Garmin has introduced the Garmin Connect+, a new Premium level designed to pay new features for the best Garmin watches in his free Garmin Connect app.
Launch Today (March 27), Price for $ 6.99 / £ 6.99 / AU $ 12 per Month or $ 69.99 / £ 69.99 / AU $ 120 annually, with a one-month free sample available, Garmin Connect+ offers new features, including AI-run insight.
Garmin’s AI insight, called ‘Active Intelligence’ -The naming is similar to Strava’s athlete -Intelligence -is designed to give Connect+ users ‘personalized insights and suggestions throughout the day based on health and activity data, run by AI’ according to a Garmin press release.
“When customers use the Garmin Connect+ more, the insights will become more tailor -made for them and their goals,” adds Garmin. “AI, which provided these insights and suggestions, was built to help users’ data secure and currently releases in beta.”
It sounds like Garmin is putting user security at the forefront of its new service – the company has previously had problems with the leakage of sensitive information during a ransomware attack in 2020.
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Garmin is also eager to tackle the worries of the incoming Paywall when a Garmin representative subsequently sent me: “The Garmin Connect app is a free, personal experience and it doesn’t disappear.”
Performance Dashboard, listed as a Garmin Connect+ feature, is confirmed to be different from the Performance Stats tab, which is currently free at Garmin Connect, which also allows you to view data offers based on your historic service.
I have reached Garmin and the company confirmed that “all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free. Nothing will be moved or blocked behind GC+ Paywall.”
Other new features that are available for Connect+ users include live training guidance, such as training guidance with videos and expanded life rack features such as review via text. Social features such as exclusive badges and challenges for Connect+ members are also included.
It’s begun
Back in 2023, in an article entitled ‘I hope Garmin’s new subscription-based Maps Service is not the start of a trend’, I wrote: ” Garmin’s free Connect service makes its watches some of the best value units on the market. A movement against a larger subscription service would cheaper and devalue the brand and possibly drive a huge part of its user base away and into Apple Apple.
Like Fitbit, Garmin has chosen to get premium features and charge an additional price for access to them. It’s encouraging that Garmin doesn’t make his devices less useful or lock something we used to get free behind a Paywall – this is just an optional extra, like the Garmin Maps subscription service.
However, the big difference between Fitbit and Garmin is the prices of their devices. A Google Pixel Watch 3, the most expensive device on our best Fitbit guide, costs $ 399 / £ 349 / AU $ 669, while Garmin Fenix 8 starts at $ 999 / £ 949 / AU $ 1,699 (though you can pick up a cheaper watch, such as the very good Garmin Forerunner 165, for around $ 2999 / £ 249.999999999999999999999999 AU $ 489.99).
If someone told me that after buying a Fenix 8, I couldn’t get a specific feature without paying an extra prize on top, this watch would either go out of the window or (more likely) right back to the store. Garmin will have to be careful about announcing his free and paid for features accordingly.
I’ve always hailed Garmin Connect as a shining example of a free companion app, one that makes his expensive watches an excellent value in the long run. Hopefully the free features we are used to will remain free, otherwise I can see a lot of angry coach jumping ship to other brands.
