Garmin Instinct 2 series receive more new features with another Alpha update

Only a couple of days have passed since Garmin introduced the Alpha version 9.10 update for the Instinct 2 series. While that update contained 11 changes, Garmin has sought to roll out another update less than a week later. For some reason, Alpha version 9.11 contains fewer changes than its predecessor; it remains to be seen why Garmin did not roll both Alpha version updates into one larger update, considering the timing of their releases.

On the one hand, Alpha version 9.11 adds a compass lock feature to the reference point app. On the other hand, Garmin claims to have improved incident detection by reducing false positives. Additionally, Alpha version 9.11 bundles WHR improvements, although this functionality requires Sensor Hub 20.05. Moreover, Garmin states that the new update fixes a potential bug that caused incorrect VO2 max categorisation on the post-activity page for multisport.

Separately, neither the Instinct 2 nor the Instinct 2S should show an incorrect status text when paired to a smartphone as of Alpha version 9.11. As with Alpha version 9.10, Garmin advises that you also update your smartwatch's secure_config.gcd file. For reference, this file causes your smartwatch to generate 'some files if you encounter certain issues', according to Garmin. You can find more details about Alpha version 9.11 and download links for your smartwatch on Garmin's forum post.

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