Garmin users across the globe are facing frustrating issues with their GPS smartwatches, as many devices have reportedly been stuck in a continuous reboot loop, freezing on the Garmin triangle logo.
The issue has surfaced suddenly and bricked Garmin watches with a ‘blue triangle of death’ that does not allow users to access their devices, disrupting fitness tracking, navigation, and other essential functions.
Reports indicate that the issue affects several watch models, including the Forerunner, Venu, Fenix, Epix, Vivoactive, Lily, Instinct, and Marq series. Users have expressed their concerns on social media platforms and online forums, with many suspecting a software update as the root cause of the problem.
For instance, one user wrote on Twitter, “Exercise seems pretty pointless today with @GarminUK blue triangle of death. Apparently a software update caused lots of peoples’ to malfunction.”
Another added: “My Garmin Forerunner is about as useful as a brick at the moment.”
Likewise, Reddit users expressed their frustration in a similar uproar.
“It’s unacceptable that it started last night and I didn’t know until it happened to me at 10am today. I could have avoided a factory reset entirely had they sent us a single email or even put a notification in the app, or in my morning report, or anything!” a user wrote.
A second Reddit user added: “This is textbook on how to ruin a company’s reputation and potentially lose thousands of customers.”
Garmin is aware of the ongoing reboot loop issue and updated its website’s support page with a message that reads, “We are aware of an issue causing some devices to be stuck on the start up screen or a blue triangle.
To resolve this, press and hold the power button until the device turns off, then power it back on, and sync with the Garmin Connect app or Garmin Express.”
Some users have attempted troubleshooting steps such as forced restarts, factory resets, and connecting their devices to Garmin Express software on a computer.
Although these solutions have been effective for some, others continue to experience the looping issue with no resolution in sight.
Meanwhile, the company has provided instructions for those unable to boot past the start-up screen. It asks them to factory reset their device using the instructions available here. Please note that the factory reset instructions differ for each Garmin watch.
While Garmin has not yet disclosed the root cause of reboot loop issues, the most likely reason could be a recent firmware update or a software bug related to starting any GPS activities.
If this is the case, Garmin may need to roll out an urgent patch to resolve the issue.
For now, Garmin customers experiencing this problem are advised to contact Garmin’s support team and stay tuned for any official updates or potential fixes.