Why Am I Seeing a Persistent Garmin Jr. Notification on My Android Phone?

Google changed the way they notify you about apps running in the background. When your phone is running Android 8 or higher, you’ll receive a notification that says the Garmin Jr. app is running in the background. The notification will look like this:

Why Does the Garmin Jr. App Need to Run in the Background?

The app runs in the background so that your child's watch can automatically sync data. 

Steps to Turn off This Notification

1. Locate and select the phone settings option on your Smartphone.

   • This is typically a gear icon accessed from the drop down menu on the phone.

2. Select Apps.

3. Select Garmin Jr.

4. Select Notifications.

5. Turn off Background Services.

The Garmin Jr. app will continue to run in the background unaffected by this change. 

Now I Am Seeing a Battery Usage Message

If you follow the steps above to hide the notification, you may receive a different notification indicating that the Garmin Jr. app is using battery resources. It is important to know that any Android app that runs in the background will affect your phone's battery life. 

To Hide This Notification

1. From the phone, swipe down from the top to display your notifications.

2. Press and hold the Battery notification, then select the option to turn it off. 

3. Select Done.

What if I Do Not Want to Have the Garmin Jr. App Run in the Background?

Garmin does offer a setting that allows you to turn off background services if you do not want the app to run in the background. 

NOTE: Following these steps will result in disabling the auto-sync feature. To sync data from a Garmin Jr. device to the app you will need to ensure the app is open with the phone turned on before syncing a device.

1. From the Garmin Jr. app select More (bottom right corner).

2. Select App Settings.

3. Select Background Services.

4. Toggle setting off.