Troubleshooting & Bug Reporting (Garmin)

David Polášek

General info about Windy on the Garmin platform

Creating a weather app for Garmin watches is tough due to several constraints:
• 🧠 Limited memory – Only tens of kilobytes are available for code, graphics, and data.
• 🖼️ Low-res, low-color displays – Many models have 8–16 color limits and small screens, requiring ultra-simple visuals.
• 🌐 No direct internet – All data must go through the Garmin Connect mobile app, with strict size limits and sync timing.
• 🔋 Battery-sensitive – Frequent background updates can quickly drain battery; updates must be rare or manual.
• 🧩 Device fragmentation – Dozens of models with different screen sizes, memory, and capabilities complicate support.
• 🛠️ Custom SDK & language – Garmin uses its own language (Monkey C) with limited tools and no external libraries.

👉 In short: everything must be lightweight, efficient, and minimal.

Official Connect IQ Store links:

Known problems and troubleshooting

Wrong location

📍 Recommended Setup: Use Phone Location

Set weather location in Garmin Connect:
- Open the Garmin Connect app on your phone.
- Go to: More (bottom left corner) → Settings → User Settings
- Under Weather Location, select: Use Phone Location
Check location permissions for Garmin Connect:
- Ensure the app has permanent (always-on) location access enabled.
- Refer to the screenshots:
  • "location-iOS" for iPhone users
  • "location-Android" for Android users

Note: Precise (high-accuracy) location is not required for weather data—approximate location is sufficient.

⸻

🕹️ Alternative Option: Use Watch Location

You can also choose to use your watch’s built-in GPS

Widget

Go to the current weather screen in the widget.
Press the Start button (or tap the screen, depending on your watch model) to begin GPS location search.
Refer to the "widget-start-to-gps-update" image for guidance.

Watch Face

Watch faces cannot actively search for location, but they can use the last known location from another app, such as your most recent activity.

If both phone and watch location are available, the more recent one will be used.