Garmin Messenger leans on text message codes to verify users, so a stranger who gets your old phone number may be able to reach your old chats.
Android Authority reports that Garmin Messenger may let the new owner of a phone number see chats that belonged to the previous owner. The concern is about how the app confirms who you are. It relies heavily on a code sent by text message.
Garmin Messenger is the messaging app from Garmin. It uses text message codes to check identity. That works only if the phone number always belongs to the same person. Numbers are often reassigned to someone new after the old owner drops them. According to the report, a new number holder could reach chats tied to the old owner.
The people most at risk use Garmin Messenger and have changed or given up a phone number. If you never change numbers, your exposure is lower. Even so, numbers can end up with new people over time, so the risk is worth knowing about.
The alert box above lists the steps. The short version: clear out sensitive chats before you give up a number, and move your account to your new number when you switch.
The material does not say how many people are affected, whether anyone has actually seen another person's chats, or how Garmin plans to respond. It also does not say whether a fix is coming. Watch Garmin's support pages for official guidance. Until then, treat any app tied only to a phone number with some caution.
Before you give up a phone number, delete sensitive Garmin Messenger chats and switch your account to your new number.
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