Garmin Connect Activities Not Uploading? – Try These Solutions

Are your Garmin Connect activities not uploading? We understand how frustrating that is if you are serious about recording your exercises. 

To fix the Garmin Connect activities not uploading issue, you must restart the watch or pair and unpair the app.

Further, it might be an issue with the settings, such as power saving mode enabled on the watch, not enough permissions on the app, or corrupted files on the system.

The guide below will help you step by step with all the solutions we are proposing. All of them are very quick to perform, requiring you to press a few buttons.

If the problem persists after the last solution, you must contact Garmin to see if your watch has hardware issues.

Garmin Connect Activities Not Uploading – Reasons

It is very helpful when you can sync all of your activities from the Garmin watch to Garmin Connect.

However, sometimes you will notice the activity not uploading to Garmin Connect. 

If that is your situation, you must first understand the common reasons behind such a situation:

✅ Broken Connection

Perhaps the app can no longer contact the watch even though it still shows up as connected.

✅ Device Compatibility

Ensure that your device is compatible with the Garmin Connect app and meets the minimum requirements.

✅ Server Issues

Garmin Connect may experience server issues or maintenance, which can prevent activities from uploading. 

✅ Connectivity Issues

Poor internet connectivity, a weak GPS signal, or Bluetooth connectivity problems can all prevent activities from uploading.

✅ Wrong Permissions

The app needs certain permissions to download data and sync your exercises. 

Fix The Garmin Connect Activities Not Uploading

After checking the most common causes behind the issue with the lack of syncing for your activities, it is time we move on to the fixing methods.

Understanding the causes and the solution will help you solve the issue on your Garmin watch ASAP.

1. Restart Your Garmin Watch

Restarting your Garmin watch is the most common way of fixing the activities syncing issue.

That will be done differently according to some models.

Check below:

Devices With A Power Button

If your Garmin does have a power button, restarting it is very easy:

1. Hold the power button for up to 30 seconds;
2. Release it when the watch turns off;
3. Turn the watch back on.

Devices Without A Power Button

Perhaps you have a Garmin watch that doesn’t have a power button.

In that case, power cycling it will be done this way:

1. Plug the device into the USB charging cable;
2. Let the device charge fully;
3. Disconnect.

Connecting and disconnecting the USB causes an internal restart on the watch. You can use that method every time you face an issue.

Note: If your Garmin watch doesn’t have a restarting option at all, you must head to the Solution #6 to learn how to reset the watch’s settings.

2. Unpair And Pair Again

If simply restarting the Garmin watch didn’t do the syncing work, you must remove the watch from the app and add it again.

Here is how:

1. Open the Garmin Connect app on your phone;
2. Touch the three-stripe icon;
3. Select “Garmin Devices”;
4. Press on the device you wish to remove;
5. Touch “Remove device” when shown.

Next, you will also have to remove the watch from the Bluetooth settings:

1. Open the Bluetooth settings;
2. Find the list of paired devices;
3. Hold the Garmin watch name or press the gear/info icon

3. Remove The App From The Site

Some users can only unpair their watches successfully through the site for unknown reasons.

That might be due to initial configurations done via a web browser instead of the app.

You can try these steps:

1. Go to the Garmin Connect site on a computer;
2. Sign in;
3. Choose “Devices”;
4. Locate your watch;
5. Click on “Device Settings”;
6. Click on the gear icon;
7. Click on “Remove”;
8. Confirm.

If you choose to go straight to this method instead of removing it from the app, you still must check if the Garmin watch is connected to your phone’s Bluetooth.

If it is, you must remove it (follow the steps in the section above).

How To Pair Again

Don’t you remember how the pairing process works?

That’s okay, and you just have to follow these simple steps:

1. Put the Garmin watch into pairing mode;
2. Turn Bluetooth on your phone;
3. Open the app;
4. If the app doesn’t find the watch immediately, tap “More” or the three-stripe icon (depending on OS);
5. Choose “Garmin Devices”;
6. Choose “Add Device”;
7. Confirm your watch;
8. Follow the quick instructions.

You must not pair the Garmin watch directly through the Bluetooth settings. Instead, the app will manage the Bluetooth connection.

Note: Each Garmin watch might have a different method of putting it into pairing mode. Check the owner’s manual that came in the watch’s package.

Some Garmin watches have a power-saving mode which will reduce the capacity of your watch to communicate with online services.

Perhaps the saving mode is enabled without you knowing/remembering it, so here is how to disable it:

1. Go to the watch’s main menu;
2. Go to “Power Manager”;
3. Choose “Battery Saver”;
4. Toggle it to “Off.”

Alternative Method

Perhaps the power-saving mode on your watch works differently.

Then this is the path you must use:

1. Go to the watch’s main menu;
2. Select “Activity Settings”;
3. Find the option “Power Save Timeout”;
4. Select “Extended.”

Once the power saving mode is disabled, the watch should regain its wireless capacities.

4. Allow Permissions On The App

Another cause of the app not receiving the activities from the Garmin watch might be the lack of permissions.

Usually, when the app is installed, you are prompted to allow permissions.

If they aren’t allowed, you must proceed like this:

1. Open the Garmin Connect app;
2. Tap the three-dot button (iOS)/three-stripe button (Android);
3. Click on “Settings”;
4. Now go to “Phone permissions”;
5. Allow “location access” and “file and media access” (sometimes “storage access”).

5. Allow The App To Run In The Background

Another thing that can prevent the data from syncing at the correct time is that the apps on your phone are not allowed to run in the background.

Then, Garmin Connect will try to retrieve data only when you open it and sometimes fail to do so. 

Allow Background Apps On Android

Do the following on your Android phone:

1. Open the phone’s Settings;
2. Find the “Apps” option;
3. Now tap on “Connect”;
4. Go to “Mobile data & Wi-Fi.”
5. Find “Background data” and toggle it on.

Allow Background Apps On iOS

The route you must follow on iPhone is a bit different:

1. Open your iPhone’s settings;
2. Click on “General”;
3. Select “Background App Refresh”;
4. Find “Garmin Connect” and toggle it on.

6. Reset Garmin’s Settings

The issue is likely on your Garmin watch’s system if none of the above has worked. In that case, you must reset it to the factory settings.

Here is how you can do it:

1. Hold the “Menu” button on the watch;
2. Find “Settings”;
3. Choose “System”;
4. Tap on “Reset”;
5. Confirm to “Delete Data and Reset Settings”;
6. The watch might prompt you, then press “Down” and choose “Continue”;
7. Touch “Yes” to confirm the reset.

• Once the watch is reset successfully, you must take it outside where there is a clear view of the sky.

Leave it there for around 20 minutes so it gathers necessary satellite data.

Note: You will know that the reset has been successful once you see that the watch is undergoing the initial setup. If the initial setup does not happen, you must try the resetting process again. 

What We Learned

What to do when Garmin Connect activities not uploading? As you have seen, that can be due to misconfiguration on the watch or your phone/app.

The steps above will certainly help you regain access to the syncing feature. 

Read Next: How Do Garmin Watches Measure Stress?