[jbj]

I am pretty sure you can use the sports tracking functions in garmin without an account, if not, at least without connecting the watch to a phone. You just need to connect with usb to copy the activity file (.fit) which can be converted to tsv.

regarding the passive tracking I dont have a clue

[canucker2016]

The main thing that I miss from connecting to Garmin Connect is downloading the EPO/CPE files which speedup acquiring the GPS data a lot. see https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=6IbaJEHc1i9gydzQomXzyA

To avoid waiting up to several minutes to get the GPS data when I start my workout, I'll switch to an exercise mode to start acquiring the GPS data while I change into my workout gear and leave the watch near a window.

By the time I've finished changing, the GPS data is available and the watch will behave almost like I had downloaded the EPO/CPE files from Garmin Connect.

[samdoshi]

I think you can download the EPO file manually.

https://github.com/StevenMaude/armstrong

https://github.com/StevenMaude/epo-bin

[gnicholas]

Really? I recently got a forerunner 265 and it definitely didn’t give the impression that was possible.

The battery life is also nowhere near the advertised length (13 days). Most disappointing is that their support people say to expect about 60% of that, which is what I’m getting.

That said, this will likely be the replacement for my Pebble. Battery life over 6 days, buttons to control music playback, and an English-first UI (amazfit falls down here).

[denimnerd42]

I have an older model but I definitely can download the fit files over usb and using the garmin provided information/sdk to write programs to read the files. or just convert to tsv/csv using their provided utilities. if you can't use usb, you may be able to use bluetooth.

[ornornor]

My 2S uses up 10–11% per 24h in watch mode (using the gps uses more battery). But I had to disable the O2 measurement altogether because that chewed through the battery and isn’t that useful to me.

[suddenclarity]

Are you doing something special with the watch? I've gotten several weeks out of all my Garmin models except the first one I bought around 2005. Battery life is one of their main selling points and the only reason I have one over a proper smartwatch. Maybe have a second look at optimising the settings for battery life. There are quite a few recommendations on how to do that.

[goosedragons]

That model plays music and uses an OLED display. Playing music off the watch burns through battery IME and I'm betting how you've configured the OLED display matters. It's "Up to 13 days" and I'm guessing those 13 days don't involve using GPS, don't involve playing music and don't involve using always on display. Misleading maybe.

[gnicholas]

Yeah, and I don't do any of these things. I just get notifications from my watch and use it as a remote control for podcast playback/ffwd (from my phone to my AirPods). And I have AOD turned off.

The "up to 13 days" number is based on a specific set of behaviors/usage, [1] and the Garmin support people have not been able to explain why I'm not getting it. They have looked at logs for my device and have been content to say that 60% of the "up to" number is normal for their devices.

I was hoping for much better, especially considering the Verge's reviewer [2] said she was getting 6.5 days with AOD turned on, and was on track for 15 with it turned off. I wonder if she was given a bespoke unit by Garmin, which is better than the ones that we get in retail stores.

1: https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=daNp4hnaAZ9Fg1XdFcZez5

2: https://www.theverge.com/23632332/garmin-forerunner-265s-rev...

[gregoryl]

Your 265 can be mounted as a usb drive, as can pretty any Garmin device for maybe 10+ years.

[gnicholas]

On a Mac, it requires some utility made for reading Android devices. It doesn't pop up as a drive when plugged in.

Can the device receive notifications from my iPhone without an account? That's one of the main reasons I use the device.

[goosedragons]

Yeah, because Apple doesn't support MTP at all. On OSs that do they just pop up.

I think to get notifications it has to use the app.

[ilikehurdles]

The SpO2 sensor uses significant battery life. This is why is princely only enabled during workouts and sleep, but it can be set to run nonstop or not at all. Double check that setting.

My 945 is pretty close to advertised when I’m not too active.

[gnicholas]

Yeah I have this disabled. I’ve chatted with their support team several times and they’ve confirmed my settings are about as low-energy as possible (aside from disconnecting from my phone, which would defeat the purpose).