TL;DR
- The latest Garmin CIRQA update may have broken Bluetooth heart rate broadcasting.
- Users are reporting that Bluetooth connections are dropping out or failing completely.
- A Garmin representative says that the issue has been forwarded for investigation, and work on a resolution is underway.
The Garmin CIRQA has had a bit of a rocky start since its launch back in July. Garmin stepped on a rake when it initially decided to paywall a basic fitness tracking feature. To the company’s credit, it quickly made the feature subscription-free after the backlash. However, the latest update may have now broken one of the fitness tracker’s more popular features.
Spotted by the folks over at Gadgets and Wearables, a growing number of CIRQA owners are reporting that heart rate broadcasting isn’t working. While ANT+ appears to be fine, there are issues with Bluetooth connections. According to the thread, the problems began after updating to firmware version 2.50, which was released on August 20.
If you’re unfamiliar with heart rate broadcasting, it’s a feature that allows your Garmin device to transmit heart rate data to nearby compatible devices. Simply put, your Garmin device acts as an external sensor for other devices and equipment, like an exercise bike.
There are reports that Bluetooth is looping between connected and disconnected on Garmin Edge devices. Meanwhile, broadcasting is failing completely on Zwift, TrainerRoad, Rouvy, and Strava on iOS devices and Bluetooth-enabled exercise equipment.
A Garmin representative has now chimed in on the thread. According to the representative, the problem has been forwarded to the team, and work on a resolution is currently underway. Unfortunately, they don’t say when to expect the fix to roll out. However, they recommend bookmarking or following the discussion, as any updates regarding the investigation will be posted there.
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