Smartwatch Remote Health Monitoring
A woman checking health parameters related to heart, calories and physical activity with a smartwatch. iStock

Garmin's new Connect+ tier is set to redraw the line between free and paid smartwatch features, and users are not happy.

Garmin has quietly been building a paid layer into its once-open Connect ecosystem, introducing AI-driven insights, live workout data, and performance dashboards that are only accessible to Connect+ subscribers.

The move follows a formal launch earlier in 2025 of Garmin Connect+, to which users can subscribe monthly or yearly. Company executives have indicated that further advanced features will be developed specifically for that paid tier. That combination of fresh capability and growing paywalling has prompted vigorous debate among athletes, casual users, and commentators about what should remain free and what can legitimately be monetised.

What Connect+ Actually Offers, And What You'll Pay For

Garmin's official materials list Connect+ as a premium plan providing 'personalised insights' and enhanced app experiences. Features vary by device but centre on AI analyses, richer performance charts, and improved live metrics in the phone app.

Independent hands-on reviewers and specialist bloggers who tested the service say Connect+ layers useful functionality on top of Garmin's historic free offering. DCRainmaker's in-depth walkthrough states the subscription costs £5.31 per month (£53.19 a year) when converted from the advertised $6.99 monthly/$69.99 annual pricing, and highlights tools such as a performance dashboard, enhanced coaching guidance, and real-time smartphone workout telemetry.

For many users, the value equation is straightforward: the new analytics and live data can improve training and give deeper context to health metrics; for others, paying for features that were formerly perceived as part of the 'connected watch' promise feels like a step too far. Notebookcheck's reporting of fresh Connect+ features captures both the technical detail and the community response as new updates arrive.

Executive Intention: Why Garmin Is Building A Paywall

Garmin's senior management has been explicit about the company's roadmap. During quarterly investor calls earlier in 2025, CEO Clifton 'Clif' Pemble told analysts that while all existing features and data in Garmin Connect would remain free, 'certain ones, we will likely reserve for premium offerings'. That phrase appearing in company transcripts is the clearest admission yet that Garmin intends to develop future tools exclusively for Connect+ subscribers.

From an investor and product perspective, the rationale is familiar: recurring subscription revenue stabilises earnings and funds ongoing R&D, particularly the substantial investment required to deliver meaningful AI-driven insights.

The Verge and other outlets have emphasised that the Connect+ launch aligns Garmin with other fitness platforms that use subscriptions to underwrite AI features and platform services.

What This Means For Consumers And The Market

For consumers, the immediate takeaway is pragmatic: evaluate whether Connect+'s AI insights, live smartphone workout telemetry, and advanced dashboards justify £5–£55 a year (roughly £5.31/month or £53.19/year at recent USD–GBP rates). For serious athletes and coaches, the incremental benefit could be meaningful; for casual users, many of the core tracking and safety features will remain free.

For the wider wearables market, Garmin's approach signals a clear pivot. Companies from Whoop to Strava and Apple have shown the commercial potential of subscription models; Garmin's decision to reserve some innovation for paying customers underlines how vendors now balance hardware sales against ongoing software revenue. That shift will influence product roadmaps, device marketing, and, crucially, user expectations about what should be included with a watch purchase.

Garmin has opened a new chapter for its ecosystem: users will now judge the company not only on hardware reliability and sensor fidelity but on the fairness and value of what it chooses to lock behind a paywall.

Garmin's Connect+ era has begun, and the debate it has prompted is only just getting started.

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