Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsGarmin Connect’s redesign is no longer forthcoming: Garmin announced it on January 8, 2024, first as a beta for select users, and the refreshed, customizable home-screen approach is now part of the app’s standard experience. The redesign changes how Garmin data is organized; it does not replace the app, add new sensors to a watch, or require Connect+.
What Garmin announced—and when
On January 8, 2024, Garmin introduced a refreshed Connect app intended to make the interface simpler and insights more personal. The first version was a beta for select customers with Garmin smartwatches, cycling computers, and accessories; Garmin said wider availability would follow later in 2024. The announcement and original rollout are summarized by BGR.
The redesigned home screen uses configurable sections, often described as cards or widgets, to bring activity, health, training, and social information together. Garmin’s current U.S. App Store listing describes a personalized home screen alongside activity analysis, workouts and courses, health trends, badges, and integrations. That supports the conclusion that the redesign is now the normal direction of the app, though the available sources do not establish one universal release date or identical timing for Android and iOS.
What appears on the redesigned home screen
The original announcement grouped information into several areas. The exact arrangement and what appears for an individual account can vary with app version, device, recorded data, permissions, and available features.
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#1 Best Overall
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode (5 days display always-on)
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
Today’s Activity
This section is meant to bring together activities recorded that day, upcoming workouts, and upcoming events, giving users a quick view of the day’s training.
In Focus
In Focus highlights selected health and training information. Examples in the announcement included sleep score, Body Battery, training status, and activity trends.
Rank #2
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
At a Glance
This broader metrics area can include heart rate, intensity minutes, steps, calories, stress, floors climbed, hydration, fitness age, HRV status, VO2 max, training load, heat and altitude acclimation, and endurance score. It is not a promise that every metric will appear for every user: the paired device must support the measurement, and the account needs relevant data.
Events, Training Plans, and Challenges
Events can surface races, challenges, or other events entered in Connect. Training Plans bring Garmin Coach running and cycling plans together, including scheduled and completed workouts and weekly progress. Challenges include expedition, badge, group, and family formats described in the announcement.
Rank #3
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
What the redesign changes—and what it does not
The principal change is information architecture and personalization: users can organize the home screen around the information they want to see. It does not automatically give an older watch new sensors, health measurements, or training capabilities. A widget-based screen may make frequently used information easier to reach, but users who prefer a fixed layout may find that rearranging cards makes familiar information less predictable. A metric that is absent may reflect unsupported hardware, no recent readings, missing phone permissions, or an unused Connect feature.
Garmin Connect serves a broad range of watches, cycling computers, sensors, and accessories, so feature parity is not universal. HRV status, altitude acclimation, ECG-related functions, endurance metrics, and training-status tools are examples of capabilities that should not be assumed on every Garmin product. Garmin’s App Store compatibility listing points users to separate compatibility information. Its indexed iOS version history showed version 5.27.1 at the time reflected by that listing; app versions and labels change, so that number is only a snapshot.
Rank #4
- Make a bold statement with this rugged GPS smartwatch, featuring a 0.9” display with solar charging lens and unlimited battery life with solar charging (assumes all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions)
- Engineered with a supertough 45 mm fiber-reinforced polymer case and metal-reinforced bezel
- Built-in LED flashlight with variable intensities and strobe modes gives you greater visibility in the outdoors and provides convenient illumination when you need it
- Know your body better with health monitoring features, including wrist-based heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, Pulse Ox and more (this is not a medical device, and data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked; Pulse Ox not available in all countries)
- Navigate confidently with a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter and multi-band GPS with SatIQ technology, which delivers superior positioning while also optimizing battery life
Garmin Connect is not the same as Connect+
Garmin Connect+ arrived later, announced March 27, 2025. It is an optional premium layer within Garmin Connect, not the name of the redesign. Garmin said existing Connect features and data would remain free. The company’s announcement positioned Connect+ around additions such as AI-powered Active Intelligence, expert training guidance, exclusive badge challenges, expanded LiveTrack, and further personalized analysis.
| Need | Free Garmin Connect | Garmin Connect+ |
|---|---|---|
| Sync compatible Garmin devices and review activities and health data | Yes, subject to device support and available data | Yes |
| Personalized home screen and ordinary Connect functions | Yes, as described by the current app listing | Yes |
| AI-generated personalized insights | Not identified as a standard free feature | Included among premium features |
| Performance dashboard and advanced visual analysis | Not identified as a standard free feature | Garmin describes the dashboard as a Connect+ feature |
| Expanded LiveTrack and premium social features | Not identified as standard free features | Included among premium additions |
Garmin’s Connect+ announcement listed U.S. pricing of $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, with a 30-day free trial, on March 27, 2025. Those are dated U.S. announced prices, not a guarantee of today’s checkout total: region, tax, platform, promotions, and subsequent price changes may affect what a subscriber sees. Check the current in-app checkout or Garmin’s Connect+ product page for current terms.
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Best Value
- Easy-to-use running watch monitors heart rate (this is not a medical device) at the wrist and uses GPS to track how far, how fast and where you’ve run.Special Feature:Bluetooth.
- Battery life: up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode; up to 20 hours in GPS mode
- Plan your race day strategy with the PacePro feature (not compatible with on-device courses), which offers GPS-based pace guidance for a selected course or distance
- Run your best with helpful training tools, including race time predictions and finish time estimates
- Track all the ways you move with built-in activity profiles for running, cycling, track run, virtual run, pool swim, Pilates, HIIT, breathwork and more
Connect+ has also gained features after its launch. In May 2026, Garmin described a Connect+ performance dashboard with customizable charts and graphs for comparing health and training data; its dashboard explainer presents it as a premium feature. Garmin has also promoted AI insights, nutrition tracking, enhanced LiveTrack, and Garmin Trails as part of the later premium layer. These additions are separate from the 2024 home-screen redesign.
How to check whether your app has the redesigned experience
- Update Garmin Connect from the iOS App Store or Google Play.
- Open the app’s main home screen and look for a dashboard of sections or cards covering daily activity, health, training, or events.
- Explore the home-screen controls available in your version to see whether you can reorder, add, remove, or personalize information. Labels and controls can differ by platform and release; there is no single verified button name for every user.
- If the screen still looks different, confirm the app is current, the Garmin device has synced recently, and you are signed into the intended Garmin account. Rollouts and available features can vary by platform or region.
If information is missing or syncing is confusing
- Try a manual device sync, then confirm Bluetooth and the phone permissions Garmin Connect needs.
- Close and reopen the app; check for app and device software updates.
- Sign out and back in only after confirming the data has synchronized to the account.
- Do not make uninstalling the first troubleshooting step: unsynced local data may be at risk.
- Contact Garmin Support if a device disappears, sync repeatedly fails, or health data remains missing after synchronization.
Is the redesign worth paying for or upgrading a watch?
For users who want a more configurable dashboard, the redesign may make frequently used data easier to find. It can also feel less consistent than a fixed dashboard, and a denser set of metrics is not necessarily simpler for every user. Store reviews include individual complaints about the changed layout, but those opinions do not establish how all Garmin users feel.
Users who mainly need device syncing, activity history, ordinary health metrics, workouts, courses, and the redesigned dashboard have no stated need for Connect+ under Garmin’s free-feature policy. Consider the subscription only if its specific premium analysis, AI insights, nutrition tools, or expanded LiveTrack features solve a need for you. Consider new hardware only if your current device does not support a metric or capability you want; the app redesign by itself is not a reason to replace a watch.
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