Heart icon in a Garmin status bar: what does it mean?
On a Garmin it is the heart rate status: flashing while the watch looks for your heart rate, solid once it has it.
What Garmin says
- Garmin — Heart rate status. In the status bar during an activity it shows the heart rate status. A flashing icon means the watch is searching; a solid icon means the heart rate signal was found (or a heart rate sensor is connected).
Source: Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: GPS Status and Status Icons (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- A solid heart shape in the status bar at the start of an activity.
- Shown by
- Garmin
Sources
Each meaning above is taken from the watch maker’s own guide, fetched and read on the date shown. The drawing is ours; the real icon on your watch may be drawn a little differently and can change with software updates.
- Garmin — Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: GPS Status and Status Icons. Covers: Forerunner 265 series; the same page is in the Forerunner 165, 965 and 970 and fēnix 7 and 9 manuals; manual version 9, June 2025. Checked 2026-09-29.