowest heart rate values throughout the day. This is designed to give the users a more accurate RHR value, rather than just displaying the lowest value for the day. To get the most accurate RHR value, we recommend that the device be worn at night. If you are not able to sleep with the device, then wearing it during periods of rest will also allow the device to record a more accurate RHR value.

This approaching is unfortunately flawed as evidenced from the fact that I have observed a resting heart rate in the 40's on manual readings for a period of a few hours during my down time (this is quite normal for me) . However since the update I can't get a RHR below 50 how can this be when I have observed a reading significantly lower for a sustained period (RHR is about minimums whilst at rest not averages).

I understands that an average might help with erroneous readings but whatever Garmin has done this time is not working properly.

Take today for example I have consistently seen low heart rates because I've been having a lazy day, I've seen lows of 41 recorded all day, and initially I thought the device was going to come up with a more reasonable RHR as it started out at 44. Now come the end of the day I still see a low of 41 in the last 4 hours but now the RHR is 50 even though I keep checking my heart rate and its probably been below 50 for 70% of the day.

Please Garmin make this work again or just give me back 4.2 firmware (although this had a flaw of recording ridiculously low RHR on occasion, sometimes when I wasn't even wearing the watch.)

An investigation was opened for the reports of users seeing a RHR that is higher than the Low HR value displayed on the watch. There were design changes with the recent software updates that changed the way that the device calculates a RHR value. Previously, the unit only displayed the the lowest heart rate value for the day as the RHR. The device is now displaying an average of your lowest heart rate values throughout the day. This is designed to give the users a more accurate RHR value, rather than just displaying the lowest value for the day. To get the most accurate RHR value, we recommend that the device be worn at night. If you are not able to sleep with the device, then wearing it during periods of rest will also allow the device to record a more accurate RHR value.

Thank you for getting back to me. However as an athlete I am not interested in an average resting HR during the day but my resting HR first thing in the morning (I do wear my watch during the night).

This approaching is unfortunately flawed as evidenced from the fact that I have observed a resting heart rate in the 40's on manual readings for a period of a few hours during my down time (this is quite normal for me) . However since the update I can't get a RHR below 50 how can this be when I have observed a reading significantly lower for a sustained period (RHR is about minimums whilst at rest not averages).

I understands that an average might help with erroneous readings but whatever Garmin has done this time is not working properly.

Take today for example I have consistently seen low heart rates because I've been having a lazy day, I've seen lows of 41 recorded all day, and initially I thought the device was going to come up with a more reasonable RHR as it started out at 44. Now come the end of the day I still see a low of 41 in the last 4 hours but now the RHR is 50 even though I keep checking my heart rate and its probably been below 50 for 70% of the day.

I have the same behavior on my 235. It seems to be only calculating RHR from the sleeping times. For example, my RHR when I woke up, around 0600, was 63 bpm. Currently it's around 1600 and my RHR is still at 63, even though I've seen the live data hovering around 45 multiple times during the day.

Garmin Connect currently shows my RHR for the day at 47.

An investigation was opened for the reports of users seeing a RHR that is higher than the Low HR value displayed on the watch. There were design changes with the recent software updates that changed the way that the device calculates a RHR value. Previously, the unit only displayed the the lowest heart rate value for the day as the RHR. The device is now displaying an average of your lowest heart rate values throughout the day. This is designed to give the users a more accurate RHR value, rather than just displaying the lowest value for the day. To get the most accurate RHR value, we recommend that the device be worn at night. If you are not able to sleep with the device, then wearing it during periods of rest will also allow the device to record a more accurate RHR value.

Just how exactly does this work? While asleep for 8+ hrs, my HR was between 44-51 bpm. Those were the lowest readings for the day. An "average" RHR would then be 47-48, but my watch says 72. Something doesn't seem right.

We here at Garmin decided to drastically change the way we calculate RHR... and failed to communicate that change to our end users.
We here at Garmin decided to drastically change the way we calculate resting calories... and failed to communicate that change to our end users.

Oh, we also failed to mention these changes to the other developement teams, or a majority of our customer support staff.

Sorry, but this really is poor. Not used my watch for a couple of weeks now. The Fitbit HR is back on for 24*7 stuff. While it has its flaws they are generally understood and I can work with the data and reporting dashboard. The 235 along with Garmin Connect is still definitely work in progress. Will keep monitoring the forum to see if things improve and I can get some more value out of my £260 investment in the future . :-(