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Safety and Tracking Features

CAUTION

The safety and tracking features are supplemental features and should not be relied on as a primary method to obtain emergency assistance. The Garmin Connect™ app does not contact emergency services on your behalf.

NOTICE

To use the safety and tracking features, the Forerunner® watch must be connected to the Garmin Connect app using Bluetooth® technology. Your paired phone must be equipped with a data plan and be in an area of network coverage where data is available. You can enter emergency contacts in your Garmin Connect account.

For more information about safety and tracking features, go to www.garmin.com/safety.

Assistance

Allows you to send a message with your name, LiveTrack link, and GPS location (if available) to your emergency contacts.

Incident detection

When the Forerunner watch detects an incident during certain outdoor activities, the watch sends an automated message, LiveTrack link, and GPS location (if available) to your emergency contacts.

LiveTrack

Allows friends and family to follow your races and training activities in real time. You can invite followers using email or social media, allowing them to view your live data on a web page.

Live Event Sharing
Allows you to send messages to friends and family during an event, providing real-time updates.
NOTE: This feature is available only if your watch is connected to a compatible Android™ phone.
GroupTrack

Allows you to keep track of your connections using LiveTrack directly on screen and in real time.

Adding Emergency Contacts

Emergency contact phone numbers are used for the safety and tracking features.

  1. From the Garmin Connect app, select Menu symbol.
  2. Select Safety & Tracking > Safety Features > Emergency Contacts > Add Emergency Contacts.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Your emergency contacts receive a notification when you add them as an emergency contact, and can accept or decline your request. If a contact declines, you must choose another emergency contact.

Adding Contacts

You can add up to 50 contacts to the Garmin Connect app. Contact emails can be used with the LiveTrack feature. Three of these contacts can be used as emergency contacts (Adding Emergency Contacts (LTE)).

  1. From the Garmin Connect app, select Menu symbol.
  2. Select Contacts.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

After you add contacts, you must sync your data to apply the changes to your Forerunner device (Manually Syncing Data with Garmin Connect).

Turning Incident Detection On and Off

CAUTION

Incident detection is a supplemental feature available only for certain outdoor activities. Incident detection should not be relied on as a primary method to obtain emergency assistance. The Garmin Connect app does not contact emergency services on your behalf.

NOTICE

Before you can enable incident detection on your watch, you must set up emergency contacts in the Garmin Connect app (Adding Emergency Contacts (LTE)). Your paired phone must be equipped with a data plan and be in an area of network coverage where data is available. Your emergency contacts must be able to receive emails or text messages (standard text messaging rates may apply).

  1. From the watch face, hold Menu symbol.
  2. Select Safety & Tracking > Incident Detection.
  3. Select a GPS activity.
    NOTE: Incident detection is available only for certain outdoor activities.

When an incident is detected by your Forerunner watch and your phone is connected, the Garmin Connect app can send an automated text message and email with your name and GPS location (if available) to your emergency contacts. A message appears on your device and paired phone indicating your contacts will be informed after 15 seconds have elapsed. If assistance is not needed, you can cancel the automated emergency message.

Requesting Assistance

CAUTION

Assistance is a supplemental feature and should not be relied upon as a primary method to obtain emergency assistance. The Garmin Connect app does not contact emergency services on your behalf.

NOTICE

Before you can request assistance, you must set up emergency contacts in the Garmin Connect app (Adding Emergency Contacts (LTE)). Your paired phone must be equipped with a data plan and be in an area of network coverage where data is available. Your emergency contacts must be able to receive emails or text messages (standard text messaging rates may apply).

  1. Hold Power symbol .
  2. When you feel three vibrations, release the button to activate the assistance feature.

    The countdown screen appears.

    TIP: Before the countdown is complete, you can hold any button to cancel the message.

Live Event Sharing

Live event sharing allows you to send messages to friends and family during an event, providing real-time updates including cumulative time and last lap time. Before the event, you can customize the list of recipients and the message content in the Garmin Connect app.

Turning On Live Event Sharing

Before you can use live event sharing, you must set up the LiveTrack feature in the Garmin Connect app.

NOTE: LiveTrack features are available when your Forerunner watch is connected to the Garmin Connect app using Bluetooth technology, with a compatible Android phone.
  1. In the Garmin Connect app, from the settings menu, select Safety & Tracking > Live Event Sharing.

    You can customize the message triggers and options.

  2. Go outside, and select a GPS activity on your Forerunner watch.
    NOTE: This feature is not available for all activities.
  3. Select Menu symbol > Live Event Sharing > Sharing.

    Live event sharing is enabled for 24 hours.

  4. Select Recipients to add people from your contacts.

Spectator Messaging

NOTE: Your paired phone must be equipped with a data plan and be in an area of network coverage where data is available.
Spectator messaging is a feature that allows your LiveTrack followers to send you audio and text messages during your run activity. You can set up this feature in the LiveTrack settings of the Garmin Connect app. To receive audio messages, you must have Bluetooth headphones connected to your watch.

Blocking Spectator Messages

If you want to block spectator messages, Garmin® recommends turning it off before you start the activity.
TIP: If you have already started an activity, you can block spectator messages from the incoming message (START > Disable).
  1. Go outside, and select a GPS activity on your Forerunner device.
  2. Select Menu symbol > LiveTrack > Spectator Messaging.

Starting a GroupTrack Session

Before you can start a GroupTrack session, you must pair the watch with a compatible phone (Pairing Your Phone).

NOTE: Your paired phone must be equipped with a data plan and be in an area of network coverage where data is available.

These instructions are for starting a GroupTrack session with a Forerunner watch. If your connections have other compatible devices, you can see them on the map. The other devices may not be able to display GroupTrack riders on the map.

  1. On the watch, hold Menu symbol, and select Safety & Tracking > LiveTrack > GroupTrack > Show on Map to enable viewing connections on the map screen.
  2. In the Garmin Connect app, from the settings menu, select Safety & Tracking > LiveTrack > Menu symbol > Settings > GroupTrack.
  3. Select All Connections or Invite Only and select your connections.
  4. Select Start LiveTrack.
  5. On the watch, start an outdoor activity.
  6. Scroll to the map to view your connections.

Tips for GroupTrack Sessions

The GroupTrack feature allows you to keep track of other connections in your group using LiveTrack directly on the screen. All members of the group must be your connections in your Garmin Connect account.

  • Start your activity outside using GPS.
  • Pair your Forerunner device with your smartphone using Bluetooth technology.
  • In the Garmin Connect app, from the settings menu, select Connections to update the list of connections for your GroupTrack session.
  • Make sure all of your connections pair to their smartphones and start a LiveTrack session in the Garmin Connect app.
  • Make sure all your connections are in range (40 km or 25 mi.).
  • During a GroupTrack session, scroll to the map to view your connections (Adding a Map to an Activity).

GroupTrack Settings

Hold Menu symbol, and select Safety & Tracking > LiveTrack > GroupTrack.

Visible To

Allows you to select who can see your GroupTrack session.

Show on Map

Enables you to view connections on the map screen during a GroupTrack session.

Activity Types

Allows you to select which activity types appear on the map screen during a GroupTrack session.

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March 2024
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