A firmware update from Garmin, released in January of this year, is causing persistent issues with heart rate accuracy and altitude data on several models in the series. ForerunnerEven after several months, users are still waiting in vain for a fix. The situation is made worse by the fact that Garmin has admitted the problem with the model Forerunner 165 were repaired, but owners of more expensive devices are still waiting.
Software isn't always perfect, and updates often bring bugs, which we've probably gotten used to over the years. But when bugs appear that disrupt the basic functionality of a device, they become a real problem. That's exactly what Garmin watch users are facing with the January update.
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Garmin update causes serious problems
On a social network Reddit One user is complaining about firmware version 27.09, which was released a few months ago. It turns out that this update seriously damaged key functions of his smartwatch.
According to the affected user, the heart rate data is completely out of touch with reality, but the worst situation is with the altitude data. "My 10K run on a completely flat area now claims I climbed a mountain. It seems the watch has stopped compensating for temperature data to calculate altitude," the user states. Previously, this feature worked flawlessly, but now the watch requires at least 20 minutes of acclimatization outside in a colder environment to start measuring correctly.
"The watch is basically just a random number generator at this point. How are we supposed to trust the data on training load, VO2 max or regeneration metrics when the underlying data is so skewed?” adds the frustrated owner.
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Does Garmin know about this?
Adding to the frustration is the fact that Garmin appears to be aware of the issue, as the company later released firmware 27.10 for the model. Forerunner 165, which solves exactly this problem. “So they know about the problem. They literally have a fix ready. Yet we, who spent a lot of money on the 255/265 and 900 series, have been left in limbo for months with useless statistics. No timeline, no communication, no quick fix for the higher end watches. Just silence,” the user further complains.
Additionally, some customers feel that Garmin is trying to convince them that the fault is theirs or that they are misunderstanding the feature. While some users with version 27.09 are not reporting any issues, others are confirming the situation. At this time, it is difficult to determine the exact cause, but we can only hope that Garmin will resolve the situation soon for all affected devices.
Garmin Forerunner 255
It is quite ironic that while owners of the base model Forerunner 165 can now train in peace with the corrected software, users of the 255, 265 and nine series are still in the role of involuntary testers - here I must note that as the owner and user of the model Forerunner 255 I do not notice any of the problems mentioned. However, for a brand that relies on precision and data, several months of silence about a critical error that turns a top sports tester into "random number generator", quite a gamble with the community's trust. I hope Garmin soon understands that silence in this case will definitely not solve anything.
Samsung -barometric pressure can't do it at all. Absolute or relative is apparently fine, up to a difference. 50 Hpa…
I disagree. Everything works as it should. Great satisfaction 😌
I can confirm on FR255. The error has been appearing since around January. After a few minutes of running, my watch always alerts me of an approaching storm. At the same time, the pressure outside is stable. After reaching the 5 km straight, it shows me that it exceeds 17-20 meters. It's there max 1-2 m.
First of all, my forerunners work without any problems with the latest update. Second, it's really funny to read a negative article on a website with the name Samsung 😂. That won't be biased at all.
After four months of use, the FR 255 showed me an elevation gain of 4000 meters for 5 kilometers, and I actually had 100 meters. They acknowledged my complaint and sent me a new one.