Garmin will make live heart rate data available for free to owners of its new Cirqa band, sports tech blogger Ray Maker reports, one of a few key features on the wearable that previously required a Garmin Connect+ subscription to access. The company launched the $200 Garmin Cirqa as a direct challenger to screenless fitness bands like the Whoop 5.0 and Fitbit Air and differentiated itself by offering even more smart features without requiring a subscription. After some feedback from reviewers who received the band early, the deal is apparently getting even sweeter.
“Garmin will be making a change to Garmin Connect Mobile in the coming days, so you’ll now be able to see Live HR from Cirqa during a workout (previously, you could only see workout Average HR unless you had Garmin Connect+),” Maker says. “See…feedback works. Sometimes.”
Good news update! Garmin will be making a change to Garmin Connect Mobile in the coming days, so you'll now be able to see Live HR from Cirqa during a workout (previously, you could only see workout Average HR unless you had Garmin Connect+). See…feedback works. Sometimes. 🙂 https://t.co/q5qL8T4YhZ
— Ray Maker (@dcrainmakerblog) July 22, 2026
Gizmodo has contacted Garmin for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
While the Cirqa supports features like activity and sleep tracking and Garmin’s Body Battery and Training Readiness scores for free, the company launched the device with select features locked behind its Garmin Connect+ paywall. Calorie tracking, personalized nutrition recommendations, dedicated wheelchair workouts, Garmin Coach training plans, and live activity metrics like heart rate were all features previously locked behind a subscription. Now live heart rate data is the exception.
Garmin makes live heart rate viewable for free on its other smartwatches and fitness trackers, so the fact the feature required a subscription on the Cirqa was unusual. Then again, because the device doesn’t have a screen and is seemingly designed for more casual fitness enthusiasts, maybe the limitation made sense.
Either way, the company is still offering what seems like a competitive deal compared to Google and Whoop. Cirqa costs $200, and a Garmin Connect+ subscription is $7 per month or $70 per year. In comparison, Whoop costs a minimum of $200 per year (the company only offers its hardware through a subscription), and Google’s Fitbit Air costs $99 with an optional $10 per month or $100 per year Google Health Premium subscription.
