TL;DR
- A Garmin Messenger user reports restoring their entire chat history on a second phone using only SMS verification, without a Garmin account password.
- The findings raise concerns that recycled phone numbers could let new owners access previous conversations, including sensitive location information.
- Garmin has reportedly been informed of the issue, but it hasn’t confirmed a fix.
Handing over an old phone number shouldn’t mean handing over your private conversations. But a Garmin Messenger user has raised an uncomfortable question: Could the next person assigned your number inherit your chats, too?
In a Reddit post, the user describes installing Garmin Messenger on a second, freshly set-up phone. They entered their existing number, verified an SMS code, and watched their previous conversations reappear. No Garmin account password was required. The second phone reportedly also began sending and receiving messages, with no obvious way to view or remotely disconnect other sessions.
