Garmin's New AI Subscription Flop: Hilariously Bad So Far

The strong negative reaction and uproar following the introduction of the new Garmin Connect+ subscription service have been so overwhelming that nobody seems to have paused long enough to evaluate whether the service actually holds value.

Fans of Garmin, who are enraged by this change, appear particularly discontented with the overall transition to a subscription-based system for accessing new functionalities. best Garmin watches They are typically quite pricey; those elevated list prices make an additional subscription service really hard to swallow.

Therefore, putting subscription ethics to one side, how does Garmin Connect+ measure up? Given what we might expect, the primary highlight appears to be the new AI-driven insights. These features appear to be generating considerable interest. After doing some research to assess the quality of their new Active Intelligence service, I regret to say that my findings aren’t entirely positive.

Gathering together all the first releases available, my preliminary thoughts on Active Intelligence are quite negative. It’s worth noting that Garmin claims these insights will become more personalized as they develop (with the feature currently being in beta phase). However, based on this early impression, the data seems very general, occasionally inaccurate, and rather unhelpful overall.

Furthermore, there is substantial evidence suggesting many of these insights are predetermined. Below is a list of all the Garmin Active Intelligence insights I have come across, shared by users ever since the service was introduced, primarily sourced from the Garmin subreddit.

1. Generic sleep data

This overview consolidates sleep statistics, yet it fails to convey significant information. While it may slightly improve readability with a statement comparing your sleep score to your average, the phrase regarding “primary sleep elements” appears quite vague, and the rest of the summary offers little additional insight.

I find it intriguing that despite having advanced technology and graphical interface designs which enable us to grasp substantial amounts of data through mere figures, charts, colors, and symbols within seconds, these systems often choose to make everything irritatingly inconsistent, overly complex, and sluggish to process. This appears to be done merely for the sake of giving off the impression that it’s more 'customized,' as noted by another user.

2. Basic math

The individual disclosed information about their intense workout periods. A significant portion of the overview involves an algorithm calculating by deducting 115 from 300 to arrive at 185. While highlighting that strenuous exercise equals twice as much might encourage and spur certain members forward, it seems insufficient to prevent this contributor from labeling the method as a "trick."

3. Continue doing excellent work

Much of this information is simply a recap of the readily available data within Garmin's application. Users have access to their activity stats, which allow them to track their distance, duration, and heart rate metrics effortlessly. Additionally, individuals who have invested several hundred dollars in a Garmin device might find this overview somewhat basic. probably understands that staying active contributes to keeping the heart healthy.

4. Information, yet expressed verbally

This AI observation, much like the example with mountain biking mentioned earlier, simply condenses key pieces of information into a few sentences, coupled with yet another common statement about the benefits of walking for one’s well-being. Really?

5. Flawed floors

Maybe someone having trouble with their fitness journey or aiming to make a good impression would find occasional encouragement helpful, but what is the real worth of this for a premium subscriber using Garmin devices?

6. Is that you, Aquaman?

This is the initial unproductive or inaccurate observation I encountered. The user named Joshua reportedly logged a one-gas dive lasting "a remarkable 41 days and 6 hours." Given that Joshua isn’t likely to be like Aquaman, it’s doubtful that he spent the entire month submerged underwater.

Subsequent posts indicated a minor enhancement, with descents only lasting 35 days and 14 hours. Despite the daily activity screen showing dives up to max of 61ft, the insight claimed Joshua had been 1.05 miles deep, however.

7. Getting tired, explained

In theory, Active Intelligence Insights should synergize well with a feature like Body Battery. However, this insight really just says that as the day goes on, you feel more tired. It's not wrong But do you have to pay $7 each month for that knowledge?

With three hours and twenty-one minutes left until your usual bedtime, you still have some time before sleeping. Not time for relaxation, workout, mindfulness, a quick snooze... simply more time. Thanks, Garmin.

8. Sleep stress

This observation about sleep stress was quite decent. It could be beneficial to receive some sort of alert when sleep stress levels are high, considering how crucial sleep is for general health.

I found it intriguing to see at least one comment stating, "I received that same message earlier today, though with different numbers of course." This suggests a rather standardized and prearranged method for generating these insights, which might not align entirely with what the AI designation implies.

9. More step math

This observation can be aptly termed beneficial mathematics, where Active Intelligence merely deducts the achieved number of steps from the desired step goal, determines the discrepancy, and subsequently prompts the user to increase their walking activity.

It's neither incorrect nor typically unbeneficial, yet once more, I seriously question placing this content behind a $7 paywall.

A different user mentioned something similar; however, marking 19 steps out of 6,250 as "well on your way" seems quite exaggerated to me.

Here's another very similar and generic step count summary. Subtract the number of steps taken from the target goal, then tell the user to keep walking.

10. Couch to... couch?

A less common issue mentioned involved a user receiving merely a "you're all caught up" notification from Active Intelligence. They commented, "Throughout the day, I kept getting these notifications from AI, but found them entirely lacking in useful information." The individual also pointed out that unless they regularly checked their account via Connect, they did not receive any updates whatsoever.

Garmin Active Intelligence: The Verdict

I would like to emphasize the crucial warnings regarding Active Intelligence. This function is still in beta, and Garmin has mentioned that this feature will improve with time.

The issue is, I struggle to grasp how advancing artificial intelligence could enhance these insights further. It also seems that quite a few solutions lack significant promise. A lot of what’s presented appears to just add data into sentences for better readability, which raises some serious concerns for me.

As mentioned by another user earlier, certain posts exhibit a notably generic and apparently redundant characteristic. This observation was made by a well-known blogger. the5krunner alleges gaining insight into Garmin's operations, stating "Garmin indeed employs pre-prepared replies in certain situations," observing that these revelations are essentially "sophisticated templates designed to present outcomes from predefined analyses."

They named the feature Grammarly for Garmin, and from what I've seen so far, I can't come up with a better way to describe it.

Of the Six characteristics that compose Garmin Connect+'s Active Intelligence feature include: is truly the sole option that would have been logical behind a subscription model if The enhanced value was present before. Currently, it’s absent, and I believe these observations indicate that a significant portion of Garmin's customer base is displeased with the subscription due to its extremely limited content.

We will monitor Garmin's Active Intelligence feature and the larger narrative surrounding Garmin Connect+ in the coming weeks.

Have you tried this feature? Share your feedback and examples below or send an email to me: stephen.warwick@futurenet.com .

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