Garmin watches are packed with features, and it's easy to get comfortable using only the basics. But beneath the surface, there's a whole world of tools and tricks that can make your Garmin experience even better. Think of this as a challenge: how many of these lesser-known features were already in your repertoire? Let's start with more obvious features and work our way towards more obscure:
1. Control Music Playing from Your Phone
Many Garmin users know they can control music on their watch, but did you know that you can also control music playing on your phone using your watch? This feature works similarly to how you would use the controls on Bluetooth earbuds or headphones. When your watch is connected to your phone, the music controls on the watch will behave much like the play/pause/skip/volume controls on any set of Bluetooth headphones. You can use this to control music from various apps, such as Spotify or YouTube.
To use this feature, navigate to the music controls on your watch. On some devices, this can be found by swiping left on the watch face. From there, you should find a list of music providers, one of which is "Control Phone". You may have to select the "Control Phone" option in the settings menu. If you are using Spotify, you can also use the Spotify app on your watch but this will only control music that you have downloaded to your watch.
- Key takeaway: You can control music playing from your phone on your watch, even if you don't have music downloaded directly to the watch. This feature can be used with various music apps, and the watch will function like a remote control.
2. Use the Find My Phone Feature
This is a feature that many users discover by accident or word of mouth. It's an incredibly handy tool, especially if you're prone to misplacing your phone around the house. To use it, hold down your light button to bring up the system tools. One of the options is "Find My Phone," which will make your phone chime, even if it's on silent.
Some Garmin watches also have the ability to alert you when your phone goes out of Bluetooth range. Additionally, during an activity, your watch may save the last known location of your phone, and offer to navigate you back to that spot.
- Key Takeaway: The "Find my phone" feature is a quick way to locate your misplaced phone. Your Garmin can also alert you when you are out of range of your phone, and help you navigate back to the last known location of your phone.
3. Use the Workout Builder
Garmin's workout builder is a powerful tool for creating structured workouts. It’s especially useful for interval training or for workouts that require specific rest and work periods. Many users find that this feature enhances their training because it cuts out wasted recovery time, especially in swimming. In addition, the workout builder provides audio prompts during workouts, freeing you from constantly looking at your watch.
You can customize workouts with:
- Warm-up and cool-down periods
- Low heart rate runs based on zones or manual BPM ranges
- Pace ranges
- Repeats
Once you've programmed your workout, you can start it on your watch and follow the steps without further interaction. The watch will provide alerts and prompts, guiding you through the workout. Some Garmin users prefer to use other workout builders because the Garmin builder is not as easy to share, but it can still be a great way to add structure to your training.
- Key Takeaway: Garmin's workout builder allows for highly customizable workouts with specific intervals, rest periods, and alerts. This feature can improve the efficiency and focus of your training.
4. Double Press the Light Button
This simple trick is by far my favorite. A double press of the light button (usually the top left button on the watch) activates a flashlight. On models like the Garmin Instinct 3 or Fenix 8, this activates a built-in flashlight. On other models, like the Garmin Forerunner 965 or 265, it turns the screen into a flashlight.
This can be very useful when navigating in the dark, and many users report using it regularly when getting up in the night. On some models, you can change the flashlight from white to red by hitting the control buttons when you first turn on the light.
- Key Takeaway: Double-pressing the light button is a quick way to turn on a flashlight, which can be especially useful in the dark. Some models have the option to change the light color.
5. Install Connect IQ Data Fields
The Connect IQ app store provides ways to add extra functionality to your Garmin device. While it is a small app store, it has some useful widgets and data fields. Data fields add information to your sports modes, and there are many unique and helpful options.
Some popular data fields include:
- Peter's (Racer) Pacer: This allows you to manually correct the distance tracked during a race, ensuring accurate stats when GPS tracking goes awry. This is especially helpful when running in cities with tall buildings that might interfere with GPS.
- Rolling Average Pace: This displays your pace over a rolling distance, which you can set (e.g., the last 500m or 1000m).
To install these data fields, find them in the Connect IQ app and add them to your watch. Then, add the fields to your sports mode by going to Data Screens and selecting the Connect IQ Data Fields section.
- Key Takeaway: The Connect IQ app store provides data fields that can improve the accuracy and utility of your Garmin device, such as manual distance correction and rolling average pace.
6. Use Hot Keys
Hot keys are another way to customize your Garmin watch. You can set shortcuts for four of the buttons on the watch, as well as for combinations of two buttons. This lets you quickly access features you use frequently. For example, you can set a hot key to bring up the altimeter and barometer, lock your device, show the weather, or start a timer.
One popular use is to set a hot key to activate the Man Overboard (MOB) feature. This is designed to drop a location pin in case of a person falling overboard on a boat but some users use it to mark the location of their car in a parking lot. To set hot keys, go to the System menu, then look for Settings or Shortcuts.
- Key Takeaway: Hot keys are customizable shortcuts that allow you to quickly access your favorite features, such as timers, weather, or the "Man Overboard" feature.
7. Cover the Watch Face with Your Palm
This is a simple yet effective way to quickly return to your watch face from any menu. Simply cover the screen of the watch with the palm of your hand, and the watch will return to the watch face and turn the backlight off. This is a quick way to get back to the main screen, instead of pressing buttons. This feature only works on watches with touchscreens.
- Key Takeaway: Covering the watch face with your palm quickly returns the watch to the main screen and turns off the backlight.
8. Hold a Widget
Many Garmin watch faces display data such as weather, step count, or heart rate. If you have a touchscreen device, you can hold your finger on one of these data points to bring up the full widget with more information. This can be useful for quickly accessing detailed information on things like the weather or your step count. This feature depends on the watch face that you are using, and it may require a long press on the data field.
- Key Takeaway: Holding a widget on a touchscreen device will display more information about that data, such as the weather or step count.
9. Follow Accent Color
This feature, primarily found on models like the Fenix 8, allows you to link the color of your watch face data to the accent color. Instead of having to change both separately, you can set the data color to "follow accent color," so they match automatically. This feature can be useful for users who like to frequently change the main color on their watch faces.
- Key Takeaway: On certain models, you can set the data color on your watch face to match the accent color, eliminating the need to change both colors separately.
10. Undo Accidental Lap Presses
This feature was introduced in a software update and allows you to cancel a lap if you've taken it by mistake during a workout. When you press lap, you have a few seconds to cancel it by pressing the down button. This is especially helpful for those who wear gloves and may accidentally hit the lap button more often. This feature may only be available on newer models.
- Key Takeaway: If you accidentally press the lap button during an activity, you can quickly cancel it by pressing the down button.
How Many Did You Know?
So, how many of these features were you already familiar with? Whether you knew them all or learned something new, there's always more to discover about your Garmin device. These tips can enhance your user experience and help you make the most of your watch.
Remember that Garmin is always improving, and software updates might change features or add new ones. Keep exploring, and who knows what other hidden gems you'll find?