What Garmin tracks, how its activity becomes Moves+ points, and how to troubleshoot it safely now that Garmin is being retired.
Time required: 5 minutes
User role: App user
Applies to: Existing Garmin connections only
Module: Moves+ app > Profile > Tracker
Overview
⚠️ Garmin is no longer available to connect, and is being retired during 2026.
If your Garmin is already connected, it keeps working for now. But if you disconnect it, you will not be able to reconnect it, because Garmin no longer appears as an option when connecting a tracker.
You do not need to do anything yet. During 2026 you will be moved across to Apple Health on iPhone, or Health Connect on Android. This will be a guided process inside the app, and we will notify you before it happens.
Your activity history, points and leaderboard position are not affected. Only the collection of new activity from Garmin stops.
What Garmin tracks
- Steps
- Running
- Cycling
- Swimming
Running, swimming and cycling need to be recorded through GPS. If your tracker does not support GPS, Moves+ cannot process these activities. Any manually added activity will not be processed either.
Tip: make sure you start an activity on your Garmin rather than relying on automatic detection.
Garmin and Moves+ points
As with all trackers, the number of points Moves+ awards can differ from what your Garmin app shows. Check the following before raising it:
- Sync is enabled on Garmin.
- You may be awarded your 'actual' activity data rather than your 'perceived' data as shown on your Garmin watch or app.
- Runs and rides are logged with a distance associated, meaning GPS is on and a map is shown. We cannot award points where there is no distance for these activities.
- Leave your Garmin connected for at least two days before contacting your organisation, so a full overnight sync has run.
Troubleshooting
‼️ Do not disconnect your Garmin, and do not delete the Moves+ app, while trying to fix a problem. Garmin can no longer be reconnected once the connection is gone.
Work through these in order. None of them will break your connection.
- Check sync is enabled on Garmin. Open the Garmin app, go to View account, select your Garmin tracker, and check sync is set to All-day sync enabled. Turning on Always Connected also helps.
- Confirm Garmin itself has the activity. If the Garmin app is not showing up-to-date activity for today, Moves+ cannot receive it.
- Run a manual sync. Complete some activity, then open Moves+ and press Manual Sync.
- Check your points. You can also check after the overnight sync by opening the app the following day.
- Escalate. If activity still is not arriving after two days, contact your organisation administrator. Tell them you are on Garmin and that you have not disconnected it.
My Garmin connection has stopped working completely.
The way forward is to move to Apple Health or Health Connect rather than to reconnect Garmin. Your existing points and history stay with your account.
I am on Android and my activity stopped syncing around the end of April 2026.
This is a known issue affecting Android, and it is not specific to Garmin. See Check List: Why am I missing Moves+ points?
Why are my points slightly different to my activity?
You may see a difference of around plus or minus 20 points because of discrepancies between syncs. We always round up, so over time this levels out.