- Garmin released its new subscription service in March
- It has proven extremely unpopular with users
- CEO Cliff Pemble says the response has been positive, and says the company will likely reserve some premium features for it going forward
Garmin claims the response to its Connect+ subscription service “has been positive,” but it’s also hinted at a future where premium features are reserved for behind the paywall, in what is likely to be seen as another blow to loyal users.
During its recent Q1 2025 earnings call, Garmin announced earnings of $1.54 billion, up 11% year on year, and a record $330 million in operating income.
Naturally, questions and concerns revolved around the impact of tariffs on Garmin’s business. However, CEO Cliff Pemble also touched on the launch of its controversial Garmin Connect+ service, with some news that users of the best Garmins devices won’t want to hear.
In the opening Q&A, Pemble was asked about Garmin’s decision to launch Connect+ when it did, given the company’s previous reservations about charging its customers for more features.
“I think we’ve been saying for a while that we are evaluating opportunities to have a premium offering on Garmin Connect,” Pemble responded. “I think the developments of AI and particularly around AI-based insights for our users was one of those things that we felt was important to recognize the value for the investment that it takes to do.”
He added that “we felt like it was the right time,” and echoed previous sentiments that Connect+ isn’t a requirement for users, and that the company hasn’t taken away any previously free features from users.
A positive response?
Pemble claimed the response to Connect+ “has been positive,” despite widespread user outcry over the principle of a subscription service and specific complaints about the extremely thin offering Connect+ currently gives users.
Active Intelligence insights, in particular, are woefully basic, and mocking them has become something of a sport over on the Garmin Subreddit.
In passing, Pemble also dropped a very quiet bombshell. Noting the broad range of features available to users currently, he said, “certain ones, we will likely reserve for premium offerings.” It’s the clearest confirmation yet that Garmin plans to introduce future premium features to its lineup that will only be accessible to Garmin Connect+ subscribers.
The news is a double-edged sword, of course. Garmin is under fire in part because the Connect+ offering isn’t fantastic, so adding more features to it is a key part of improving the product. However, that will mean some features aren’t accessible to users who don’t pay, a fact that goes to the heart of why Garmin users seem so opposed to a subscription service in principle.
Garmin users’ worst fears, that a growing subscription service will eventually see more and more features hidden behind a paywall, are quickly being realized.
That’s not such a burden if you’ve spent a relatively small sum on a Garmin Forerunner 55, but for those who’ve spent the best part of $1,000 / £1,000 on a Fenix 8 hoping for Garmin’s most premium experience, it could prove a bitter pill to swallow.
You can read the transcript of the earnings call, or listen to a recording on YouTube. Pemble’s Connect+ remarks can be found beginning at 19 minutes and 40 seconds.
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stephen.warwick@futurenet.com (Stephen Warwick)
