Garmin Fenix 9 Pro has serious GPS flaw, according to app developer

The new Garmin Fenix 9 Pro ($1,149 on Amazon) does not always record reliable GPS data. According to a developer on the Garmin Community Forum this issue only affects third-party applications, not Garmin's own software. The smartwatch disables the GPS module after just 14 seconds in roughly half of all sessions started.

As a result, users who use third-party apps for navigation and workouts often cannot access GPS data without restarting the app in question, sometimes multiple times. This, in turn, leads to numerous negative reviews of these apps in the Garmin Connect IQ Store – hardly surprising that developers are frustrated with Garmin. According to this developer, the GPS bug on the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro is just the latest example in a long list of software issues, ranging from a lack of access to the Forerunner 170's gyroscope to incorrect timestamps for sensor readings.

Even when app developers receive dozens of customer complaints, identify the cause of the problem and report it to Garmin, it reportedly sometimes takes months for the bug in question to be fixed. Ultimately, however, developers are not the only ones struggling with Garmin's software quality; firmware bugs are also commonplace, such as the faulty ambient light sensor on the Garmin Fenix 8, which has been plaguing users for a month. Shortly after the launch of the Fenix 9 (Pro), over 100 bugs had already been reported.