Top 5 Garmin Features You Didn't Know Existed
Your Garmin is packed with features most people never find. Here are the 5 best ones — from smart alarms to incident detection — and how to turn them on.
Day 56: Top 5 Garmin Features You Didn't Know Existed
Your Garmin is packed with features you're probably not using. Here are five worth turning on today.
1. Button shortcuts
You can assign almost anything — music controls, alarms, focus modes, specific apps — to a long-press or button combination for instant access. No more digging through menus mid-run. Find it under Settings → System → Hot Keys (name varies by model).
2. Hydration Tracking
One of the most overlooked health habits is drinking enough water. Garmin's Hydration Tracking lets you log each glass directly from your watch. And with Hydration Pro from the Connect IQ Store, you can even display your daily hydration progress right on your watchface.
3. Incident Detection
If you fall or stop moving suddenly during a run or ride, your watch automatically sends an alert to your emergency contacts — including your GPS location. Most Garmin users have no idea this exists. Enable it under Safety & Tracking → Incident Detection in the Garmin Connect app.
4. Smart Alarm
Instead of waking you at a fixed time, Smart Alarm wakes you within a window (up to 30 minutes before your set time) when you're in the lightest phase of sleep. The difference in how you feel getting up is noticeable. Set it under Alarms on your watch and look for the Smart Alarm option.
5. Palm Cover Gesture
Cover your screen with your palm and your watch immediately dims or returns to the home screen — depending on your settings. No button press needed. Enable it under Settings → Gestures → Palm Cover.
Five features, five minutes of setup. Your watch can do a lot more than track your steps.
Join the Garmin School
Leave your email to get access to the Garmin School and receive updates on new videos and apps.
What to read next
Day 6535 Apple Watch Features Garmin Still Cannot Match
Garmin is brilliant for sport, battery life, recovery and durability. But if you are moving from Apple Watch to Garmin, these are the five smartwatch features you should know you may lose.
Day 6424Training Target: Let Your Garmin Pace the Run for You
Want to finish 5K in 30 minutes, or hit any distance and time goal without doing math mid-run? Training Target gives your Garmin a simple goal and lets the watch tell you if you are on track.
