Garmin Connect Down?

[Greenbank]

There is no need to have an online connection via Garmin Connect.

For a subset of the functionality, yes. I can use my watch to record activities without GC, but a lot of people rely/use on other functionality that does require the device being able to talk to GC.

For example, if I go to "Training Calendar" on my watch it helpfully says "Download your training calendar from Garmin Connect", which I obviously can't do. So I can't schedule a workout or training plan which many people use to get themselves through things like C25K.

That's why a lot of people are upset with Garmin.

[Sergeant Pluck]

All of the newer watches connect via USB so getting access to the data isn't a problem.

If you have a Mac and a music-enabled Garmin like a 245, Android File Transfer is required to get the data to show in Finder.

https://www.android.com/filetransfer/

[zigzag]

my old gps running watch (310xt) can only connect via garmin express (not visible via file explorer), so unless i use one of my cycling computers, i have very little motivation to go out for a run - until they sort their systems out.

[fuaran]

my old gps running watch (310xt) can only connect via garmin express (not visible via file explorer), so unless i use one of my cycling computers, i have very little motivation to go out for a run - until they sort their systems out.

When you sync with Garmin Express, it will save a copy of the files on your PC, before uploading to Garmin Connect. So you should be able to find your runs in there. On Windows, it should be somewhere in the C:\ProgramData\Garmin directory.
https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=hTOCg4jWNN0iKtmlYPZY86

Or there are a few phone apps that can sync with Ant+, if your phone supports that.

[Ashaman42]

I found Garmin Express wouldn't let me start the sync unless it could talk to Connect.

Have a Google for Garmin Ant Agent, that, once you tell it to ignore Connect does a local sync. Or it's 12.5MB, I could email it to you though I did get it from an archivey website that I wasn't fully confident of. It's passed a virus and malware scan though and did what it was meant to do.

[zigzag]

my old gps running watch (310xt) can only connect via garmin express (not visible via file explorer), so unless i use one of my cycling computers, i have very little motivation to go out for a run - until they sort their systems out.

When you sync with Garmin Express, it will save a copy of the files on your PC, before uploading to Garmin Connect. So you should be able to find your runs in there. On Windows, it should be somewhere in the C:\ProgramData\Garmin directory.
https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?faq=hTOCg4jWNN0iKtmlYPZY86

Or there are a few phone apps that can sync with Ant+, if your phone supports that.

the problem is that garmin express wouldn't even sync offline with the unit. and when online, it says that it cannot connect to their servers and that's it - can't open or sync anything. i've searched for locally stored historical activities, but could not locate the folder (there is garmin folder in x86 program files, but it contains system files and drivers, no activity data). found the historical .fit files in the directory in the link.
basically, garmin express only works when connected to their servers, which have been taken hostage now.

[zigzag]

I found Garmin Express wouldn't let me start the sync unless it could talk to Connect.

Have a Google for Garmin Ant Agent, that, once you tell it to ignore Connect does a local sync. Or it's 12.5MB, I could email it to you though I did get it from an archivey website that I wasn't fully confident of. It's passed a virus and malware scan though and did what it was meant to do.

thanks for the offer, but i'm alright, i've got other five garmin units which can sync locally, the only inconvenience is that they are all larger/heavier to carry than a watch and don't show the running pace (only speed).

[Sergeant Pluck]

I found Garmin Express wouldn't let me start the sync unless it could talk to Connect.

Correct, Garmin Express won’t open at all.

[Lightning Phil]

Garmin Express opens and runs on Windows 10 quite happily. I’ve just confirmed it can see my old Garmin Edge and it’s fit activities.

Garmin Basecamp can also see my Edge 500 and its  fit files. I use my eTrex so it’s not impacting me anyway.

[zigzag]

Garmin Express opens and runs on Windows 10 quite happily. I’ve just confirmed it can see my old Garmin Edge and it’s fit activities.

Garmin Basecamp can also see my Edge 500 and its  fit files. I use my eTrex so it’s not impacting me anyway.

this may be a bit misleading. yes, i can see .fit files on my edge 500 via file explorer, no need for garmin express.

when garmin express runs quite happily - do  you mean it connects to the servers and syncs with garmin connect automatically? if not, then i can't see much happiness there.

[Polar Bear]

Garmin Express works for my old Edge but doesn't work for my new Fenix6.

I'm all chilled about it. 

[Lightning Phil]

Garmin Express opens and runs on Windows 10 quite happily. I’ve just confirmed it can see my old Garmin Edge and it’s fit activities.

Garmin Basecamp can also see my Edge 500 and its  fit files. I use my eTrex so it’s not impacting me anyway.

this may be a bit misleading. yes, i can see .fit files on my edge 500 via file explorer, no need for garmin express.

when garmin express runs quite happily - do  you mean it connects to the servers and syncs with garmin connect automatically? if not, then i can't see much happiness there.

Well how can it sync with Connect? There’s no server at the other end responding. It tells you that, and it’s quite happy about it. Some have posted above that it wouldn’t even start for them. 

[Feanor]

The phrase 'Garmin Connect' can refer to different things, and I suspect there is some talking cross-purposes here!

- The web service, which is currently down;
- The mobile app which connects to the web service;
- The PC-based sync software which connects to the web service.

I can imagine how for example the mobile app may not launch if it can't connect, but the PC program can.
Neither will be able to upload to the web service, of course.

[zigzag]

The phrase 'Garmin Connect' can refer to different things, and I suspect there is some talking cross-purposes here!

- The web service, which is currently down;
- The mobile app which connects to the web service;
- The PC-based sync software which connects to the web service.

I can imagine how for example the mobile app may not launch if it can't connect, but the PC program can.
Neither will be able to upload to the web service, of course.

it's a bit confusing, but the pc-based sync software is called garmin express. currently it launches, shows an error and does nothing else.

garmin connect is a website and the mobile app, they are both quite similar in what they do.

garmin express is a pc interface to sync the devices automatically, and is very different from the above two.

[Feanor]

Yes, that's more correct.

I originally uploaded my stuffs to the 'old' Garmin website.
When they updated it to the 'new' site, they removed the upload button!
You *had* to use the Garmin Express sync tool.

I hated that, because it uploaded *everything* on my device, including stuff I did not want public.
At the time, their response was "well just delete those things you don't want public."
Well, yes, but by then it's also synced to other sites like Strava, and I need to go on a delete-fest across multiple platforms.

They eventually rowed back on that, and there is now an 'Import' option on the website.
I have since shut down the Garmin Express sync tool, and manually upload only those things I want to, like I used to do.

[Beardy]

Garmin have released an FAQ about their current situation.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/outage/

For your education, here are some alternative, possible more accurate, answers.

1. As a consequence of a corporate decision to keep all our customers dependent on our servers for anything but the most basic functions, your smart devices are stuffed until we can get it fixed. This decision is also the reason that we became such a compelling target for those greedy bastards ( the criminals, not us) that have the tech know how.
2. SOS remains unaffected due to a decision by someone to spend money on an alternative backup platform. We will not be giving him his job back, even though his disregard of profit maximisation means that we are not completely covered in shit.
3. You’ll have to wait to back up your data, because even if we could ship an update to allow Garmin Connect to work off line, we’re not yet ready to throw in the towel and let you be independent of our servers.
4. We don’t know what’s happened to your data. I mean, the baddies (the criminals, not us!) shut us out of the system, so it stands to reason that they shut themselves out as well. We don’t know this though, and won’t until we can get access to our systems again.

[citoyen]

(I download the FIT files off my watch and upload them to Strava anyway, so I've got my run from this morning.)

Suspect I know the answer to this question but I'll ask anyway...

Is there any reason you don't set your Strava account to auto-sync with GC?

With my old FR 405CX, I could never make it work reliably with Garmin Express so used to do the same thing, ie pull the files off and upload them manually, but since I've been using Bluetooth-enabled Garmin devices, I just let them sync with GC via my phone and then let Strava sync with GC. I guess for the time being it will be back to manual uploading.

I've also requested my archive from Strava, so I'll have a complete offline record just in case...

[Greenbank]

(I download the FIT files off my watch and upload them to Strava anyway, so I've got my run from this morning.)

Suspect I know the answer to this question but I'll ask anyway...

Is there any reason you don't set your Strava account to auto-sync with GC?

My GC account is private, my Strava account is public/open (to the point of not even having a privacy zone). I want the GC account to have everything (as it's the one that assesses my fitness/etc). The Strava account is just public showing off.

The main reason for not auto-syncing was the before school running club I help out with.  We don't want times/locations/etc made that public. I get back and create a manual entry with time/distance details but no accurate timings or location info. Deleting it after it's already public isn't a workable solution.

[citoyen]

Deleting it after it's already public isn't a workable solution.

True that. I assumed it was privacy reasons, so that makes sense.

[citoyen]

Apparently, my entire Strava history only adds up to 46MB.

That's probably a sign that I don't ride/run nearly as much as I should. 

[Greenbank]

Strava doesn't store all of the details that were in the original upload.

Forerunner 110: 7.3MB
Edge 705: 770MB
Forerunner 920XT: 58MB
Forerunner 935: 76MB
Forerunner 945: 4.92MB (only had it for a couple of months)

The Edge 705 is so much bigger as it's in verbose XML rather than compacy binary FIT files.

[Lightning Phil]

How big is it when zipped?

[citoyen]

How big is it when zipped?

Actually, that was the zipped size. It's 61MB when unzipped.

[zigzag]

they have almost recovered now - garmin express syncs fine, garmin connect website is up and running, garmin connect phone app still under maintenance.

[robgul]

Garmin Express (which I don't use much) is telling there's an upgrade to 7.x.x.x when I looked earlier this morning  - I assume that's OK to install?  [I have 2 Edge devices and a car satnav registered]