Why Does My Garmin Watch Keep Disconnecting? – Fix Guide

Wondering why does my Garmin Watch keep disconnecting? Keep reading!

There are quite a few possibilities why the Garmin Watch will be constantly disconnecting from the Bluetooth of your smart device.

In this guide, we’ll unwrap ALL possibilities and help you get your Garmin Watch connected to your device without being interrupted.

Let’s learn more!

When Garmin Watch keeps disconnecting from a Bluetooth connection, users need to restart both instances that are involved. The next step is to re-attempt the connection and in case that didn’t work, users should perform a reset on the watch and test again!

Why Does My Garmin Watch Keep Disconnecting And Connecting?

The Garmin watch supports Bluetooth technology that makes it possible for the device to connect wirelessly to your phone.

As with all wireless connections, there could be bugs and unidentified problems that could make the watch drop the connection.

Here are some of the causes that could make your Garmin watch disconnect from the phone:

• Bug with the phone’s OS or the Garmin watch’ system!
• Wireless interference or problematic Bluetooth connection
• Outdated version of the Garmin connection application
• Bluetooth connection interference

Bluetooth tends to work best when the connected devices are close to each other.

If you happen to move your phone away from the watch, it could disconnect and as soon as the phone is back in range, it will automatically connect again.

Keep both devices close to each other!

Let’s now learn what are the best fixes to resolve your Garmin watch’s Bluetooth issues:

Garmin Watch Keeps Disconnecting From Phone – Fixed!

To solve the problem, we’re going to undertake a series of solutions in chronological order to help us identify the true reason for the disconnects.

It’s important to follow the solutions in order for the best efficiency throughout the troubleshooting guide.

Let’s jump right in!

Solution #1 Restart Smartphone & Watch

The first thing you should start with is restarting the smartphone as well as the Garmin Watch.

A good software refresh will always come in handy with similar Bluetooth connection bugs and hopefully, will allow the connection to be established at once!

Let’s first get your smartphone restarted with these instructions:

How to Restart a Mobile Smartphone?

1. Press and hold the Power Button on the device.
2. Once the Power Menu appears, select Restart.
3. Wait for your phone to restart.

Once the device reboots, re-attempt to connect via Bluetooth to determine if the issue is gone.

How to Restart Garmin Watch?

1. On the Home Screen of your watch, press the Light button.
2. Use the scroll button to highlight the “Power OFF” option.
3. Press the Start/Stop button to power the device OFF.
4. To turn your watch back on, press and hold the Light button.
5. Wait for the watch to start.

Note: Once both devices are restarted, hook them up with the Garmin Connect app and check if the issue is fixed.

Solution #2 Refresh Phone’s Bluetooth

The Next thing you should attempt is to refresh your phone’s Bluetooth Settings. 

Since this is a wireless connection problem as we’ve already identified, refreshing your phone’s Bluetooth will cause the watch to disconnect.

Then you’ll be able to freshly reconnect the watch!

Here’s how to refresh your phone’s Bluetooth in easy steps:

1. On your phone, go to Settings.
2. From there, head to the Wireless tab.
3. Enter the Bluetooth Configuration Settings.
4. Press the slider once to turn OFF the Bluetooth.
5. Wait for about 10 seconds.
6. Turn the Bluetooth ON again.
7. Disconnect ALL other connected devices!
8. Connect with your Garmin watch.

Now with the refreshed Bluetooth, re-attempt to connect the Garmin Watch and test.

Notice: Don’t forget to enable the Bluetooth back ON, before connecting the watch!

Solution #3 Update the Garmin Connect™ App

If your Garmin application is running an outdated version, your phone could often disconnect from the watch.

Older operating systems lack compatibility with modern applications and devices, therefore, the firmware version might have something to do with the disconnects.

Here’s a quick guide on how to update the Garmin Connect app:

1. On your mobile smartphone, open the App Store.
2. Go to the “Applications” tab.
3. Head to “Manage Installed Applications”.
4. From the list of apps, locate the Garmin Connect app.
5. Press the “Update” button in the app info.
6. Wait for the application to receive the latest available update.

Alert: Do not cancel the update halfway and be patient until the update completes!

Solution #4 Re-Add Watch From Garmin Connect™

If updating the Garmin application didn’t resolve the problem, there is another workaround you should test.

A great way to refresh the Bluetooth connection of your watch with the phone is to delete and then re-add the watch’s profile in Garmin Connect™.

Here’s how to re-add your phone from the Garmin Connect application in easy steps:

1. Open the Garmin Application on your phone.
2. Head to “Devices”.
3. Locate your Garmin watch device from the list.
4. Press the “Remove” button.
5. Now, go to “Pair a Device”.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to get your watch paired again.

Alert: Keep in mind that removing the phone from the Garmin Connect app will erase the settings profile you’ve made with your phone.

Solution #5 Forget Garmin Watch’s Bluetooth Settings

Bluetooth issues with the watch could be resolved by forgetting and then re-adding the watch from your phone’s Bluetooth Settings.

If you’ve successfully completed the setup in the Garmin app, the watch will appear as “Connected” in your phone’s Bluetooth settings.

Here’s how to forget and then re-add the watch from your Bluetooth:

1. On your phone, open the Bluetooth settings.
2. Go to Devices.
3. Locate your Garmin watch from the list.
4. Press the “Info” or “Functions” button.
5. Select “Forget this device”.
6. Open the Garmin app and get the watch paired to your phone again.

Note: Once the watch is removed from the Bluetooth settings, you could start the Bluetooth setup again from the Garmin app.

Solution #6 Reinstall the Garmin Connect™ App

Reinstalling the Garmin Connect app could resolve the connectivity problem between your watch and phone.

Fresh reinstallation is always a powerful solution to any connectivity problems, especially when the connection goes through the app.

Such as in our case!

Here are instructions on how to reinstall the Garmin Connect app from your phone:

1. Open your Phone Settings.
2. Go to the Storage Section within the settings.
3. Open the Applications Manager.
4. Locate the Garmin Connect app from the list of devices.
5. Go to functions for the application.
6. Select “Uninstall” to remove the app.
7. Once the app has been removed, open your phone’s App Store.
8. Search for the Garmin Connect app.
9. Download it on your phone again and re-do the setup.

Alert: Deleting the Garmin Connect app will disconnect your watch from the application.

Solution #7 Factory Reset the Garmin Watch

The final and most effective method is to execute a factory reset on the Garmin watch. 

This will flush the device’ software, reset ALL services and prevent any ongoing problems from developing any further.

It’s important to note that the factory reset will delete all of the data stored on your Garmin watch as well as any personal settings, configurations, and adjustments.

Here’s how to perform a factory reset on your Garmin watch in easy steps:

1. Press the Light button on your watch.
2. Go to “Power OFF” and press the select button.
3. Wait for the Garmin Watch to power OFF.
4. Press and hold the Back/Lap button.
5. Power on your watch while holding the Back/Lap button.
6. Once the watch turns on, select the Yes option.
7. Wait for your watch to undergo the reset.

Once you’re done with the reset, hook up the watch with the Garmin app and then get it connected to your phone’s Bluetooth.

If the issue persists, contact the Garmin Support Team for further association in regard to the Watch’s connection issue.

Note: After the reset, the watch will be disconnected from ALL sources!

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Quick Recap:

Thus, the Garmin Watch keeps disconnecting because of a software-related problem, Bluetooth connection issue, or outdated firmware version. The solution requires addressing each of the possibilities until the true cause is revealed and solved.

Wrapping Up:

Now that we’ve learned why does my Garmin watch keep disconnecting, we’re ready to solve the problem permanently and benefit from the Bluetooth connection.

In case the issue is persistent, you can always seek help from professionals by reaching the Garmin Support Team!