Garmin API Terms: Why Intervals Pro Shut Down and Who's Next

Intervals Pro, a UK AI coaching app that says it had 3,600 athletes, closed on October 12 rather than wait for its Garmin data to disappear. the5krunner reports that Garmin’s updated developer terms stop licensees from sharing users’ data with services Garmin hasn’t approved in writing. For endurance athletes who route Garmin activities through a platform like Intervals.icu into coaching apps, spreadsheets, or their own AI tools, that chain may soon break, possibly including years of past activities.

What Happened

The change sits in Garmin’s developer terms, not in a product announcement. On its API documentation thread, Intervals.icu added a note dated October 9 saying Garmin’s terms have been updated and it will likely have to block access to Garmin data through its API soon. Intervals.icu itself keeps receiving Garmin activities directly, so athletes who use it as their training platform see no change today.

The problem is the next hop. Intervals Pro read athletes’ training, sleep, HRV, and load data from Intervals.icu, not from Garmin. Gadgets & Wearables reports that Intervals.icu developer David Tinker expects the restriction to cover complete activities, FIT files, data streams, and wellness data, including history that originally arrived through Garmin’s API, though he stressed this was still being discussed with Garmin. Intervals Pro is refunding unused prepaid time, and users can download their coaching conversations until October 19.

Why It Matters

Many small coaching and analysis tools don’t have their own Garmin integration. They read from a platform that already aggregates data from several watch brands. The new clause gives Garmin a veto over that route, and it follows a pause on new developer applications that the5krunner says began in May. Garmin hasn’t explained the change.

What still works, per the5krunner:

• Any platform you sync to directly from Garmin Connect still receives your data.
• FIT files you export from Garmin Connect and upload yourself are expected to stay outside the restriction.
• Data from COROS, Polar, Suunto, and Oura remains available under each brand’s own terms.

Personal AI setups are exposed too. Athletes who connect Claude, ChatGPT, or their own scripts to a third-party platform’s API are in the same position as Intervals Pro, and the5krunner notes it’s not yet clear whether personal use will be treated differently. There’s also no date for the change. Garmin hasn’t announced one, and platforms will need time to implement it.

What This Means for Athletes

The pattern isn’t new. Strava tightened its own API rules in November 2024, including a ban on using its data to train AI models, and Intervals.icu’s API notes already say Strava data isn’t available through it. Garmin also bought TrainingPeaks in July. the5krunner says nothing links the terms to that purchase, but notes that restricting how rival coaching platforms pass on Garmin data invites the question.

For anyone building a training workflow around open data, the watch brand now matters as much as the app. Stack Archive’s Enduro 4 comparison covers the hardware side; this change is about what happens to the data after the run.

Source: the5krunner

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.