08-05-2025
More Future Garmin Watch Features Will Be Locked Behind The Connect+ Paywall
Garmin Instinct 3 watch
In a recent earnings call, Garmin confirmed it plans to begin placing more features behind its Connect+ subscription paywall.
As part of a Q+A section of Garmin's Q1 2025 earnings call, Garmin CEO Clifton Pemble hinted, unsurprisingly, more future features will only be accessible to Connect+ subscribers.
'We still have a strong commitment to develop Garmin Connect and our devices with broad features that are available to everyone. But certain ones we will likely reserve for our premium offerings,' Pemble said, while reaffirming the official line 'we're not taking any features away.'
A recording of the call has been posted on YouTube.
He also claimed Garmin Connect+ had received a 'positive' reception, which isn't the impression you might come away with following at look at online communities like Reddit. Users have accused Garmin of greed, others have intimated they may stop using the brand's watches in future as a result.
Garmin Connect+ is not going anywhere, though, based on the company's wording.
'It's a long-term thing for us, a very important part of our fitness segment going forwards,' Pemble said during the earnings call.
At present Garmin Connect+ is not a hugely substantive service. It provides AI-generated summaries of your progress, alongside a few additional features such as live tracking of your activities, so other people can follow along remotely.
The big question is what could be planned for future integration into Connect+. Garmin has already debuted ECG readings as a standard feature in its watches, but it could potentially expand its coaching options into a paid service.
One problem for Garmin is its free Garmin Coach and Suggested Workouts platforms are already excellent. You can effectively get marathon coaching without paying anything extra.
There is scope for building it up into a more direct competitor to Runna, one of the hottest fitness platforms of the moment, though.
While both can help get you fitter, a not-insignificant portion of the Runna user base likely already owns a Garmin watch. This expansion of training could involve more varied training, tied to a more appealing training interface and likely more prominent use of AI.
Garmin Connect+ costs $6.99 a month, significantly less than the $19.99 a month Runna charges. Strava recently acquired Runna for an undisclosed sum, but claims there are no imminent plans to fold the platform into Strava's own.
