Garmin: New software update for flagship smartwatch introduces these changes

Garmin is rolling out a new software update to several different smartwatches, covering the entire Fenix 8 series, including the Fenix 8 Solar, which we have already reviewed. The update is also available for the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Fenix 8 MicroLED, as well as the Enduro 3, Quatix 8, and Fenix E. The update is being distributed OTA and should now be offered to all users, provided they are enrolled in the beta program. Participation in the beta program should be considered carefully, as ECG and dive functions are disabled in beta versions in general and specifically when updating to software version 22.29.

The changelog is quite extensive compared with the previous beta version 22.28, with a total of 16 individual entries. For example, the smartwatches should no longer crash when calculating a route back to the starting point. Since this feature is likely to be used more often during activities, it is naturally very annoying if the watch crashes while recording an activity. Several issues that could cause the watches to restart have also been addressed, although the changelog does not indicate whether these bugs necessarily triggered the problems. Some changes apply only to specific models. For example, an issue with changing the color display at night has been fixed on the Tactix 8. There is also a general entry covering fixes for minor issues.