Garmin Forerunner 965 gains over a dozen refinements with new stable update

The latest stable update for the Forerunner 965 (curr. $589.99 on Amazon) has arrived after a short public beta testing phase. As ever, the new build addressing outstanding bugs that were present in previous stable updates. In the case of Software Version 19.18, Garmin states that it contains fixes for certain settings not being honoured, persistent notification vibrations for incoming calls and intermittent crashes in its music control service.

Additionally, the new build is said to resolve inconsistencies in activity profile ordering between Connect and the Forerunner 965, as well as addressing intermittent dropouts between Zwift heart rate monitors and iOS devices. Moreover, Software Version 19.18 introduces 'Find My Phone', which Garmin has been gradually bringing to all its current smartwatch product stack. As its name suggests, Find My Phone uses on-board GPS to provide a return route to a paired smartphone's last known location.

Furthermore, the Forerunner 965 can now use the Garmin Messenger App. A facsimile of iMessage, the Garmin Messenger App adds inReach device compatibility for communication via satellite networks and 24/7 SOS functionality. On top of that, Garmin's flagship Forerunner smartwatch should now automatically switch between its heart rate monitor and a chest-worn heart rate monitor (HRM), depending on which is the most accurate during running activities. Please see Garmin's forum post for a full changelog, which we have also listed below.

• Add Find My Phone feature - During an activity, use GPS to navigate to the point where a phone lost connection.
• Add Garmin Messenger App - Adds support for Garmin Messenger with a glance and app.
• Add Pin Drop Navigation - Adds the ability to send and share locations from Apple Maps.
• Add HR Dynamic Source Switching - Adds heart rate dynamic source switching to select the best heart rate data source (watch or chest HRM) to improve accuracy during running activities.
• Add the Jet Lag Adviser glance.
• Fix "Lock On Road" setting not being honored.
• Fix intermittent crash in music control.
• Fix persistent notification vibration for incoming calls.
• Fix inconsistent activity profile ordering between Connect and device.
• Fix intermittent Zwift heart rate monitor drop out on iOS.
• Fix intermittent jump rope activity upload failure.
• Fix real time settings auto distance unit selection.
• Fix UI haptic feedback.
• Various UI improvements and fixes.