Garmin will make live heart rate data available for free to owners of its new Cirqa band, sports tech blogger Ray Maker reports, one of a few key features on the wearable that previously required a Garmin Connect+ subscription to access. The company launched the $200 Garmin Cirqa as a direct challenger to screenless fitness bands like the Whoop 5.0 and Fitbit Air and differentiated itself by offering even more smart features without requiring a subscription. After some feedback from reviewers who received the band early, the deal is apparently getting even sweeter. “Garmin will be making a change to Garmin Connect Mobile in the coming days, so you’ll now be able to see Live HR from Cirqa during a workout (previously, you could only see workout Average HR unless you had Garmin Connect+),” Maker says. “See…feedback works. Sometimes.” Good news update! Garmin will be making a change to Garmin Connect Mobile in the coming days, so you'll now be able to see Live HR from Cirqa during a workout (previously, you could only see workout Average HR unless you had Garmin Connect+). See…feedback works. Sometimes. 🙂 https://t.co/q5qL8T4YhZ — Ray Maker (@dcrainmakerblog) July 22, 2026 Gizmodo has contacted Garmin for comment and will update this post if we hear back. While the Cirqa supports features like activity and sleep tracking and Garmin’s Body Battery and Training Readiness scores for free, the company launched the device with select features locked behind its Garmin Connect+ paywall. Calorie tracking, personalized nutrition recommendations, dedicated wheelchair workouts, Garmin Coach training plans, and live activity metrics like heart rate were all features previously locked behind a subscription. Now live heart rate data is the exception.