I Am Having Reception Issues When Using My Bluetooth Headphones with My Garmin Music Watch

Your Garmin watch has been designed to work with Bluetooth-compliant headphones. However, because it is a wireless technology there can be difficulties in reception due to many factors including:

• The distance between the watch and headphones
• Obstacles to transmission such as your head or body
• Being indoors vs. outdoors

How Can I Improve Audio the Performance of My Headphones?

For the reasons mentioned above, some users may find it necessary to move the watch to the opposite wrist to improve reception. The location of the Bluetooth receiver on the headphones being used will vary in different brands and models, in either or both earbuds or in the control module, for example. With some models, it may be possible to wear the headphones in such a way that the Bluetooth receiver is not snug against your head, and in general not having the receiver tight against your head or body will improve Bluetooth reception. When you are indoors there are walls for the signal to bounce from between the watch and headphones, so often reception is far better indoors. To determine your best configuration may require some trial and error outdoors. Other possibilities may include:

Out-of-date Software

Confirm that your Bluetooth Headset is running the latest available system software. Consult your headphone manufacturer for assistance if needed. 

Confirm the Garmin device is running the latest version of software by connecting it to a computer and installing Garmin Express. Garmin Express will automatically check for and install any available updates once you have added the device to the program.

Headphones Paired to Another Device

If your headphones are paired to both your watch and your mobile phone, the phone can "steal" the BT connection to the headphones, causing the headphones to disconnect from the watch. In this case, either disconnect the headphones from your phone or temporarily disable BT on your phone while listening to music from your watch.

Low Battery

Headphones that have a low battery charge could cause the connection to drop.

Finally, some headphones have better receivers than others, and those with more sensitive receivers will work best with your Garmin device.