Garmin officially confirms new features will be hidden behind paywall

Garmin's Connect+ subscription service has been controversial since its arrival towards the end of March. Available for $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually, Garmin sought to reassure fans that 'all existing features and data in Garmin Connect will remain free'.

Now, the company has shed new light on the state of Connect+ and it plans to mature the service going forward. For example, Cliff Pemble, Garmin's President and Chief Executive Officer, remarked the following during the company's Q1 2025 earnings call:

As the5krunner and others have observed, Pemble elaborated futher. However, these additional comments are not repeated in Garmin's earnings call PDF. Instead, they can be listened to in the video below, which we have linked from 11:23 onwards.

According to Pemble, Connect+ is a 'long-term thing for us [Garmin]' and a 'very important part' of its fitness strategy going forward. Pemble also hinted that future features will be hidden behind Connect+, adding that Garmin had received positive feedback from early adopters so far. While Pemble was not specific in what features will be paywalled, he noted that they will be linked with the company's premium offerings'. Presumably, the first signs of these changes will start with the release of the Forerunner 970, which is expected to replace the Forerunner 965 later this season (curr. $499.99 on Amazon).