Setting up Watch Walks on Garmin

For Forerunner, Fenix, Venu, Vivoactive, Epix, Instinct and other Connect IQ watches

On Garmin, you install one free Watch Walks app from the Connect IQ store, and it comes with the Inca Trail free. You buy any other trails in the free phone companion, and they sync straight to your watch. The whole setup takes about five minutes.

What you'll need

• A Garmin watch that supports Connect IQ apps (most models from the last few years).
• The free Garmin Connect app on your phone, with your watch paired to it.
• A Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection so the watch can download the app.

Step 1 · Install Garmin Connect and pair your watch

1. Install Garmin Connect from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Open it, sign in (or create a free Garmin account), and follow the prompts to pair your watch over Bluetooth.
3. Make sure the watch shows as connected in Garmin Connect before moving on.

Step 2 · Add Watch Walks from the Connect IQ store

1. In Garmin Connect, open the menu and choose Connect IQ Store (or install the separate Connect IQ app and open that).
2. Search for Watch Walks and open the app listing.
3. Tap Download (it's free, and the Inca Trail is included). Choose your watch if you have more than one.
4. Garmin queues the app and installs it the next time your watch syncs.

Step 3 · Sync your watch

1. Keep your watch close to your phone with Bluetooth on.
2. In Garmin Connect, pull down to sync (or wait for the automatic sync). The app transfers to your watch.

Step 4 · Open it once on your watch

1. On the watch, open the app list (or glance/widget list) and launch Watch Walks once.
2. It reads the steps you've already taken today and starts you down the trail.

Step 5 · Add the phone companion (this is where you get more trails)

The free Watch Walks companion app shows your journey on a living map, the story of each landmark, and the medal for every trail you finish. It is also where you browse and buy other trails, which then sync to your watch.

1. Install the free companion app on your phone (iPhone or Android).
2. Open it. It reads your progress straight from your watch over Bluetooth (through Connect IQ). Tap Sync any time to refresh.
3. To walk a different trail, choose it (or buy it) in the companion and it becomes your active trail on the watch.

How walking works on Garmin

Your everyday steps move you along the trail, with no GPS and no walk to track. One Garmin detail to know: the watch only sends your steps to the trail while the Watch Walks app is open. So open it on your watch now and then (and before you sync to the companion) to bring your progress up to date. Reach a landmark and its short story opens, and reach the end and you've conquered the trail.

Getting more trails

You buy other trails in the free phone companion, not the Connect IQ store. Open the companion, browse the trails, and buy the one you want. One payment, yours to keep. It becomes your active trail and syncs to your watch over Bluetooth. Only one trail is active on the watch at a time, the one your steps are counting toward.

Troubleshooting

• The app didn't appear on my watch. Open Garmin Connect and sync again; downloads install on the next sync. Check the watch has enough free space.
• My progress looks behind. Open Watch Walks on the watch to send the latest steps, then sync the companion.
• The companion shows "no trail on your watch yet." Make sure the trail finished installing on the watch and that you've opened it once.
• Still stuck? Email watchwalksupport@gmail.com.

Get Watch Walks on Garmin, free