Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought the Garmin Vivosmart because I needed a good activity tracker but wanted something that also would give me messages and calls if my phone was going off. For the first few months this worked great for what I needed. Then I started noticing that isn't staying synced with my HTC M8 very well anymore, so I don't get my incoming call or message notifications when I need them as often and the worst part of it is that the band is breaking apart. The top of it looks good but the underneath portion is cracking and pieces are falling off it. I would like to have a product that will stay synced with my phone and be good for day to day use over a few years, not 7 month.

I really want to like this device. It has everything you've wanted in a nice, clean package. But the software is buggy and needs some work. --Battery life is poor. Garmin states that the battery will last up to 7 days; mine would last only one day. Additionally, I would set the sleep function with almost a full battery and it would die in the middle of the night. --Mine would frequently lose the Bluetooth connection, and it was a huge pain reconnecting. The last time this happened, I finally gave up and returned the device. On the plus side, Garmin tech support is outstanding. After I contacted them about the battery problem, they cordially offered to send me a replacement. I truly hope they get the bugs worked out with the software. This device could be awesome, but right now it is not worth the hassle. Should my replacement turn out better, I'll update my review.

My original band worked fine for a few months. After the first firmware update the screen became less functional and almost impossible to use. At the same time, I noticed that the edges of the screen were not visible. After a few more days it became obvious that many of the pixels stopped working. It took two months of going through Garmin's support network to get a refurbished replacement. Within weeks of receiving the replacement, it too started to have the same issues. I'm still trying to get another a replacement from Garmin. I highly recommend that you look at Fitbit or another manufacturer.....

Once it was set up, it works nicely but it did take more effort than usual from some tech savvy users. And the band clasp is very unreliable.

Received this as an early Christmas present. I have been very disappointed. 1. I have to be very close to my phone (about 20-30 feet) or it becomes unpaired. very annoying when I am at work and its constantly buzzing on my wrist telling me its pairing and unpairing. I wish the range is longer. 2. it doesn't count my steps accurately, sometimes not at all. I am not sure if I don't swing my arms enough or what but yesterday I was walking into a restaurant after a long car drive and as I was walking (and swinging my arms) it told me to move! its almost comical. 3. In the last few days it has come completely unpaired from my phone twice and won't reconnect. I have had to restart the phone to get it to recognize it. I don't know if this is an issue with the phone or the watch. The phone isn't loosing anything else its paired with, just the watch. I would return this watch but as I said it was a gift so I guess I will have to wear it.

First Vivosmart lasted four months until LED failed with vertical lines showing up throughout. After a hassle to get the item replaced by Garmin the replacement failed with the same issue after less than two months. Still fighting with Garmin to get a refund and move a different brand. They admitted to sending a replacement with no known solve for the issue, Horrible customer service at Garmin. Will never buy another Garmin product.

After one month of daily use the screen died out. I called Garmin and they sent me a replacement and the replacement is also not working. The display kept on saying garminconnect.com/vivosmart. The customer service person could not help me make my device to work so I will have to send it back again and I will have to wait again. DO NOT BUY, those who bought this will probably use it only for a couple of months and it will break. NOT WORTH IT! VivoSmart as a product is not there yet. Better look for something else, you will be disappointed after a while.

This thing works ok. It's not particularly good at any one thing, and the amount of "stuff" that comes on to it is a pain to clear. They update the software constantly, so the platform - if it is good enough - allows the device to improve. Watch the market. There are tons of these things on the market and they are all pretty similar.

I want to love this device, but the battery is lasting from 20-40 hours. I am not using the heart monitor and my brightness is on low. This is just not acceptable. I actually really like the touch interface and all of the other features are inline with what I expected.

The VivoSmart is decent and will continue to work as long as you install the ap, but My LED Display quit working w/I 3 months of purchase. Of course I did not keep my Receipt to Best Buy but I also did not purchase the protection plan. I did however call Garmin and they were more than accommodating. They issued me a return authorization and they took the defective item back. They had the identical item on back order so when I called about the back order they offered to ship out the VivoSmart HR in its place. I feel this was more than fair on their part. I would not purchase this item again and am not sure I recommend it to anyone else. I will review the VivoSmart HR once I have had it for a while.

My husband and I both got one and the screens start messing up to where you can't see the top or bottom of the display to read your messages, steps and so on. Other then that it serves its purpose.

Love all the things it does, but I have now purchased 2 and they have both stop working 1 to 3 days after the return date, either it stops syncing or the entire screen stops working. I am very disappointed in the product. Do not waste your money.

Garmin is well known for its horrible software and this product is a prime example. I'm technical and I've spent 5 hours with this thing and it's going back and the Fitbit it back on my wrist. I REALLY wanted this thing to work. Nothing works if you want to add and ANT devices Completely disjointed applications between the mobile app, the desktop apps! Just look at the Garmin forums at what you'll need to do to even try to dig and get this thing to work. Maybe try again in a year after Garmin has rev'd the hardware, firmware and applications. If you're an early adopter forget it.

I hate my garmin! I'm on my 4th one in 3 months. As soon as I remotely get mine wet it stops working! Not worth the money!

Be sure to check the compatibility page. This device does not work with many of the most common Android phones (e.g., the Nexus 4, 5). The bluetooth connects and disconnects. This is a WIDELY experienced problem that is being routinely dismissed by Garmin staff (according to my email conversations and the experiences of others noted on forums). If you do buy, you will end up having to re-pair the device many times per day.

It worked pretty well for 8 months but later the display wasn't working properly

I purchased my first VivoSmart in November 2014 and in the last 18 months have had more due to screen failures. The screen technology (both display and touch) are not good enough for an Activity Tracker, perhaps sufficient for just those who walk and fun (hiking, cycling, kayaking, yardwork are overly strenuous on this device). I had high hopes for Garmin technology (still have a GPS map device from 2002 working well) but their latest products with the "get it to market quick" approach have lost the reliability of the older products.

I love all the notification features as they really work. I have iPhone 6+ with iOS 8.0.2 and it paired within 5 mins. I am tech savvy and know what I am doing so it only took me couple mins but it's not rocket science for this to pair with apple product. I tried with my Android phone and it's a nightmare. My main reason for returning and or exchanging this product is that the step count is ridiculous wrong. I counted and walked 10 steps and i shows me well over 60+. While driving it's counting steps for me which defeats the purpose of a fitness band. I woke up at 6:30 AM and current time is 9:48 AM and I have already walked 4300+ steps. It doesn't do the basic thing that a Fitness Band should do so I am going to give it one more chance and will exchange it but if it's same then i will be using my Fit Bit Flex.

love-hate!! Battery only lasted 24 hours with bluetooth on and only 36 hours with bluetooth off. Band shows battery is full and then two hours later low battery appears (with vibration) and unit turns off. Love the vibration to move, but is it worth the 1 day battery life??? NO! (Yes my OLED illumination is turned down low to help conserve battery) Returning my vivosmart!!! So sad had such great hopes. Another annoyance - vivosmart tracks steps when you are driving..... what???? With bluetooth in my car, there is no signal/tracker to let vivosmart know I'm driving..... HELLO Garmin???

This is the second Vivosmart I have had and neither one of them tracks the steps accurately. I have checked it over and over and it only counts about 70% of the steps I take. Very disappointing.