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No, Garmin isn’t gone from Strava as AWS outage sparks confusion

A massive AWS outage yesterday took down hundreds of services across the globe for several hours. But what caught the attention of the fitness community was Garmin disappearing from Strava, triggering panic and accusations amid an already tense feud.


Outage causes sync failures and social media chaos

Downdetector reported more than 6.5 million problem reports during the outage, with over 1,000 companies affected. This included Amazon’s own services, Snapchat, Fortnite, and several banking platforms. But among fitness users, the real story was Strava.

While some Strava users couldn’t open the app at all, many others could. But sync was broken. Garmin devices wouldn’t connect. Even more unsettling, Garmin vanished as an option from the Strava app entirely. In any other week, this might have been chalked up to a glitch. But with the backdrop of a legal battle between Strava and Garmin, it looked deliberate to some.

People immediately jumped to conclusions. Posts started appearing across forums and Facebook groups accusing Strava of pulling the plug on Garmin support. Given the recent lawsuit and API tension, it didn’t seem far-fetched.


Facebook meltdown and Reddit rage

One of the more vivid examples of the fallout came from the Strava Runner Facebook group, which has over 440,000 members. A single message claiming “Strava removed Garmin devices from the app” drew more than 500 comments in a matter of hours.

The top replies were not kind to Strava. Some said they’d never stop using Garmin and would instead drop Strava. Others expressed hope that Garmin had deliberately cut off Strava to prove a point. The tone across most comments made one thing clear – people are more loyal to their hardware than to any app layer.

A few Reddit users even claimed they cancelled their Strava subscriptions as a result. Whether or not those cancellations stick is another matter, but the sentiment itself says a lot.

Essential readingTop fitness trackers and health gadgets

The fact that so many assumed the worst highlights how fragile the relationship has become. Quite a few people had no idea AWS was behind the glitch. The assumption that this was part of the Garmin-Strava spat shows just how deep the distrust currently runs.

Garmin Strava
Garmin was missing from the list for a few hours

Not the best look for Strava

Strava recently backed down from its stance against Garmin’s API branding requirements. After publicly opposing the attribution terms, the company quietly adopted them and updated its developer agreement. From November 1, every third-party app that touches Garmin data through Strava must acknowledge the source. This includes downstream platforms that don’t directly integrate with Garmin.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. In the middle of that pivot, Garmin goes missing from the app. Even if it was entirely technical and unrelated to policy, the optics were rough.

Strava’s broader messaging is also being questioned. The platform positions itself as a standalone social layer, but much of its value still depends on Garmin, Wahoo, Coros, and Apple. Without those data pipelines, Strava has little left to offer. And this week showed how quickly users are willing to point fingers when those links break.

The AWS outage lasted just a few hours. But for some, the memory of Garmin disappearing might last longer. Especially if Strava’s legal fight drags on and tensions resurface.

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Marko Maslakovic

Marko founded Gadgets & Wearables in 2014, having worked for more than 15 years in the City of London’s financial district. Since then, he has led the company’s charge to become a leading information source on health and fitness gadgets and wearables. He is responsible for most of the reviews on this website.

Marko Maslakovic has 2808 posts and counting. See all posts by Marko Maslakovic

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