Medical Information on a Garmin Watch: Note and QR

WalletPro has no separate Medical ID card type. Use the existing Note card for information someone can read on the watch. If you also want a scannable version, create a separate ordinary QR card and type the text you want that code to contain. The Note does not automatically become a QR code, and neither card imports a phone’s emergency profile.

Start with the readable Note. A person nearby may be able to read a few clear lines on your watch without opening a scanner. The QR is an optional second route for someone willing and able to scan it. Neither route guarantees that emergency personnel will find, scan, or rely on the information.

Decide what belongs in the Note

The first screen should carry the most useful facts. A short name, one ICE emergency contact with a dialable number, and a confirmed critical allergy are easier to read than a long history. Add current medication or a relevant condition only when you can keep it accurate. Do not write “no allergies” unless you know that statement is true.

For a compact Note entered as one Value, use plain labels and separators:

Alex Morgan | ICE: +123456789012 | Allergy: penicillin

This is one Note Value, not three form fields. The card name can be “Emergency info”; the entire line goes into Value / Secret. WalletPro keeps that string. It does not extract the contact or allergy into hidden medical fields.

If your watch editor offers Add line, a longer Note can be arranged like this:

Name: Alex Morgan
ICE: +123456789012
Allergy: penicillin
Medication: your verified current medication
Condition: your verified relevant condition

Replace the example words with your own verified details and omit lines that do not apply. Put the vital line first. The Note display keeps its initial screen. The QR and barcode length guide is the one place to check the precise Note display and editor behavior for your device.

Use several Notes for different topics

You can keep several ordinary Note cards, each with a short name and its own Value of up to 512 characters. They use the app’s 20 shared card slots, alongside QR codes and other cards. For each one, select Note as the type; the names below are names you choose for your cards.

Keep a short “Emergency info” Note with the essential contact and urgent facts at the beginning. Use additional Notes for details you want to find separately, so the summary still makes sense on its own. Create only the ones you need.

Emergency contacts can hold each person’s name, relationship to you, and dialable phone number, including an alternative contact if the first person cannot be reached.

Allergies can hold confirmed allergens and the reactions you know you have had. Use this Note for relevant detail beyond the short allergy mention in the summary.

Medication can hold the names of medicines you currently take and details copied accurately from your current prescription. Review this Note when your treatment changes.

Conditions can hold a brief description of a confirmed, relevant condition. Keep it focused on what you want someone to know, without copying your whole medical history.

Medical devices can identify an implanted or worn device, such as a pacemaker or insulin pump, and its model if useful. You enter this as text; the Note does not connect to the device.

The same approach works for everyday notes: “Travel” for an accommodation address and meeting point, “Packing” for a short equipment checklist, or “Workout” for a brief training plan. Separate names make the right text easier to find in the wallet list.

Repeat the empty-slot setup below for each Note and check each saved card on the watch. If a contact or medication appears in several Notes or in your separate QR, update every copy when it changes; editing one card does not update the others.

Save the readable Note

Install WalletPro from Garmin Connect IQ. In WalletPro Settings, choose an empty slot, give it a short name, select Note, and enter the complete text in Value / Secret. Save and sync the watch, then open the Note to check the first screen. Garmin’s phone settings provide a string field, so the safest phone setup is a concise single line with clear separators; do not assume pasted line breaks will survive every settings client.

If the watch shows the editor, its ordinary Value action replaces the whole Note; Add line, when shown, appends a new line to the draft. Save, close, and reopen the card to verify what was stored. The card editing guide shows the Settings, sync, and watch-editor steps.

Keep the contents current. When a contact number, medication, or allergy changes, edit the saved Value and check the watch again. A stale emergency summary can be worse than a short, correct one.

Create a separate plain-text QR card

QR is another card, with its own Value. Choose the ordinary QR type in a second slot, name it “Emergency QR”, and enter only the information you are comfortable showing to anyone who scans it. A compact single-line payload is easy to copy through Settings:

Name: Alex Morgan | ICE: +123456789012 | Allergy: penicillin

Save, sync, open the QR on the watch, and scan it with another phone. Confirm that the scan returns the exact text you intended, including the number and punctuation. A generic text QR usually opens as text; it does not become a standard medical record or automatically call the ICE contact. Longer text makes the QR denser and may exceed the screen’s practical scan capacity even though a Value can store up to 512 characters. The length guide separates storage, rendering, and real scanner success.

Why use plain text instead of vCard

A vCard contact QR is useful for sharing a phone number or email as a contact, but a scanner may hide its NOTE field inside a contact import. For medical information meant to be read after scanning, use an ordinary QR with direct plain text and test the receiving phone. Do not paste a QR screenshot into Value; enter the text it should encode.

Check privacy and the real-world handoff

Anyone who opens the Note can read it, and anyone who scans the QR can copy its text. Share the minimum useful information. Avoid account credentials, identity document numbers, or an entire medical history. Use a synthetic example while testing, then replace it with your verified details only when you are comfortable storing them on the watch.

Open both cards on the actual watch, check the Note from a glance, and scan the QR from the distance and angle another person might use. Keep the original card, official medical ID feature, or paper emergency information that you normally rely on. WalletPro is a convenient extra display of information you entered; it cannot verify medical facts, summon help, or ensure a responder notices the screen.