Garmin 'OK Garmin' voice feature drains watch battery, owners say
Fenix 8 and Forerunner 970 users report estimated battery life falling 35% to 50% after enabling the hands-free wake word, according to Android Authority.
Owners of Garmin's Fenix 8 and Forerunner 970 smartwatches report that enabling the new "OK Garmin" hands-free voice feature cuts estimated battery life by 35% to 50%, according to Android Authority. Complaints have been accumulating on Garmin's support forums over the past month.
Some Forerunner 970 owners say their watch's battery estimate fell from 15 days to nine after the wake word was turned on. Other users describe drops of 35% to 50% in the remaining battery estimates shown on their devices.
Turning off the "OK Garmin" wake word restores the previous battery estimates, users report, without losing manual voice commands — the feature can still be triggered by hand rather than by voice.
The complaints follow a recent Garmin feature drop that introduced all-day fall detection, new running tools and hands-free voice commands using the "OK Garmin" hotword.
What owners can do
For now, the reported workaround is to disable the always-listening wake word in the watch settings. Garmin has not issued a public statement on the reports.
Quick answers
Why is my Garmin Fenix 8 battery draining faster?
Some owners link the drop to the "OK Garmin" hands-free voice wake word, reporting estimated battery life falling by 35% to 50% after enabling it.
How do I fix the battery drain on a Forerunner 970?
Users report that disabling the "OK Garmin" wake word restores previous battery estimates while manual voice commands still work.