Last week, after extensive beta testing, Garmin officially launched a new version of the Garmin Connect mobile app. It was a huge change for anyone who owns one of the company's many GPS watches, making a big difference to the way they check their daily health and workout stats.
The company has explained that the aim was to make your stats easier to see and make the various data screens easier to customize. Understandably, however, such a major change elicited strong reactions, and the company is taking notice.
"We appreciate how passionate our customers are, and we've seen your feedback on the new Garmin Connect," a spokesperson wrote on Garmin's official Instagram account. "We encourage you to share your feedback at garmin.com/ideas or leave us a DM. Thank you for your passion and patience."
What's the controversy?
Opinion on the new-look app is split. As you can see from the Garmin subreddit, some users are pleased with the upgrade but there are a few common complaints, particularly about the way data is presented. Many users argue that it's now harder to see data that was once available in a more condensed interface on the app's home screen.
Users have explained that the 'cards' showing particular stats (heart rate, Body Battery, Sleep Score, Training Status etc) are now larger, requiring more scrolling to see the same data. Other people are disappointed that the update seems to have removed their custom dashboards from the Garmin Connect web app.
Many watch owners have also taken to Garmin's forums to ask how they can revert to the old version of Connect.
"I'm trying to get used to it but I absolutely hate it," wrote one Reddit user. "I used to take a screenshot of all my day's data to trade with a friend who is also trying to get in shape. It doesn't even come close to fitting on one screen anymore. So much wasted screen space, so many extra clicks. Give me the option to see it all as a list."
"I actually quite like the app," said another. "Takes some getting used to, but I feel like everything is more accessible."
Whether you like the new design or not, it's worth taking a moment to share your thoughts via the Ideas form on Garmin's website.
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