Is Garmin not tracking heart rate? Tips and Solutions

Are you experiencing a heart rate monitoring problem with your Garmin smartwatch? Many users have reported issues with the heart monitoring feature. Let’s know why this feature fails or stops tracking your heart rate.

Garmin heart rate monitoring is an excellent feature to keep an eye on your fitness activities, and if you are a fitness freak, then this feature should come in handy.

Let us know the reasons why this feature may stop working!

Why is My Garmin Watch Not Monitoring My Heart Rate?

If your Garmin watch has stopped monitoring HR (heart rate) it could be due to any of the following:

An issue with the battery: Your watch’s battery might be dead or discharged, replace it.
Damaged wristbands: If the wristbands are damaged, the watch’s optical heart rate sensor will not contact the skin on your wrist.
Temporary system glitch: Apps may cause your watch to freeze, try restarting your watch.
Outdated OS: The current OS of your watch is problematic, update it to the latest version.
Problems with the Connect app: If the Connect app is outdated, the watch may fail to track your heart rate.
Optical heart rate sensor is off: If you have turned off OHRM or have never activated it, the watch will not monitor and show you your heart rate.

How to fix if your Garmin watch has stopped monitoring heart rate?

“Garmin Heart Rate Monitoring Problem” can be easily solved by performing some simple tasks, without purchasing a new watch.

Let’s see them all in detail!

Check if the Watch is Snug on Your Wrist Properly

The first thing you should do is make sure you are wearing the watch properly on your wrist. It should fit snugly on the wrist.

If the watch is loose, the watch’s optical heart rate sensor will not make contact with the skin and, therefore, you will not see any heart rate metrics.

If you have any doubts, adjust the straps properly, take off the watch, and wear it again.

Restart the Watch to Fix the Temporary Glitch

It can often happen that your Garmin watch stops tracking your heart rate due to a temporary system glitch. Restart your watch to resolve the temporary system issues.

Follow these steps to restart your Garmin Watch

Press and Hold the power button till the watch turns Off.
Release the button and wait for 10 seconds.
Now, press and hold the power button again till your watch turns On.
Go to the Garmin Connect app and repair the watch.

The watch should start measuring the heart rate.

If you have a Garmin’s Lily or Vivo watch, follow these steps to restart it:

Plug the watch into its power cable.
Connect it to the computer and wait for 5 to 10 seconds.
Disconnect your watch from the charger.

Update the Watch’s OS/Firmware

If the current OS version of your watch is obsolete, your watch may stop tracking and showing heart rate metrics. Update your watch’s firmware/OS to its current version via the built-in settings option, Garmin Express, or Garmin Connect app.

Keeping your Garmin watch’s operating system up to date can prevent many severe problems like heart rate monitoring.

Update Your Garmin Watch via Built-in Settings Option

Go to “Settings” on your Garmin Watch.
Select “System.”
Choose the “Software Update” option.
Select the “Update Available” option.
Next, select “Update.”

Update Your Garmin Watch via Garmin Express

Connect your Watch to your computer via a USB cable.
Now, open the Garmin Express app on your computer.
If you’ve just started using your watch, add it to the app. Find and select your watch if you’ve already added it.
Go to the available updates and select “Install” or “Install All.”
Accept terms and conditions.
Disconnect your watch from your computer.
You will get two choices- either Install Now or Install Tonight.
Select the option that suits you. If you want to fix the problem instantly, you should go with the “Install Now” option.

Update Your Garmin Watch via the Connect App

Open the app on your Android/iPhone mobile.
Open settings (Tap on the Watch icon).
Scroll down and tap on the “System” option.
Select “Software Update.”
Install the update.

Note: It is recommended to turn on the auto-update option so that whenever a new firmware update is released for your watch, it gets installed automatically.

Activate HRS (Optical Heart Rate Sensor)

If you have turned off the optical heart rate sensor, your Garmin watch will not make any effort to track your heart rate. So, check if this happened by mistake and turn it back on again.

Go to the Menu.
Choose Settings.
Select Widget and then go to the Heart Rate option.
Select Heart Rate Settings and then turn On the option if it’s off.

Wrapping Up

If your Garmin watch has stopped monitoring your heart rate it can usually happen when the optical heart rate sensor loses contact with the skin on your wrist. This can happen if your watch is not snugged on properly or the watch wristband is damaged.

Additionally, heart rate monitoring may stop if the heart rate sensor is turned off, the watch experiences a system error, or the Garmin operating system and Connect app are not up to date.

To fix the Garmin heart rate monitoring problem, check the battery and replace it if it is drained, make sure the watch fits properly on your wrist, restart the watch, and update the watch firmware and the Connect app.

FAQs Garmin Heart Rate Monitoring Problem

Why is my Garmin watch not accurately measuring my heart rate?

Your Garmin watch may show you an incorrect measurement if the watch’s optical heart rate sensor does not make contact with the skin on your wrist. Make sure that your watch is not moving whenever you lift or swing your hand, it should fit tightly.

Additional causes: The heart rate sensor is off, the watch has a system error, and the Garmin operating system and Connect app are out of date.

Is it normal for my Garmin watch to lose heart rate data during workouts?

During a workout, your watch may lose contact with your wrist, so in this situation, it is normal to lose heart rate data. But, if this is not the case and the watch is still not showing you any data, then you should follow these solutions:

Restart your watch.
Update the Watch’s OS/Firmware.
Update the Connect app.
Activate HRS (Optical Heart Rate Sensor)

If still you are getting no data, contact support for help.

How to Turn On Heart Rate Monitor (HRS) on Garmin Watch?

Here are the steps:

Go to the Menu.
Choose Settings.
Select Widget and then go to the Heart Rate option.
Select Heart Rate Settings and then turn On.

Can software updates fix heart rate monitoring issues on my Garmin watch?

Yes, most of the time, updating the firmware of your Garmin watch will fix heart rate monitoring issues.