Garmin FORERUNNER 255 Series Instruction manual
Quick Start Manual
Introduction
WARNING
See the Important Safety and Product
Information guide in the product box
for product warnings and other important
information.
Always consult your physician before you
begin or modify any exercise program.
Overview
LIGHT
• Press to turn the watch on.
• Press to turn the backlight on and off.
• Hold to view the controls menu
for quick access to frequently used
functions.
UP
• Press to scroll through the glances,
data screens, options, and settings.
• Hold to view the menu.
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• Hold to manually change sports during
an activity.
DOWN
• Press to scroll through the glances,
data screens, options, and settings.
• Hold to open the music controls
(page11).
BACK
• Press to return to the previous screen.
• Press to record a lap, rest, or
transition during an activity.
START · STOP
• Press to start and stop the activity
timer.
• Press to choose an option or to
acknowledge a message.
Viewing the Glance Loop
Glances provide quick access to health data,
activity information, built-in sensors, and more.
When you pair your watch, you can view
data from your phone, such as notifications,
weather, and calendar events.
1Press UP or DOWN.
The watch scrolls through the glance
loop and displays summary data for each
glance.
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2Press START to view more information.
3Select an option:
• Press DOWN to view details about a
glance.
• Press START to view additional
options and functions for a glance.
Viewing the Controls Menu
The controls menu contains options, such as
the stopwatch, locating your connected phone,
and turning the watch off. You can also open
the GarminPay™ wallet.
1From any screen, hold LIGHT.
2Press UP or DOWN to scroll through the
options.
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GPS Status and Status Icons
For outdoor activities, the status ring turns
green when GPS is ready. A flashing icon
means the watch is searching for a signal. A
solid icon means the signal was found or the
sensor is connected.
GPS GPS status
Battery status
Phone connection status
Wi‑Fi® technology status ( Music
watches only)
Heart rate status
Setting Up Your Watch
To take full advantage of the features,
complete these tasks.
• Pair the watch with your phone using
the Garmin Connect™ app (page5).
• Set up Wi‑Fi networks (page6).
• Set up safety features (page10).
• Set up music (page11).
• Set up your GarminPay wallet (page9).
Pairing Your Phone
To use the connected features on your watch,
you must pair it directly through the Garmin
Connect app, instead of from the Bluetooth®
settings on your phone.
1From the app store on your phone, install
and open the Garmin Connect app.
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2During the initial setup, select when you
are prompted to pair with your phone.
3Follow the instructions in the app to
complete the pairing and setup process.
Tips for Existing Garmin Connect Users
1 From the Garmin Connect app, select
or .
2 Select Garmin Devices > Add Device.
Connecting to a Wi‑Fi Network
This feature is available only for music
watches.
• Use the Garmin Connect app.
• Use the Garmin Express™ application (www
.garmin.com/express).
Going for a Run
The first fitness activity you record on your
watch can be a run, ride, or any outdoor
activity. You may need to charge the watch
before starting the activity (page14).
1Press START, and select an activity.
2Go outside, and wait while the watch
locates satellites.
3Press START.
4Go for a run.
5After you complete your run, press STOP.
6Select an option:
• Select Resume to restart the activity
timer.
• Select Save to save the run and reset
the activity timer. You can select the
run to view a summary.
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Training for a Race Event
Your watch can suggest daily workouts to help
you train for a running event, if you have a VO2
max. estimate.
See the owner's manual for more information.
1On your phone or computer, go to your
Garmin Connect calendar, and add your
race event.
You can search for an event in your area or
create your own event.
2Sync your watch with your Garmin Connect
account.
3On your watch, scroll to the primary event
glance to see a countdown to your next
race event.
Weather information for the event appears
right away, and local forecast data
appears approximately 14 days before the
event.
4From the watch face, press START, and
select a running activity.
NOTE: If you have completed at least
1 outdoor run with heart rate data or
1 ride with heart rate and power data,
daily suggested workouts appear on your
watch.
Customizing Your Activity List
1From the watch face, hold UP.
2Select Activities & Apps.
3Select an option:
• Select an activity to customize the
settings, set the activity as a favorite,
change the order of appearance, and
more.
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• Select Add to add more activities or
create custom activities.
Smart Features
Physiological Measurements
These performance measurements are
estimates that can help you track and
understand your training activities and race
performances. These estimates are provided
and supported by Firstbeat Analytics™.
• Daily suggested workouts
• Functional threshold power (FTP)
• HRV status
• Lactate threshold
• Performance condition
• Predicted race times
• Recovery time
• Training Effect and primary benefit
• Training load focus
• Training status
• VO2 max.
NOTE: The estimates may seem inaccurate at
first. The watch requires you to complete a
few activities to learn about your performance.
For more information, go to www.garmin.com
/performance-data/running/.
Running Power
Garmin® running power is calculated using
measured running dynamics information, user
mass, environmental data, and other sensor
data. The power measurement estimates the
amount of power a runner applies to the road
surface, and it is displayed in watts. Using
running power as a gauge of effort may suit
some runners better than using either pace
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or heart rate. Running power can be more
responsive than heart rate for indicating the
level of effort, and it can account for the
uphills, downhills, and wind, which a pace
measurement does not do.
See the owner's manual for more information.
Bluetooth Connected Features
The watch has several Bluetooth connected
features for your compatible phone using the
Garmin Connect app.
• Activity uploads
• Assistance
• Audio prompts
• Connect IQ™
• Find my phone
• Find my watch
• Incident detection
• LiveTrack and Live Event Sharing
• Music controls
• Phone notifications
• Social media interactions
• Software updates
• Weather updates
• Workout, course, and PacePro downloads
Setting Up Your GarminPay Wallet
The GarminPay feature allows you to use your
watch to pay for purchases in participating
stores. You can add one or more participating
credit or debit cards to your GarminPay wallet.
Go to garmin.com/garminpay/banks to find
participating financial institutions.
1From the Garmin Connect app, select
or .
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2Select Garmin Pay > Get Started.
3Follow the on-screen instructions.
You can open your GarminPay wallet from
the controls menu on your watch. See the
owner's manual for more information on using
the GarminPay feature.
Safety and Tracking Features
CAUTION
The safety and tracking features are
supplemental features and should not be relied
on as a primary method to obtain emergency
assistance. The Garmin Connect app does not
contact emergency services on your behalf.
The watch has safety and tracking features
that must be set up with the Garmin Connect
app.
NOTICE
To use these features, the watch must be
connected to the Garmin Connect app using
Bluetooth technology. You can enter
emergency contacts in your Garmin Connect
account.
Assistance: Allows you to send a message
with your name, LiveTrack link, and GPS
location (if available) to your emergency
contacts.
Incident detection: When the watch
detects an incident during certain outdoor
activities, the watch sends an automated
message, LiveTrack link, and GPS location
(if available) to your emergency contacts.
LiveTrack: Allows friends and family to follow
your races and training activities in real
time. You can invite followers using email
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