It is so annoying. You’ve simply spent a whole bunch of {dollars} on a brand new Garmin Fenix 8 or Forerunner 970, solely to search out out you may need at hand over much more cash to get the complete Garmin expertise. Earlier this yr, Garmin launched Join+, a subscription component to its Join companion app earlier. It stirred up its consumer base in the worst attainable means. I visited Garmin’s headquarters in Kansas not lengthy after the announcement and it was clear; Join+ is right here to remain, and there’s a workforce now devoted to bringing extra options to sit down behind that paywall.
At present, anybody can strive Join+ totally free for a month earlier than deciding whether or not there’s something worthy of the $7 month-to-month subscription, or $70 yearly charge. I’ve been utilizing Join+ for 5 months now, whereas testing just about each new watch Garmin has launched in that interval.
With seven core options at the moment obtainable, I’m going to inform you in regards to the ones I really discovered helpful, spotlight those I didn’t, and inform you whether or not you actually want one other subscription so as to add to your month-to-month outgoings. If none of those attraction, you’ll want to take a look at our guides to the Finest Health Trackers or the Finest Smartwatches for extra.
Leap To
AI Insights
{Photograph}: Michael Sawh
Let’s begin with Energetic Intelligence, which is probably the most prominently featured of all Join+ options contained in the app. These are customized coaching insights and suggestions that you simply’ll spy on the high of the house display screen tab. These are powered by AI, and analyze information like exercise historical past and efficiency metrics captured by your Garmin gadget.
The concept right here is that the extra information that may be analyzed, the extra customized these insights ought to develop into. Within the first weeks of utilizing it, Energetic Intelligence’s insights have been fairly rudimentary. My final swim improved my cardio health. Nice. I may see that just by trying on the information from that logged swim.
5 months later, I’m getting a greater sense of what I feel Garmin hopes this characteristic will be. I’m now advised that my floor contact steadiness throughout runs is suboptimal and I ought to take into account some power coaching and to work on my operating type. Nonetheless, the app doesn’t recommend what that coaching ought to entail, or the workout routines that might assist to handle that suboptimal GCT. Possibly that’s to come back. Given that is the one Join+ characteristic tagged as a beta, I think about it may look completely different in a yr’s time.
Actual-Time Recommendation
{Photograph}: Michael Sawh
In the event you’re on train tools that’s missing a show, or you do not need to pause a exercise to have a look at your watch, Reside Actions allows you to mirror real-time metrics out of your watch to your telephone. It’s particularly helpful for power coaching periods, to make modifying reps much less fiddly.
