Garmin wearable devices are designed as tools that give you information to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle. Garmin wearables rely on sensors that track your movement and other metrics. The data and information provided by these devices are intended to give a close estimation of your activity and tracked metrics, but may not be completely accurate. Garmin wearables are not medical devices, and the data they provide is not intended to be used for medical purposes or to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Garmin recommends consulting your doctor before beginning any exercise programme.
Wrist-based heart rate accuracy (Elevate)
Garmin's wearable optical wrist heart rate (HR) monitors are valuable tools that provide an accurate estimate of the user's heart rate at any given moment. The optical HR monitor is designed to try to track the user's heart rate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How often heart rate is measured varies and may depend on the user's activity level. When you start an activity with a Garmin optical HR device, the optical HR monitor measures more frequently. The aim is to give the user more frequent and more accurate heart rate readings during that activity.
Although our wrist HR monitor technology is state of the art, there are inherent limitations to the technology that may cause some heart rate readings to be inaccurate under certain circumstances. These circumstances include the user's physical characteristics, the fit of the device, and the type and intensity of the activity mentioned above. Heart rate monitor data is not intended to be used for medical purposes or to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease or condition.
Wrist heart rate accuracy during swimming is very limited or does not work on some Garmin wearable devices. Garmin does not recommend using wrist heart rate for swimming activities unless the wearable has a swim activity profile in which wrist heart rate can be enabled. The product description of the wearable will indicate whether it has a swim profile that allows wrist heart rate to be enabled. Please note that on some older devices, wrist heart rate is intentionally disabled in swim activity profiles. For the best heart rate readings while swimming, Garmin recommends using compatible devices with the HRM-Swim™ or HRM-Tri™ heart rate straps.
Wrist-based Pulse Ox accuracy
Pulse oximetry (Pulse Ox) readings are available on certain Garmin wearable devices. Using this feature can provide an estimate of the user's peripheral blood oxygen saturation (SpO2%). The feature can be set to monitor continuously, including while the user is asleep. On certain devices, it can also be used for periodic monitoring throughout the day together with the user's altitude information.
Although every effort is made to ensure high accuracy, there are certain limitations that may cause inaccurate measurements. For example, the user's physical characteristics, the fit of the device and the presence of ambient light may affect readings. Garmin may release software updates over time to improve aspects of the measurement. Pulse Ox data is not intended to be used for medical purposes or to diagnose, prevent or treat any disease or condition.
Excessive movement and the position of the device may affect the accuracy of readings. For the best accuracy, it is important to keep your hand / the sensor still for about a minute.
