Garmin stopped taking new apps for its Connect API (the official way other apps pull your workouts and health data out of Garmin Connect) in March, after it went from a handful of applications a week to a flood of AI-built apps every day. It reopened the program on October 21 with three tiers, DC Rainmaker's Ray Maker reported. Personal gives one person their own activity and health data, full FIT workout files included, and Maker made a key in about eight seconds. Startup is free for apps with up to 1,000 users and adds the tools that send routes and structured workouts to your watch. Past 1,000 users, Enterprise adds technical support and a backfill of older history when someone connects, and it's paid: a $1,000 entry fee that counts toward a monthly per-user bill each company negotiates with Garmin. Garmin dropped its last fee, $5,000, in 2019. Existing partners have until April 1, 2027 to sort out payment, and they don't owe the entry fee.
Nothing changes in the Connect app, and you'll need to write a bit of code to use a key. The workout files the API sends are also missing some data, because Garmin strips fields it doesn't document from files delivered to other services. That's why Runalyze stopped getting VO2 max estimates, recovery time and performance condition through its automatic sync. Those numbers are still there if you download the file yourself from Garmin Connect. Connect IQ, the store for watch faces and apps, stays free and unchanged. If you've wanted your own dashboard of sleep and training, this is the first official way to build one without downloading files by hand.