Some Garmin smartwatch users were not getting vibrations for notifications after a recent app update. (Image source: Garmin)Some Garmin smartwatch users were not getting vibrations for notifications after a recent app update. (Image source: Garmin)

After a recent update for the Garmin Connect app for Android, some users no longer feel a vibration when smart notifications arrived. This unannounced change left many owners of Garmin smartwatches venting their frustration on the brand’s forum. The company has since confirmed the issue and an upcoming resolution.

Garmin smartwatch users have been expressing their frustration about a recent unannounced change linked to Android smartphone notifications. The issue arrived with Garmin Connect app version 5.18, which landed at the Google Play Store on October 8th.

Soon after, users started to report a change with smart notifications on their smartwatch on the Garmin Forum. Typically, all notifications sent from an Android phone to a Garmin wearable would cause the watch to vibrate, as long as the watch was set up this way. This would happen regardless of whether or not your smartphone was in Do Not Disturb mode. 

However, after app version 5.18, the Do Not Disturb setting from an Android smartphone was automatically carried over to Garmin smartwatches. This explains why some users were reporting a lack of vibration for notifications on their watch, despite still being able to view messages as expected in the notifications center. It appears to have affected all models, including the popular vivoactive 6 (curr. $299.99 at Amazon).

One user has since shared a response from the Garmin product support team (screenshot below). In the message, a representative for the brand confirmed the issue and indicated that this Do Not Disturb setting change would be reversed in an upcoming update for the Garmin Connect app for Android. However, it is unclear when this release will arrive.

A screenshot of a port in the Garmin Forum with a message from Garmin. (Image source: Garmin Forum)A screenshot of a port in the Garmin Forum with a message from Garmin. (Image source: Garmin Forum)Polly AllcockPolly Allcock – Senior Tech Writer – 4772 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021

I’ve been interested in technology for as long as I can remember. From a young age, I have loved gadgets and understanding how things work. Since graduating, I have worked for several technology companies across FinTech, AdTech and Robotics.