Garmin Connect Plus: New AI-Powered Premium Service Revolutionizes Fitness Tracking

Garmin Unveils Premium Subscription Service with AI-Powered Insights

Garmin, a leading name in GPS technology and wearables, has announced the launch of Garmin Connect Plus, a new premium tier for its popular app. This subscription-based service introduces AI-powered insights and additional features, marking a significant shift in the company’s approach to user engagement.

The new service offers users a free 30-day trial, after which they can subscribe for $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually. Garmin assures that existing health data and features will remain free for all users, maintaining its commitment to accessibility.

At the heart of Connect Plus is Active Intelligence, an AI feature that provides personalized insights and suggestions based on users’ health and activity data. These insights are designed to become more tailored over time, aligning with a growing trend in the fitness and wearable industry. Companies like Whoop, Strava, Samsung, Google, and Oura have already integrated similar AI-driven features into their offerings.

Connect Plus boasts several additional features, including a new performance dashboard for visualizing progress with custom charts and graphs. Users can now access live activity metrics on their smartphones for workouts initiated on their Garmin watches. The service also expands the LiveTrack feature, allowing for automatic notification of contacts when an activity begins.

Other enhancements include personalized profile pages for followers, improved guidance for Garmin Coach plans in running and cycling, and exclusive badges and frames for user profiles.

This move represents a significant shift for Garmin, which has previously been vocal about not restricting features behind paywalls. The company maintains that existing features and data access will remain free, positioning Connect Plus as an additional service rather than a replacement.

The introduction of a subscription model comes at a time of increased competition in the wearables market, with brands like Apple, Samsung, and Coros vying for market share. Despite this, Garmin’s wearables division has seen substantial growth, reporting a 31% increase in fitness tracker sales and achieving record-high stock performance.

As the wearable technology landscape continues to evolve, Garmin’s new offering reflects the industry’s growing focus on personalized, AI-driven health insights. The success of Connect Plus could potentially reshape Garmin’s position in the competitive wearables market.