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This week Garmin launched the Cirqa, its first screenless smart band, for $199.99. Right out of the gate, Garmin leaned into marketing the Cirqa as a Whoop alternative that does not require a subscription. However, that “subscription-free” promise is already under fire.
Within these first few days of the Cirqa’s long-awaited launch, users have begun voicing concerns that some very basic workout features require a Garmin Connect+ subscription—namely, live heart rate displays. Luckily, Garmin has already responded to the outcry, confirming that an update should fix this issue within the next couple of days. Here’s what we know so far.
Garmin will roll out Cirqa updates in the next few days
Hands-on testing this week revealed that if you want to see your current heart rate during a workout, you’d need to sign up for a Garmin Connect+ subscription for $6.99 per month. Without paying, you could only see your average heart rate after finishing a workout—not a live reading, which is extremely useful during the exercise itself.
Others have pointed out that the change appears to be a direct response to the backlash the Cirqa received in its first days on the market. When I asked Garmin for comment, a rep told me: “We’ll be rolling out live heart rate during activities in the next Garmin Connect Mobile build. This subscription-free feature will be available in the next few days to Cirqa Smart Band customers.”
Even still, it’s important to note that not all features are available without a subscription. Garmin Connect locks a whole range of advanced features behind a subscription paywall, from Garmin Coach (which can create personalized training plans), to nutrition tracking, meditation, and breathing exercises.
To Garmin’s credit, the reversal came fast. Still, Cirqa’s entire pitch is built around not needing a monthly fee, so locking something as fundamental as a live heart rate reading behind Connect+ was always going to look bad. It’s worth noting that competing screenless trackers like the Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap show it for free, too.
What this means for you
The bigger story here is Garmin’s (and other fitness trackers’) ominous pattern of paywalling things. With this week’s live heart rate outcry, it looks like plenty of Cirqa users instinctively interpreted what could have been a software bug as some sort of corporate ploy. Garmin has spent the last couple of years steadily moving more functionality into Connect+, and each time it does, longtime users brace for the next basic feature to disappear behind that wall.
I asked a rep directly about whether “subscription-free” promises could change down the line. With standard disclaimers about not speaking to any future roadmap, Garmin says it won’t suddenly wall off features that are free today. Any future paid tier would be additive, with new features available behind a subscription, rather than existing stuff pulled behind a paywall. None of this is confirmed, but it’s a fairly predictable shape a future paywall would take, so I’ll be keeping an eye on it for you.
