Garmin Fenix 8 — broken touchscreen functionality with software 13.35 — temporary workaround and additional information
On March 7, 2025, Garmin released software update 13.35, which introduced a bug that disables touchscreen functionality under certain conditions.
Issue Summary
I wrote about this on March 8th, 2025.
Here’s a quick recap: If you disable Sleep Mode before the scheduled Focus Mode: Sleep mode ends and have the Touchscreen Disabled option enabled for Sleep Mode, the touchscreen will not re-enable as expected.
Even rebooting the watch won’t restore touch functionality if the device is still within the Sleep Mode time window. However, once you exit this time slot or manually adjust the schedule in settings, the touchscreen starts working again after you reboot the watch.
The Workaround
I’ve identified a workaround that can restore touchscreen functionality.
I’ve identified a workaround that can restore touchscreen functionality:
Open the Settings on your watch or in the Garmin Connect app.
Navigate to Focus Modes > Sleep > Display & Brightness.
Adjust the following settings:
Touch → Set to On
Touch Lock → Set to Don’t Change
This will keep touchscreen functionality enabled even during Sleep Mode. While this isn’t ideal, you can manually toggle the touchscreen on or off at any time using the shortcut: Bottom Left Button + Start Button (Top Right).
Morning Report Behavior
Interestingly, the touchscreen remains disabled while the Morning Report is active, even if you attempt to enable it using the shortcut keys. However, as soon as you exit the Morning Report, the shortcut key works, and the touchscreen functionality is restored.
Update Since March 8, 2025
I’ve been following discussions on the Garmin forums, and a recent user report confirmed that Garmin is aware of the issue. However, they plan to release a fix only in the May software update.
Additionally, there hasn’t been a new beta release since version 13.xx, which is somewhat surprising and not exactly encouraging.
If you’re experiencing this issue, the workaround above should help until Garmin rolls out an official fix.