The average battery life of a Garmin watch can be somewhere around a week or two with regular usage and can take only two hours to get fully charged. However, these things don’t matter if you’re having issues with Garmin watch not charging.
Most users are unable to figure out what’s causing their Garmin Watch not to charge. It could be a minor problem, or something serious causing this issue.
Whatever the reason is, you’re lucky enough to have a few troubleshooting methods to apply before concluding that the watch’s battery is faulty.
This article explains why your Garmin Watch isn’t charging and how to fix it. Let’s start with explaining why is your Garmin Watch not charging.
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Why Is My Garmin Watch Not Charging?
Garmin watches won’t charge most of the time because they have a faulty charging socket or cord. Further, software-related issues could also be the cause of Garmin not charging; when that’s cleared out, the watch will start charging again.
Here are a few other reasons that can cause your watch not to charge:
- Frayed or damaged charging cord/clip.
- Changes due to Recent Software Update.
- Issues with AC adapter (if you use one.)
- Battery’s Fault (Rare)
The majority of users believe that Garmin’s battery could be the reason for charging issues. However, that’s not always true.
Remember, power issues are not always related to a battery failure. It is recommended to charge your watch for several hours before concluding the battery’s fault.
On the other hand, if it’s a newly purchased Garmin watch, likely the problem with your watch could be a defect. In that case, you can easily ask for a replacement without any questions asked.
Is My Garmin Watch Charging?
The first problem some users face is they cannot identify if their Garmin watch is charging. The best way to identify is when you plug in your Garmin watch with a charging cable, a lightning bolt and an outlet appears, which indicates that your watch is connected to power and has begun charging.
However, if you’re unlucky to see this indication that means, you’re having some issues with your watch. And you should follow the troubleshooting methods below.
7 Things To Do When Garmin Watch Is Not Charging
Here are some troubleshooting tips you can take if your Garmin Watch isn’t charging:
Clean Charging Contacts
Dust and debris are the most common causes of charging issues. The charging ports come in contact with the various surfaces, including sweat, lotion, or makeup from our wrist can build up in the charging ports over time.
As a result, it keeps your watch from making a solid connection to the charger.
With the watch facing down, gently clean the charging contacts with an alcohol wipe or a damp cotton swab. Then, wait 10 minutes for the contacts to dry before continuing to plug in the charger.
Finally, check if the problem is resolved after cleaning it once.
Inspect Charging Cable
Another reason could be a frayed or damaged charging cable causing your Garmin not to charge. Inspect the charging cable to ensure if there is any damage to the pogo pins inside.
If one or many pogo pins seem damaged, it’s best to get it replaced.
A Pro Tip: If your friend owns a Garmin watch, you can borrow the charging cable to test if it’s the charger keeping your watch from charging.
A Soft Reset May Work
Soft reset your Garmin Watch, and try charging again. A soft reset is different than a factory reset. Typically, Factory reset wipes all information from the watch, but with a soft reset, no information will be lost.
To execute a soft reset on your Garmin watch, connect your watch to the computer using a USB cable. Turn off the watch by pressing the power button. And switch it on again, then leave it to fully charge.
By doing this, you’re resetting your watch processes to function again.
Restart Your Garmin Watch
From my experience, restarting a device resolves the majority of technical issues.
When we restart, the watch clears out software errors (if exist) that might be causing battery charging issues. Not only software errors but also clear buggy processes or anything that could result in charging problems.
Restarting process can vary from model to model. Here’s to identify what works for you:
- Garmin Watch With Buttons: These models have power icon on the button. Press and hold the power button until the watch turns off. Press the same button to turn the watch back on.
- Garmin Watch Without Buttons: Connect the watch to the power data cable and plug it into an external power source such as a computer USB port, then disconnect the cable. The watch will restart itself.
Update Software
Many users don’t take it seriously, but a recent software update could be a reason for this charging issue. A report says, rolling out updates without testing by the developer or slack coding invites many problems to the updated device.
No need to worry here.
Companies like Garmin take immediate action on these types of mistakes and roll out an update quickly to fix their error.
Check if there are any available updates and install them.
To check for available updates, Go to Menu > Settings > System > Software Update. If any new firmware is available, it will prompt the “Install Now” option.
Or update your watch using Garmin Express.
Charge Your Garmin For An Hour
Sometimes your watch can take several hours to start charging. It is your Garmin that may have been frozen, or the screen has turned black for some reason.
Even if the display doesn’t show the watch charging, I advise you to plug in the charger and leave it for an hour or two. If the watch still doesn’t charge during this time, you can finally determine that the battery is faulty.
Replace Battery
As said earlier, power issues are not always related to a battery failure. However, if any of the above troubleshooting methods don’t work, try replacing the watch’s battery. Now a question arises, can you replace your Garmin’s battery?
According to Garmin, Garmin’s lithium-ion battery is not usually user-replaceable. My best advice will be to visit the Garmin Support Center to resolve the issues or change the batteries.
FAQs: Garmin Watch Is Not Charging
Can A Garmin Battery be Replaced?
Some of the GPS unit watches do have replaceable batteries. But most Garmin’s outdoor watches use a lithium-ion battery, which is not usually user-replaceable. You’ll need to contact Garmin’s Support Center to get it replaced.
Can I Charge My Garmin Watch Without A Charger?
You cannot charge a Garmin watch without a charger. The only way to charge a Garmin Watch is with a USB Type-A charger.
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