Garmin Not Connecting to iPhone? Here’s How to Fix

If your Garmin not connecting to iPhone then we have an easy and simple solution!

Garmin watch users tend to sometimes experience trouble when attempting to pair their watch to an iOS smartphone.

However, the resolution to that is simple, and only takes a couple of minutes to get your Garmin watch connected to the iPhone! Let’s learn how!

To fix when Garmin Watch is not connecting to iPhone, restart the iPhone’s Bluetooth and reboot the Garmin Watch. Next, update the Garmin Connect App and re-add the watch from the application. Finally, perform a factory reset on the Garmin Watch.

To correctly sync your Garmin watch to the iPhone before troubleshooting, keep reading!

How to Sync Garmin Watch to iPhone?

Syncing your Garmin watch to an iPhone is really easy and almost the same as doing it on Android.

Perhaps, a couple of the navigation settings within the Garmin iOS app could be a little different from the Android ones.

Still, the process overall remains similar and easy to do.

To sync the Garmin watch to your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Garmin Connect Mobile app.
2. Select the “More” button on the home screen.
3. Go to “Garmin Devices” by pressing the direction button.
4. Tap the desired device (your watch).
5. Select the “Sync” icon to start the pairing.
6. Open your iPhone’s Bluetooth Settings and select your Garmin watch.
7. Wait for the Garmin watch to be saved in your iPhone’s wireless settings.

The Garmin watch’ settings will be available in the Bluetooth tab of your iPhone.

There, you can “Disconnect” or “Connect” the device from the iPhone or forget it from the settings.

Note: You will know the syncing is complete when your iPhone says “Connected” status.

How to Fix When Garmin Not Connecting to iPhone?

We will include a list of chronological solutions you could test if the Garmin watch isn’t connecting to your iPhone.

Make sure to follow the order of our methods and instructions so you could end up resolving the connection throttle with your Garmin Watch in no time!

Solution #1 Restart iPhone’s Bluetooth

The first thing you should do is restart your iPhone’s Bluetooth and retry the connection with the Garmin watch.

The Bluetooth feature on your iPhone could get blocked or receive interference when other wireless devices are in close proximity so let’s start fresh!

Turn OFF the Bluetooth on your iPhone and then Restart the device!

Wait for the iPhone to finalize the restart and once it starts back up and is on the home screen, toggle the Bluetooth back on.

If the Garmin watch is already remembered in the Bluetooth settings, it will reconnect automatically. If not, redo the setup process!

Note: If your iPhone is low on charge, plug it into the charger while the reboot is complete.

Solution #2 Hard Reset the Garmin Watch

Perhaps, the problem could be on your watch’s end, rather than the iPhone’s.

What you could attempt next, is to resolve the issue with the Garmin watch, by performing a hard reset on the device.

This process will discharge the watch and refresh its’ software and connection.

To perform a hard reset on the Garmin watch, press and hold the Power Button!

You must keep the Garmin watch turned off for 5 minutes to complete the hard reset.

After that time elapses, you could start the watch up by pressing and holding the power button again, for a couple of seconds. Its display will light up when the device turns on.

Note: Once the watch reboots, head back into the Garmin app to retry the setup process!

Solution #3 Update the Garmin™ Connect App

If you’re running an outdated version of the Garmin Connect App, then this could be the reason why the setup with the iPhone keeps failing.

As you probably know, using old software on whatever device or application could result in compatibility issues.

Follow these steps to update the Garmin Connect app:

1. On your iPhone, launch the App Store.
2. Search for “Garmin Connect” in the search field of the app store.
3. Press the “Search” button.
4. Once results appear, select the original Garmin Connect app you have installed.
5. Instead of a Download button, there will be an Update Button that you must press.
6. Wait for the update to start and then finish.

Once the Garmin Connect app finishes updating, head back into the application and then retry the connection with your iPhone.

Ensure that the iPhone has Bluetooth turned on.

Tip: While in the App Store, enable the “Automatic Updates” for the Garmin Connect App.

Solution #4 Re-Add the Garmin Watch From the App

In order to connect the Garmin watch to your iPhone, it must first be connected to the Garmin Connect app.

To resolve connection throttle issues, you could re-add the Garmin watch from the mobile application and then attempt the setup with the iPhone.

Here’s how to re-add your Garmin watch from the Connect app:

1. Open the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone.
2. Go to “My Devices”.
3. Locate the Garmin watch from the list.
4. Remove the watch from the application.
5. On the top of the tab, press “Add Device”.
6. Follow the instructions to re-add the Garmin watch to the application.

Note: Once the watch has been re-added, attempt the setup with the iPhone once again.

Solution #5 Reinstall the Garmin™ Connect App

If there’s a software issue with the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone, it is likely that the watch will refuse to connect.

In that regard, your next step should be to uninstall and then download the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone.

Tap and Hold the App Icon until it starts to *jiggle*, then hit the “X” mark to Uninstall.

Once the Germing Connect App is gone, head back to the App Store and download it again.

After the application finishes installing on your iPhone, launch it and allow the app to make changes to your device.

In addition, Sign in with your Garmin Account and pair the watch.

Note: Once the watch is paired, attempt to connect your iPhone to the watch as well.

Solution #6 Factory Reset the Garmin Watch

If nothing worked so far, then we strongly suggest performing a Factory Reset on your Garmin watch.

This is the best way to clear up software issues with the device along with connection and wireless throttling that is preventing your iPhone from connecting.

To perform a factory reset on your Garmin watch, follow these steps:

1. Power off your watch by pressing and holding the Power Button.
2. Once the device shuts off, press and hold the Back/Lap button.
3. While holding the Back/Lap button, power on your watch with the power button.
4. Release the Back/Lap button when the Reset Message appears.
5. Confirm that you want to Erase ALL Contents from your Garmin Watch.

Keep in mind that all settings, configurations, and connections with the Garmin app will be removed as a result of the reset.

You must re-do all of your settings once the device is reset.

Tip: Use the setup guide at the beginning of the article for reference!

Garmin Watch Still Not Connecting To iPhone?

When you’ve attempted everything in the guide above and your Garmin Watch is not connecting to the iPhone you know there is something wrong.

It could be your Garmin Watch or something with the connection settings of your iPhone. 

If possible, test connecting the Garmin Watch to another iPhone!

This would suggest a lot about the actual problem. In case you’re unable to test with another iPhone at your disposal, we got you covered.

Try this:

1. From the Home Screen of your, iPhone goes to Settings.
2. From there select General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Confirm by tapping Reset again.
4. Choose Reset Network Settings.

This includes ALL Cellular, VPN, and APN Settings as well as saved WiFi connections and Bluetooth data.

Perhaps this will help to connect your Garmin Watch to the iPhone!

Quick Recap:

Hence, the solution when the Garmin watch isn’t connected with the iPhone is to refresh the iPhone’s Bluetooth and then hard reset the watch. Moving on, update the Garmin Connect app and perform a Factory Reset on your watch to start fresh!

Final Thoughts:

In this guide, we’ve learned why Garmin not connecting to iPhone and what is the most effective way to troubleshoot the problem.

If you’re still experiencing issues with the connection, perhaps it’s best to turn to the Garmin Support Team for more info!

Check our online technical blog to find more simple and effective solutions to your issues!