Garmin Connect revamp: A step forward, but missing a few tricks

The launch of Lily 2 and HRM-Fit is not the only Garmin news today. The company has announced it is spicing up its digital presence with a major overhaul of the Garmin Connect app. But it’s not all we hoped for. While the updates bring a sleeker, more personalized experience, they leave us yearning for some cutting-edge features.

Garmin Connect is known for its comprehensive tracking and analysis capabilities. The app, complemented by a web dashboard, offers a deep dive into health and fitness metrics, helping users stay on top of their personal goals.

But while it is very comprehensive, it is not the most user friendly software. You have to dig deep sometimes to find what you are looking for. It’s actually been some time since Garmin Connect received any significant makeover. Probably a few years. This makes the new update a notable event in the app’s evolution.

What’s changed in the update

The latest refresh introduces a more streamlined and user-centric homepage. The information is now tailored to individual goals, whether it’s maintaining general wellness, staying active, or gearing up for a race. So its essentially a cosmetic upgrade.

Key features include:

• Today’s activity: Overview of daily activities, upcoming workouts, and events in the next two days.
• In focus: Detailed insights into specific health metrics like sleep score, Body Battery energy monitoring, and training status.
• At a glance: A comprehensive view of various stats such as heart rate, calories burned, stress levels, and more.
• Events: Handy tools for race preparation, including a countdown and weather forecast.
• Training plans: Tracking for Garmin Coach plans and a weekly view of workouts.
• Challenges: Progress tracking in various challenges to keep users motivated.

This beta version is gradually rolling out to select customers, with a full release slated for later this year. So most people will have the old software for a while longer.

Missed opportunities?

While the updates are a step in the right direction, we can’t help but feel a couple of key opportunities were missed. Firstly, the integration of AI technology, something competitors like Whoop and Zepp Health have embraced over the past year. Whoop, in particular, has excelled with its ChatGPT-based chatbot, allowing users to interact with and query their data in a more intuitive way.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Another feature we’d love to see is local storage for Garmin data. Currently, all data is cloud-based, which poses issues during server outages (and there’ve been a few…) or when internet access is unavailable. This reliance on cloud storage can be a significant drawback for users who need consistent access to their data.

So while Garmin Connect’s updates bring a fresh and more personalized experience, the lack of AI integration and local data storage options leaves room for improvement in an otherwise robust fitness tracking ecosystem. In any case its a step in the right direction as the new app looks visually more appealing.

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