Tech

Garmin’s Gonna Hide More Features Behind the Connect+ Paywall

Garmin’s CEO said on an earnings call that the company would continue to develop features available exclusively to paying Connect+ subscribers.

By Matt Jancer

May 7, 2025, 3:55pm

Credit: Garmin

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Sorry, Garmin users. It’s been a little over a month since the news broke that Garmin was introducing a $7-per-month (or $70-per-year) Garmin Connect+ subscription of personalized, AI-driven insights into their health and activity.

People were pissed. Despite the backlash against Garmin’s announced plans, on a Q1 2025 earnings call, Garmin’s CEO Cliff Pemble said the response to their implementation of the paywall “has been positive.” His words, as reported by TechRadar.

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I’m trying to wrap my brain around the likelihood that customers are happily signing up to pay money where before they were receiving the complete service for free, even if it does have new features. More likely, I’m betting it was grumbling customers begrudgingly giving Garmin more money, so “positive” is a funny way to put it.

these are new features, not existing ones

“I think we’ve been saying for a while that we are evaluating opportunities to have a premium offering on Garmin Connect,” Pemble reportedly said on the call. “I think the developments of AI and particularly around AI-based insights for our users was one of those things that we felt was important to recognize the value for the investment that it takes to do.”

Garmin said in its news release back in March that “all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free.” It seems that the latest news doesn’t negate that, as Pemble told TechRadar that “certain (features), we will likely reserve for premium offerings,” meaning that Garmin will develop new features but restrict them to paying Connect+ subscribers.

TechRadar’s Stephen Warwick reiterated that Pemble “echoed previous sentiments that Connect+ isn’t a requirement for users, and that the company hasn’t taken away any previously free features from users.”

It’s a consolation prize, though, as many Garmin users rightfully feel now that Garmin has split their user base into a prioritized market of customer and what they fear will be a second-class customer who uses the free product.