How Do I Connect My Garmin Edge 820 to My Smartphone?
Cycle computers are a staple for any cyclist. Whenever the topic of cycle computers comes up, the name ‘Garmin’ follows. Garmin has revolutionized cycle computers to the extent that they can enhance your cycling experience.
Especially through the official smartphone app, Garmin can help the cyclists in many ways.
The 800 series is their first introduction to higher-end models of cycling computers, and Garmin Edge 820 is a fan favorite.
If you are a new user and wondering how do I connect my Garmin Edge 820 to my smartphone, then keep on reading. You’ll find your answer in this article.
Related Comparison: Garmin Edge 520 vs Garmin Edge 820
How to Pair Your Smartphone with Garmin Edge 820
Let’s dive into the instructions of how to pair your smartphone with the Garmin device –
Step 1: Getting the App and Prepping Your Garmin Device
First of all, go to your device’s respective application stores (Play Store for Android, App Store for iOS). Search for Garmin’s official app named “Garmin Connect” and download the app.
Then, keep your smartphone and your Garmin Edge 820 within 10 meters or 33 feet of each other so that you can effectively use Bluetooth.
From your Edge 820, go to settings and then select the option labeled ‘Phone’. Then choose the option labeled ‘Bluetooth’ and select ‘Enable.
After that, select ‘Pair Smartphone’. Note that if you see a previously paired smartphone’s name on the list, click on that and then choose ‘Forget Phone’ to remove the pairing beforehand.
Step 2: Connecting via Bluetooth
Go to your smartphone’s Bluetooth settings and turn Bluetooth on. Make sure the Bluetooth is set as visible to other nearby devices.
Find the name of your Garmin Edge 820 on the nearby Bluetooth devices list from your smartphone.
Select it, and a window will pop up, asking for Bluetooth pairing request from the Garmin device.
Choose ‘Pair’. Then open the Garmin Connect app and press the menu or ‘More’ button (upper left in Android devices and lower right in iPhones).
Step 3: Adding Your Garmin Device on the App
The options will be a bit different depending on whether your Garmin account was previously connected to a Garmin device or not.
If this isn’t the first device, then open the app in your phone, go to the menu (upper left in Android devices and lower right in iPhones), and then select the option ‘Garmin Devices’.
Then, select the option labeled ‘Add Device’. After that, choose ‘Browse All Compatible Devices’.
The app will now show a list of all Garmin or other devices compatible to use with the app through Bluetooth. Select ‘Edge’ from the list.
Note that you had already set the Edge 820 into Bluetooth pairing mode in a previous step.
If you had skipped that step before, do it now to go to the pairing mode in your Edge 820.
Then take your phone and select ‘Edge 820’ from the list on the screen and press ‘Start’.
After that, simply follow the instructions that appear on the screens of your phone and Garmin device to complete the pairing process.
Your Garmin Edge 820 should now be connected and paired to your smartphone through the Garmin Connect app with which you can check in the ‘Garmin Devices’ menu of the app to ensure it successfully paired up.
Related Comparison: Garmin Edge 830 vs 820
Why You Shouldn’t Skip Connecting to the App
Pairing your smartphone with your Edge 820 in order to use the Garmin Connect app is something you’re better off not avoiding as there are many interesting and useful features.
Features such as LiveTrack, GroupTrack, uploading activity live to the Garmin Connect app, course & workout downloads, device-to-device transfer, social media interactions through the app, weather updates, notifications, messages, audio prompts, incident detection, etc. all take your cycling experience to the next level.
Some of these features enhance user experience though shared activities with people that have similar interests in your area.
‘Incident detection’ helps you get help ASAP in case of emergencies. Route downloads and weather updates make the ride easier. Visit the official Garmin website to learn more about all the features.
Troubleshooting: Unable to Pair Smartphone after Garmin Edge 820 Update
There is a software update for the Garmin Edge 820 that redesigned how the Edge 820 communicates with phones when paired with one via the Garmin Connect application.
This made pairing with the smartphone troublesome for some users. Here is how you can fix it if that happens.
Step 1: Removing the Existing Connection from the App
First, you have to remove the connection between your smartphone and the Garmin Edge 820.
To do that, launch the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone and go to the menu (upper left in Android devices and lower right in iPhones).Choose the option called ‘Garmin Devices’ from the list.
You can find the Edge 820 in the screen that appears. Select it and then tap the three-dotted button icon in the upper right corner of the screen. A pop-up window will appear; choose ‘Remove Device’ from it.
Another pop-up window will appear, asking if you really want to remove the Edge 820 from the device; select ‘Remove’.
Step 2: Removing the Existing Connection from Bluetooth
After the first step, you may get a notification labeled ‘Attention Required!’. If that happens, close the app and skip to the next step.
But if your smartphone runs using iOS, you will have to remove the Edge 820 from your phone’s Bluetooth settings. This step is not required for Android users.
To remove the Edge 820 from Bluetooth settings, go to settings and then select ‘Bluetooth’.
Under the ‘My Devices’ option, you will find two devices named ‘BT_Edge 820” and “Edge 820”. Select the little ‘i’ icon on the left of the names and then choose the option ‘Forget This Device’ for both of them.
Step 3: Reconnecting the Garmin Device to the App
Now all you have to do is to connect the Garmin Edge 820 back again to your smartphone by following the instructions in the previous section.
Conclusion
That’s all, folks! Now it is time for you to browse all the wonderful features the app offers to the users and really enjoy cycling even more.
I hope this article genuinely helped you and cleared all of your confusion. Thanks for reading and happy riding!