Be warned anyone that uses this - it uses Garth (https://github.com/matin/garth) to authenticate. It masquerades as an Android app (a single instance of one at that) and does some hacky stuff to login via web forms.
Garmin is such a horrible company to try to integrate with. I don't know why they lock down their stuff so hard like this. And if you do manage to gain access to one of their offical APIs or SDKs, they are total dogwater.
> Garmin is such a horrible company to try to integrate with
Is it still? A few years I built integration for creating posters from route GPS data, and it seemed pretty much the same experience as Strava and RunKeeper, but then they changed their TOC and wanted about $10K to connect.
I'm a Garmin user as I find the hardware to be very reliable but the market is in deep need of an Open Source alternative.
Let's not forget Garmin was victim of a ransomware attack in 2020 and they finally paid $10 million after days of blackout and they never really addressed the issue.
Garmin has nothing on Strava. If you integrate with Strava and the user revokes the link, you have to delete all the data that came from Strava or you risk losing access to the API.
> I don't know why they lock down their stuff so hard like this.
Same reason every other company locks down your data. You are the product and they want to keep you locked in, feeding them data.
They can't have you running off with all your data when a new device comes out from a competitor that is better; that would force them to compete more!
Garmin has a long history of being lazy as fuck unless someone's actually competing against them. The smartwatch market heated up and lo and behold features and better models coming out left and right. Their bike computers would go years between refreshes..until Wahoo, Bryton, Coros, and Hammerhead started beating on their door.
Strava is much the same way. They were pretty free with access in and out, and tightened things down making it nearly impossible to export data.
> If you integrate with Strava and the user revokes the link, you have to delete all the data that came from Strava or you risk losing access to the API.
That seems fair - the user has withdrawn their permission for processing their data or invoked "right to be forgotten", no?
Strava also imposes limits on app developers, it doesn't matter if you have 1 user or 1 million users, and it was quite hard to get the limits increased.
You'd think they would allow a popular app that their customers likes to use could have higher limits.
To get your _current_ data, it is possible to pull the current .FIT files from your device (watch, bike computer, ..) when it is plugged to your computer and mounted as file system.
A friend recently put me on to Intervals (https://intervals.icu) for Garmin / Strava related data nerdery and I’ve enjoyed it very much. As a rower it was nice that you can construct reports that give rowing related metrics rather than just the usual cycle / run stuff.
Nice app, i didn't know that one. I think for cycling that is quite sophisticated. However i had a different problem recently wanting to track a Hyrox Workout. I have a epix gen 2 (800€) and i cannot track it nicely. I know you can define workouts but it is such a hassle and doesn't even work good.
Long Story short, i just programmed my own App now for that. Works with all garmin watches and let's use define a fixed Workout and allows to analyze your individual performances across exercises:
https://multisports.creatness.studio - i'm still waiting for Garmin to approve my App Store Submission (another long story with garmin) but it can already be downloaded and sideloaded on a garmin watch. using it for a few weeks now myself.
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Garmin should really embrace this. The alternative, relying on smartphone apps, will lock them out in the long run. The big advantage of buying dedicated hardware, like a Garmin bike computer, is having more control over your data.
I wish Garmin worked on their SDK and documentation — I wrote a quick app for personal use, and it made me appreciate folks who write Garmin watch apps much more. The documentation is incredibly bad, half the things I had to figure out using trial and error, and even then I wouldn't know how to build/test for other watches than the one I own. I'd have gladly worked on the app and put it in the store, I think it'd useful to some people, but I'd have to put far more effort than it's worth.
I have two Garmin devices: a watch and bike computer. Both are connected to the same app that collects data to a single Garmin Connect account.
I expected some synergy but I got nothing. When monitoring the same activity with the two devices you just gets dupes (for example, sum of the distances measured by the two devices). This is worse than if I had 2 devices from 2 different brands.
If it's pushed to Strava from another device (Garmin, Wahoo, etc) then you can download the original file, which will have all the data that the original device recorded. This may have auto pausing, may not.
On e.g. files that are uploaded from my Garmin watch, Strava adds its auto pause as a filter on top of the data: iff the original data doesn't have any pauses (Garmin auto pause not enabled on my runs), then Strava will cut out periods of time when you're standing still; otherwise it'll leave the data alone.
I only use my Garmin for GPS+heartbeat based workouts such as hikes + my runs. I've never had any issues integrating their services into Strava or a variety of workout devices in gyms. Though, on a sidenote, it is beyond annoying when many of those devices only support Ant+ or Apple HealthKit integration; but I wouldn't really tag that a Garmin issue as much as an ecosystem one.
That all being said, I could imagine more complicated workouts that surpass simple lap/leg tracking could be problematic.
I personally don't know anyone who creates workouts in Garmin Connect. Not saying it doesn't happen, or even that it isn't common, but everyone I know is creating their workouts in TP, Intervals.icu, Golden Cheetah (or other similar dedicated training platforms), or even in Zwift (or another virtual training platform).
Yeah, Garmin’s own software isn’t great but it very easily syncs directly to loads of other services, and there are “interlocutor” (not sure what the right term is) apps like Rungapp on iOS that will let you sync it to even more.
I just got a new Garmin Vivoactive5 this week, because my old one broke (also vivoactive3). For now I am quite happy with it, but I bought it knowingly, that Garmins APIs and possibilites are not _optimal_ at all.
I looked into getting a Apple Watch series 10, but ultimately decided against it (battery lasting not longer than 1.5days / no real use for messaging or smart apps a side from health / 2x price compared to the vivo).
I would love to find an _open_ watch, that allows for hacking, nice APIs, self-hosting of dashboards even, nice apps et cetera. I feel like there is market for people like me. Maybe the rebirth of the pebble will be able fill this void?
Before I recommend this to a garmin-owner who rows, does it have good models for rowing specific data like the 500m split timers and your cadence? I looked and it seems like its very bicycle/run aware, and "paddle" is not a term of art for rowers. (thats in the plugin) -If there is a data model for the Ergo, it probably would work because "its the same" (it isn't but anyway. meh)
He shared some data with me to see if I could decode/dump (2+ years ago) and I gave up. Garmin are not easy sometimes. Shame. I doubt their s/w is making them much, people buy for the hardware not the app specifically. False benefit lockin.
I was hoping this would be a way to import and track data directly from the device, but it appears it talks to the Connect API, so I'm still tied to the official app.
You are right, but I've worn out the USB ports on multiple Garmins from using the ports to recharge and download the files. Now I just use the app and download the files later from the Garmin website, and use a magnetic charger plug also to eliminate the wear and tear on the port. I wish I could wirelessly access the files and cut out the Garmin app/download steps.
I'm still using a Forerunner 935 from 2017 and I haven't had any problems with charging/syncing data. I use the USB charger about once a week. Once every two weeks during winter when I don't use the GPS as much.
Only thing I have updated on the watch is the free loop, which holds the watch band after you've threaded it through the buckle. I'm gonna have to replace the watch band eventually - the plastic band is starting to crack, Canadian winters aren't gentle on these things.
Garmin support sent me replacement free loops when I called in asking how I could replace them.
I've been through a lot of Garmin devices and mine always have battery degradation before the USB port is in any way non-functional. Especially with USB-C on the newest ones, that really shouldn't be happening.
I gamble and buy the cheapest ones on EBay in lots of three (some have adapters included plugs for USB-C/micro USB, though it seems like as time passed by, more and more are separating the plug purchase from the cable purchase). The recently announced tariffs will put a damper to this since the last few I have bought were dropshipped from China.
Be warned anyone that uses this - it uses Garth (https://github.com/matin/garth) to authenticate. It masquerades as an Android app (a single instance of one at that) and does some hacky stuff to login via web forms.
Garmin is such a horrible company to try to integrate with. I don't know why they lock down their stuff so hard like this. And if you do manage to gain access to one of their offical APIs or SDKs, they are total dogwater.
> Garmin is such a horrible company to try to integrate with
Is it still? A few years I built integration for creating posters from route GPS data, and it seemed pretty much the same experience as Strava and RunKeeper, but then they changed their TOC and wanted about $10K to connect.
It seems to be free now - although they still require approval. https://developer.garmin.com/gc-developer-program/overview/
I'm a Garmin user as I find the hardware to be very reliable but the market is in deep need of an Open Source alternative.
Let's not forget Garmin was victim of a ransomware attack in 2020 and they finally paid $10 million after days of blackout and they never really addressed the issue.
An open source bike computer that isn't the price of a 2025 flagahip smartphone and the specs of a 2010 midrange smartphone! Please please!
Garmin has nothing on Strava. If you integrate with Strava and the user revokes the link, you have to delete all the data that came from Strava or you risk losing access to the API.
> I don't know why they lock down their stuff so hard like this.
Same reason every other company locks down your data. You are the product and they want to keep you locked in, feeding them data.
They can't have you running off with all your data when a new device comes out from a competitor that is better; that would force them to compete more!
Garmin has a long history of being lazy as fuck unless someone's actually competing against them. The smartwatch market heated up and lo and behold features and better models coming out left and right. Their bike computers would go years between refreshes..until Wahoo, Bryton, Coros, and Hammerhead started beating on their door.
Strava is much the same way. They were pretty free with access in and out, and tightened things down making it nearly impossible to export data.
Isn't that just following the law? User revoked their consent for you to have their data.
> If you integrate with Strava and the user revokes the link, you have to delete all the data that came from Strava or you risk losing access to the API.
That seems fair - the user has withdrawn their permission for processing their data or invoked "right to be forgotten", no?
Strava also imposes limits on app developers, it doesn't matter if you have 1 user or 1 million users, and it was quite hard to get the limits increased.
You'd think they would allow a popular app that their customers likes to use could have higher limits.
CityStrides were battling with it a lot, but it looks like it was resolved, finally: https://community.citystrides.com/t/increase-strava-api-limi...
What you can always do to get ALL your raw data out of Garmin connect (as FIT files) is using the data export (https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=W1TvTPW8JZ6LfJSfK512Q8).
There are some good OSS libraries to read and interpret those files (e.g. Python https://github.com/polyvertex/fitdecode, Go https://github.com/tormoder/fit).
To get your _current_ data, it is possible to pull the current .FIT files from your device (watch, bike computer, ..) when it is plugged to your computer and mounted as file system.
I once started a side project to do exactly that, but abandoned it after a while (https://github.com/jo-m/garmin-disconnect).
A friend recently put me on to Intervals (https://intervals.icu) for Garmin / Strava related data nerdery and I’ve enjoyed it very much. As a rower it was nice that you can construct reports that give rowing related metrics rather than just the usual cycle / run stuff.
Nice app, i didn't know that one. I think for cycling that is quite sophisticated. However i had a different problem recently wanting to track a Hyrox Workout. I have a epix gen 2 (800€) and i cannot track it nicely. I know you can define workouts but it is such a hassle and doesn't even work good.
Long Story short, i just programmed my own App now for that. Works with all garmin watches and let's use define a fixed Workout and allows to analyze your individual performances across exercises:
https://multisports.creatness.studio - i'm still waiting for Garmin to approve my App Store Submission (another long story with garmin) but it can already be downloaded and sideloaded on a garmin watch. using it for a few weeks now myself.
I tried using that a couple years back and recall being frustrated by how it required running intervals to be formatted.
I believe it wanted interval activities to be recorded without also recording the rest intervals in between which was frustrating.
/edit derp, I’m getting confused between this and runalyze
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Noped the f outta there
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Nah thanks, I'll press the "report spam" button instead, k thnx have a nice day bye.
Garmin should really embrace this. The alternative, relying on smartphone apps, will lock them out in the long run. The big advantage of buying dedicated hardware, like a Garmin bike computer, is having more control over your data.
I wish Garmin worked on their SDK and documentation — I wrote a quick app for personal use, and it made me appreciate folks who write Garmin watch apps much more. The documentation is incredibly bad, half the things I had to figure out using trial and error, and even then I wouldn't know how to build/test for other watches than the one I own. I'd have gladly worked on the app and put it in the store, I think it'd useful to some people, but I'd have to put far more effort than it's worth.
I have two Garmin devices: a watch and bike computer. Both are connected to the same app that collects data to a single Garmin Connect account.
I expected some synergy but I got nothing. When monitoring the same activity with the two devices you just gets dupes (for example, sum of the distances measured by the two devices). This is worse than if I had 2 devices from 2 different brands.
The WorkOutDoors app and Strava both provide full access to gpx data
Is the Garmin data you get through Strava unfiltered? As strava does some auto-pause things and so on, Garmin too probably...
If it's pushed to Strava from another device (Garmin, Wahoo, etc) then you can download the original file, which will have all the data that the original device recorded. This may have auto pausing, may not.
On e.g. files that are uploaded from my Garmin watch, Strava adds its auto pause as a filter on top of the data: iff the original data doesn't have any pauses (Garmin auto pause not enabled on my runs), then Strava will cut out periods of time when you're standing still; otherwise it'll leave the data alone.
You can view and download everything from their website
What similar devices don't fight their own users wanting to access their own data ?
it always surprises me how much data is locked up in garmin's (ancient) sdk.
for example, the FIT file format, used exclusively for programming workouts on all bike computers, are only supported in one or two apps!
I suppose that's our fault and we should build on the sdk
The Garmin Connect web site seems to work fine for building structured workouts. It can also sync with TrainingPeaks. Is there something else we need?
There are a lot more than two apps which read or write FIT files for purposes other than workout planning. I wrote one of them.
> for purposes other than workout programming
I specifically called out workouts.
one tedious thing is needing to manually create the workouts. Unless you're doing the same thing week in and week out, it gets old quickly.
I'd build something like a ZWO to FIT converter but there's no way to load them onto a bike computer without Garmin or TrainingPeaks
I only use my Garmin for GPS+heartbeat based workouts such as hikes + my runs. I've never had any issues integrating their services into Strava or a variety of workout devices in gyms. Though, on a sidenote, it is beyond annoying when many of those devices only support Ant+ or Apple HealthKit integration; but I wouldn't really tag that a Garmin issue as much as an ecosystem one.
That all being said, I could imagine more complicated workouts that surpass simple lap/leg tracking could be problematic.
I personally don't know anyone who creates workouts in Garmin Connect. Not saying it doesn't happen, or even that it isn't common, but everyone I know is creating their workouts in TP, Intervals.icu, Golden Cheetah (or other similar dedicated training platforms), or even in Zwift (or another virtual training platform).
I build workouts in Garmin Connect (web version). It's not great, but it works.
I’ll parrot the other replies and say that I also do.
I create workouts in Garmin Connect
I have, for years.
Yeah, Garmin’s own software isn’t great but it very easily syncs directly to loads of other services, and there are “interlocutor” (not sure what the right term is) apps like Rungapp on iOS that will let you sync it to even more.
I personally highly recommend intervals.icu
Any benefits of intervals.icu over Garmin connect?
I just got a new Garmin Vivoactive5 this week, because my old one broke (also vivoactive3). For now I am quite happy with it, but I bought it knowingly, that Garmins APIs and possibilites are not _optimal_ at all.
I looked into getting a Apple Watch series 10, but ultimately decided against it (battery lasting not longer than 1.5days / no real use for messaging or smart apps a side from health / 2x price compared to the vivo).
I would love to find an _open_ watch, that allows for hacking, nice APIs, self-hosting of dashboards even, nice apps et cetera. I feel like there is market for people like me. Maybe the rebirth of the pebble will be able fill this void?
Before I recommend this to a garmin-owner who rows, does it have good models for rowing specific data like the 500m split timers and your cadence? I looked and it seems like its very bicycle/run aware, and "paddle" is not a term of art for rowers. (thats in the plugin) -If there is a data model for the Ergo, it probably would work because "its the same" (it isn't but anyway. meh)
He shared some data with me to see if I could decode/dump (2+ years ago) and I gave up. Garmin are not easy sometimes. Shame. I doubt their s/w is making them much, people buy for the hardware not the app specifically. False benefit lockin.
I was hoping this would be a way to import and track data directly from the device, but it appears it talks to the Connect API, so I'm still tied to the official app.
I've given up on that, I now use http://www.rungap.com/ to extract Garmin data from their API to my iCloud storage.
You can select the filetype too: gpx, fit or tcx.
Activities are just FIT files that can be accessed over USB.
You are right, but I've worn out the USB ports on multiple Garmins from using the ports to recharge and download the files. Now I just use the app and download the files later from the Garmin website, and use a magnetic charger plug also to eliminate the wear and tear on the port. I wish I could wirelessly access the files and cut out the Garmin app/download steps.
How old is your Garmin watch/device?
I'm still using a Forerunner 935 from 2017 and I haven't had any problems with charging/syncing data. I use the USB charger about once a week. Once every two weeks during winter when I don't use the GPS as much.
Only thing I have updated on the watch is the free loop, which holds the watch band after you've threaded it through the buckle. I'm gonna have to replace the watch band eventually - the plastic band is starting to crack, Canadian winters aren't gentle on these things.
Garmin support sent me replacement free loops when I called in asking how I could replace them.
I've been through a lot of Garmin devices and mine always have battery degradation before the USB port is in any way non-functional. Especially with USB-C on the newest ones, that really shouldn't be happening.
Whats your magnetic charger of choice? I am tired of wearing through my charging ports.
I gamble and buy the cheapest ones on EBay in lots of three (some have adapters included plugs for USB-C/micro USB, though it seems like as time passed by, more and more are separating the plug purchase from the cable purchase). The recently announced tariffs will put a damper to this since the last few I have bought were dropshipped from China.