I've never been able to get my watch to go into data transfer mode unless I actually plugged it into a computer. I've never actually gone for a run that way, I just did the test when the question came up on the forums about 'USB mode'. I leave my watch in 'Mass Storage' mode and it continues normal operation whether I plug it into the wall or into a USB powerbank. That's something I have heard many times on this forum, and I can only say my (limited) experience has been different. Meaning it should tell the use to change to USB mode.įWIW: I leave my watch in Garmin mode, becaues during my Ultra marathons I use a USB charger while running, and garmin mode is needed to keep the activity running while charging

But what cannot be done is the update.Įxpress, since it does have a fair level of capability while in 'Garmin' mode should be smart enough to provide a meaningful error message upon such an update failure. If can determine SW versions to the extent that it knows it out of date. it can reflect (green dot) the connection status. When my Fenix 5x connect to express in 'Garmin' mode, there is little that cannot be done. This is probably more of a side effect as opposed to the actual purpose of the feature, which would be to allow people to use Garmin USB mode on a PC if they need it.Īnyway, I still think there's no almost no reason for most users to use 'Garmin Mode', unless maybe you're cycling with Zwift on a laptop and you suddenly need to charge your watch. After all, your watch still shows up Windows' device manager when you answer 'no' to 'Use Mass Storage?' and Basecamp still detects it (although it's not clear to me if it can actually do anything with the 935 in that mode).īut the practical consequence is when you answer 'no' to 'Use Mass Storage?', your watch is still usable while plugging it into a PC (although the file system is not accessible). So it might be more of a legacy option so you can use it with old software. I tried it once (using Garmin Mode, connecting to a PC and answering 'No' to 'Use Mass Storage') and Basecamp recognized my watch although it said that certain things could not be transferred (waypoints, routes and tracks). The mass storage prompt is probably there because in 99% of cases, you actually want mass storage mode. Older Garmin devices did not support mass storage mode at all. To be fair, 'Garmin Mode' probably actually refers to Garmin's old USB protocol, which would still work with older desktop software like Basecamp, but not Garmin Express.

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