Garmin adds automatic sync with Strava and Komoot routes

As I said yesterday at the presentation of the Garmin Varia Radar RTL515Garmin has decided to start moving the machinery. Logically, this not only includes the presentation of products, but also the launch and announcement of new functionalities.

Today's is just a quick note, because it doesn't have much content to expand on either. Basically, Garmin has added the ability to sync routes from two different platforms (Strava and Komoot), automatically with their platform.

Until now, both possibilities were already present through their respective Connect IQ application. You downloaded the application, made the relevant configuration of your account and requested the download of the routes that you had in each of these platforms.

Why is today's announcement important? Well, first of all because it is at the platform API level, and not at the device level. That is, Garmin Connect will be connected with Komoot and Strava (it was before, but not for route synchronization), so the synchronization will be automatic between those platforms and your device using Connect as a bridge, and it will be automatic.

Since it does not rely on Connect IQ, it is perfectly compatible with older models that either do not have a current version of IQ or do not even support the platform.

But best of all, it's something that just... works! You create the route in either app, save it and then sync your device (with your computer, mobile or via WiFi) and - ta-da! the route will appear on your Edge or GPS watch.

And getting it up and running is just as easy.

Synchronizing Strava routes with Garmin

Most likely you already have your Strava account synchronized with your Garmin account (this is the way your workouts are automatically sent to the social network). Anyway, I remind you that you must do it through Settings -> My apps.

Since you most likely already had the synchronization enabled, you need to access in Garmin Connect to Account Settings -> Account Information (or by clicking on this link) and you will see a new option that you must activate to allow the synchronization of routes created or saved in Strava.

Once you do that, every time you create a route in Strava, it will automatically appear on your device at the next sync, but you have to mark it as a favorite by clicking on the star button. That tells the platform that it's an important route for you, and it will sync to your device.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all the routes that you have right now in the platform will be synchronized. If you already have a route created right now, you will have to unmark it as a favorite and mark it again, so that the synchronization of that route is activated.

And that's it. That route will appear on your watch or cyclocomputer at the next synchronization, without you having to touch anything anywhere else.

Synchronize Komoot routes with Garmin

As for Komoot, more of the same. You will have to access your Komoot account and activate the synchronization with Garmin, if you didn't have it activated before (because you used the Connect IQ application).

After a few screens confirming where and how your information is going, the full synchronization section will appear. The last section is new.

As the message indicates, the behavior is a little different from Strava. When you press the "Sync Courses" button, Komoot will automatically send the last 50 routes that you have created or marked as favorites on the platform. And, from that moment on, all the others will be synchronized.

Once this is done, and after synchronizing the device, you will magically find it in the route menu of your device as well.

 

That's it, a simple one-time activation and from then on, everything you create or bookmark on either platform will appear on your Garmin device.

And with that... thanks for reading!