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Tips for Using The Touchscreen on Garmin Watches
Garmin watches with touchscreens have several options for controlling how the touchscreen will function. This article covers some general usage of the touchscreen; to learn more about the ways to customize your touch settings and usages, search your owner's manual for "Touchscreen". Select a topic below to learn more about using the touchscreen.
You are probably familiar with the basics of touchscreen usage. You can swipe from the bottom to the top of the screen to move down a list, and swipe from the top to bottom to move up through a list, and tap an item to select it. General touch settings on your watch can be found in your watch settings. You are able to adjust the behavior for different usage situations such as general use of the watch, while it is recording an activity, and while it is during your scheduled sleep times. For some watches the touch settings will be found in the "System Settings" menu, while others can find it in the "Display and Brightness" settings, search your owner's manual for specific instructions.
If you want to return to the watch face from any screen (except for while recording an activity), you can press your palm to the entire watch face. This will also turn down the backlight. You can turn on the back light or wake the display by tapping it or pressing the LIGHT (upper-left button).
For many watch faces you can press and hold on a data field to open the associated widget glance. This can also help you identify what a symbol on the watch face means, since it will give you more information about the data that is showing.
You can also swipe from the bottom of the watch face screen toward the top in order to view the widget glances. There are a variety of widget glances available on your watch, and the ones that show can be customized to your liking; search your owner's manual for "Customizing the Glance Loop" to find full instructions.
If you want to quickly disable the touchscreen you can use the preprogramed shortcut hot key combination of holding START (upper-right button) and DOWN (lower-left button) for 2 seconds, and "Touchscreen Off" will show on the screen. To reenable touch, hold START and DOWN again until "Touchscreen On" shows on the screen. You can also quickly enable or disable the touchscreen through the Controls Menu on the watch, which you can get to by holding LIGHT (upper-left button). If you do not see the Touch hand icon in the Controls menu, scroll around to make certain it is not hidden. If you still do not see the hand icon for touch, you may need to add it to the Controls menu. Search "Customizing the Controls Menu" in your owner's manual for instructions.
Activity touchscreen settings can be adjusted separately from general usage settings. Swimming activities will always have touch disabled because of the possibility of the water activating the touchscreen. How you adjust touch settings varies by watch model, select the correct option to see instructions for adjusting your settings.
You can choose to adjust individual activity touch settings from the activity's specific settings. These instructions work for watches with and without Focus Modes.
Hold MENU (middle-left button).
Scroll to or select Watch Settings.
Select Activities & Apps or Activities.
Select the activity you wish to adjust (ie Run).
Select the activity settings (ie Run Settings).
Select Touch.
Select an option.
System or Don't Change uses the option set for activities as a whole on the watch.
On turns touch on for the activity.
Off turns touch off for the activity.
MapOnly activates touch only while showing the map screen in the activity. For other data screens, touch will be deactivated.
Touch options are not available during swimming activities. We recommend having touch disabled for any activity where you interact with water, due to the likelihood of water causing the touchscreen to react.
Sleep touchscreen settings can be adjusted separately from general usage settings. How you adjust touch settings varies by watch model, select the correct option to see instructions for adjusting your settings.
Adjusting Sleep Touch Settings for Watches Without Focus Modes
Hold MENU (middle-left button).
Select System.
Select Touch.
Select During Sleep to toggle between Auto and Off.
The Auto setting for sleep will turn on the backlight when you tap the screen, but in order to scroll away from the watch face you will need to press DOWN (lower-left button) or UP/MENU (middle-left button). After you have entered the menus you will be able to use the touchscreen as normal. This is to prevent accidental interactions on the watch in your sleep.