Garmin introduces a paid version of Connect, aiming to challenge Strava, while assuring users that the free version will continue to exist
Garmin Introduces Connect+ App: A Comprehensive Fitness and Lifestyle Platform
Garmin, the renowned manufacturer of fitness and navigation devices, has announced the launch of its new app, Connect+. This paid subscription service aims to provide a more comprehensive platform for Garmin users, offering features that surpass those found in popular apps like Strava.
The Connect+ app is now available, and interested users can benefit from a 30-day free trial. For those who prefer the free version, the basic features on the existing Garmin Connect app will remain in place.
One of the key features of Connect+ is the availability of additional guidance for users following Garmin's training plans. Compatible devices will provide users with videos and educational content to enhance their training experience.
The app also offers a customizable performance dashboard, allowing users to choose the data they see and the timeframes they track to monitor their progress. Premium users will have access to exclusive badge challenges, adding an extra layer of motivation.
LiveTrack selective sharing is another feature exclusive to the paid version of the Connect+ app. Users can choose exactly who can see their live tracking, providing a greater level of privacy.
During indoor workouts, users can view their heart rate and pace data in real time using a watch, thanks to the LiveActivity data viewing feature. The Connect+ app also allows users to create and save their own routes, a feature only available to premium users on Strava.
The Connect+ app features AI insights that become increasingly tailored to the user and their goals the more they use the app, based on health and activity data. It also integrates closely with Google Health Connect for synchronization of a wide range of activity and wellness data with third-party Android apps, enhancing data sharing and flexibility beyond Strava's capabilities.
Compared to Strava, Garmin Connect+ offers advanced features such as detailed sensor pairing options (heart rate, speed/cadence, cycling radar), heart rate broadcasting to third-party apps (e.g., Peloton), HRV (heart rate variability) tracking, nap detection, Health Snapshot, advanced swim metrics, and Garmin Pay as a standard feature.
While Strava is well-known for social fitness sharing, segment competitions, and community engagement, Garmin Connect+ complements these with enhanced sensor integration, richer biometric tracking, and payment features aligned with Garmin devices. Additionally, Garmin’s integration with Google Maps allows hands-free navigation with fitness tracking concurrently, a unique convenience feature not provided by Strava.
In summary, Garmin Connect+ extends beyond Strava by offering deeper sensor connectivity, advanced health metrics (HRV, nap detection), integrated payments, and enhanced Android ecosystem interoperability, making it a more comprehensive platform for Garmin users focused on both fitness and lifestyle tracking. Garmin aims to be viewed as a standalone app by more users, rather than just a platform to link Garmin devices to the Strava app.
- Garmin's Connect+ app, a paid subscription service, offers a more comprehensive platform compared to apps like Strava, providing features such as advanced sensor pairing, heart rate broadcasting to third-party apps, HRV tracking, nap detection, Health Snapshot, and Garmin Pay as standard features.
- In addition to fitness tracking, the Connect+ app integrates closely with Google Health Connect for synchronization of a wide range of activity and wellness data with third-party Android apps, enhancing data sharing and flexibility beyond Strava's capabilities.
- The Connect+ app also allows users to view their heart rate and pace data in real time during indoor workouts and create and save their own routes, a feature only available to premium users on Strava.
- LiveTrack selective sharing, a feature exclusive to the paid version of the Connect+ app, provides users with the ability to choose exactly who can see their live tracking, offering a greater level of privacy.
