Garmin Issues Warning About Watch Boot Loop Bug

Users of Garmin watches are reporting their wearables are getting stuck in a boot loop over at Reddit.

In just the last few hours there have been a flurry of posts from Garmin owners who have found their watches end up stuck displaying the triangle boot/load screen.

“This morning at the pool, as I was scrolling through activities to select swim it crashed and has been stuck in a reboot loop where the logo just keeps coming on and disappearing,” writes Reddit user quistodes

I have approached Garmin for comment on the situation, which supplied the following statement:

“Garmin is researching reports of devices displaying a blue triangle when starting a GPS activity. A reset by pressing and holding the power button may restore functionality. We will provide more information on a permanent fix when available.”

Some Reddit users have also already received a reply from Garmin customer support.

“We have added you into an open investigation which will be used to determine the cause of this issue which we are looking into currently,” quistodes says they were told by Garmin.

An update has also been posted on Garmin’s Japanese website, which says “currently, a bug has been reported worldwide in some Garmin devices where a triangle icon suddenly appears on the screen during use and then flashes.”

“We are investigating this issue further and appreciate your patience… We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Garmin Watch Down: Which Models?

Models affected include:

1. Garmin Forerunner series
2. Garmin vivoactive 5
3. Garmin Venu 3
4. Garmin Edge 1040
5. Garmin Descent Mk3
6. Garmin Epix Gen2
7. Garmin fenix 7 series
8. Garmin Instinct 3 series

Garmin owners have also posted on X, with pictures of their watches stuck in a triangular boot loop.

I am currently using the Garmin Instinct 3, and it is not stuck in a boot loop — not right now at least. I took the Garmin Fenix 8 and Instinct 3 out for a run the day this issue came fully under the spotlight, and neither has suffered from the “triangle” crash issue.

X user Herbie Vine claims the issue is related to the watch’s GPS connection. He suggests hard resetting the device to get it working again. The exact process to do so varies by the model in question, but instructions are available at the Garmin website.