How to Get Text Messages and Clear Notifications on Garmin Forerunner

You can make necessary changes to your Garmin Forerunner in the Garmin Connect app. Here, you can get text messages, adjust your notifications, and customize other settings. However, Garmin doesn’t exactly provide a clear explanation when it comes to making these changes.

Here, I’ll talk about how you can use the Garmin Connect app to personalize your watch’s notifications and how it receives text messages.

How to Get Text Messages on Your Garmin Forerunner

You’ll first need to pair your Garmin Forerunner to your phone to get text messages. To do this:

1. Open the Garmin Connect app.
2. Choose “More” on the lower right-hand side.
3. Select “Garmin Devices.”
4. Tap “Add Device.”
5. Choose your watch.
6. Fill in the required information.

Next, you’ll have to put your watch in pairing mode, as it relies on Bluetooth to send and receive data. So, before going a single step further, make sure that your phone’s Bluetooth is on. Then, put your watch in pairing mode by following these steps:

1. Press the button on the watch’s right side.
2. Press the bottom left button to navigate to the menu.
3. Select “Settings.”
4. Choose “Bluetooth.”
5. Select “Pair Mobile Device.”

Once your phone is discoverable, and your watch is in pairing mode:

1. Open the Garmin Connect app.
2. Tap “Device.”
3. Click “Device Settings.”

Now, you can enable text notifications. If this didn’t work, go to your phone’s settings, and check the app’s widget. Here, you can make additional changes, including whether the app can access your location.

How to Clear Notifications on Your Garmin Forerunner

Garmin purposefully made clearing notifications easy. When a notification appears:

1. Tap the running man icon.
2. Tap “V” to clear the notification.

If you want to view previous notifications, go to the “time of day” screen. Now, select “^” to view all notifications from the notification widget. Remember: if you synced your device to your smartphone, you could also check notifications from that device.

What Happens if You Can’t Clear Notifications?

If you can’t clear notifications from your Garmin Forerunner, your best bet is to reset your device. This will effectively clear notifications that keep popping back up. To do this:

1. Go to the menu.
2. Choose “Settings.”
3. Hit “System.”
4. Tap “Restore Defaults.” Then, hit “Yes.”

This will restore your device to factory settings like you’re taking it out of the box for the first time.

Managing What Notifications You Get on the Garmin Forerunner

When you’re out for your morning run, you might care less about incoming call notifications. Text messages from your kids, however, could be a different story. Thankfully, you can manage what notifications you get via the Garmin Connect app.

This process largely depends on what type of phone you have, as configuration depends on whether you have an Apple or Android phone.

How to Manage Notifications from Your Apple Phone

Sick of constantly dismissing pesky Facebook messages? Not a problem. If you have an iOS phone, you can manage what notifications you get by following these steps:

1. Go to settings.
2. Tap on “Notifications.”
3. Click on the Garmin Connect app.

Now, you’ll see three phones, each with varying alert display styles. By unchecking each of them, you prevent certain notifications from displaying on your Garmin Forerunner.

How to Manage Notifications from Your Android Phone

Follow these steps to manage your notifications from your Android phone:

1. Open the Garmin Connect app.
2. Choose the blue and black rectangle at the upper left-hand corner.
3. Tap “Settings.”
4. Select “Notifications.”
5. Hit “App Notifications.”

From this screen, you can choose with notifications appear on your watch. By managing your phone’s alerts, you can avoid constantly having to delete messages from your phone.

Can You Respond to Your Garmin Forerunner’s Notifications?

Your Garmin Forerunner depends on your smartphone’s data. So, if you get an alert on your phone, chances are, you’ll get it on your watch, too. Whether you can respond to the notification—and how you do so—depends on the type of alert it is:

• If you get a phone call, you can accept or reject the call. Your watch also doubles as a small speaker (if your smartphone is in range).
• If you get a text message, you can reply by tapping an automated response on the screen. This only works for Android phones, though.
• If you get a voicemail, you can call the number back, although you’ll have to take the call on your phone.

You can dismiss Facebook messages, missed calls, and other notifications by using the measures listed above. However, you cannot interact with these alerts other than dismissing them, for that, you’ll need to use your phone. Click here to learn more about how you can interact with certain notifications.

What to Do If You Can’t Get Text Messages or Notifications

If you can’t receive texts or notifications on your Garmin Forerunner, chances are the issue is with your phone’s settings, not your watch. If you’re not getting text messages or notifications, ensure that your watch and phone’s Bluetooth are on.

Also, if you’re not getting messages on your phone, chances are you’re not getting them on your Garmin Forerunner. Contact your service provider if this is an issue.

Conclusion

When you unbox your Garmin Forerunner for the first time, it won’t automatically connect to your phone and start receiving messages. You have to go through a series of steps first. From there, clearing messages is as simple as tapping on the watch’s screen.