If you're a Garmin smartwatch user on Android who has been frustrated by an unusually quiet wrist lately, relief is here. Garmin has swiftly addressed a significant user backlash with the release of the Garmin Connect app version 5.19 for Android, a fix that specifically rolls back a controversial change made to the Do Not Disturb (DND) synchronization in the previous update.
The issue began when Garmin rolled out version 5.18 of its Connect app. For years, Garmin's philosophy was simple: your watch and your phone are separate entities when it comes to "Do Not Disturb." You could put your smartphone on silent for a meeting while still receiving haptic alerts for notifications on your watch, or vice-versa. This independence was a key feature for many users who rely on their Garmin for critical alerts without being interrupted by their phone.
However, the 5.18 update changed this long-standing behavior. Without warning, Garmin made it so that a Garmin watch would automatically mirror the Do Not Disturb settings of its paired Android smartphone. If a user silenced their phone, their Garmin watch would also go silent, muting all notifications. While this might be a desirable feature for some, for a vast number of dedicated users, it broke a core workflow they had come to depend on.
The response was immediate and vocal. The official Garmin user forums became the central hub for discontent, with a particular thread gathering significant traction. Users expressed their frustration, noting how the change undermined the utility of their expensive smartwatches. One such thread on the Garmin Forum, highlighting the community's frustration, can be seen here. The core complaint was unanimous: users wanted control over their devices' notification profiles.
Evidently, Garmin was listening. The new update, version 5.19, is now rolling out globally and its primary purpose is to revert the Do Not Disturb settings back to their original, independent state. With this update installed, your Garmin watch will no longer automatically sync its DND mode with your Android phone, restoring the discrete alert system that users were missing.
This move has been largely welcomed by the community, though it has also sparked a new conversation. Some users are now calling for Garmin to implement a more flexible solution. Instead of a hard-coded behavior, they suggest a simple toggle within the Garmin Connect app that allows a user to choose either independent DND or phone-mirroring. This would please both camps: those who prefer the old way and those who found the brief mirroring feature in v5.18 useful.
For now, Garmin has not indicated any plans to develop such a toggle. The company's priority with version 5.19 was clearly to rectify the disruption caused to its user base as quickly as possible.
Getting the Update and Troubleshooting
The Garmin Connect app version 5.19 is being distributed via an incremental rollout on the Google Play Store. You can check for the update manually by visiting the app's Play Store page. The Garmin Connect app is available for download on the Google Play Store here.
If you've already updated to version 5.19 but aren't noticing the reverted DND behavior, you're not alone. Several users on the forums have confirmed that they needed to take additional steps for the change to take full effect. The most common troubleshooting steps recommended by the community are:
- Force Quit the Garmin Connect App: Fully close the app from your phone's recent apps menu.
- Clear the App Cache: Navigate to your phone's Settings > Apps > Garmin Connect > Storage & Cache and tap "Clear Cache." This does not delete your data.
- Reboot Your Devices: Restart both your Android smartphone and your Garmin watch.
Following these steps should resolve any lingering sync issues and restore the independent Do Not Disturb functionality you remember. This episode serves as a strong example of a company responding to direct user feedback, ensuring that its products work in the way its customers expect them to.
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