Garmin announces Connect IQ 8 beta with new watch face and notification related features

Garmin has announced Connect IQ System 8, which is now available for developers to test. The release arrives around a year after Connect IQ System 7. The company says that the update is designed to make it easier for developers to build apps.

For example, there is a new Visual Studio Code extension with tools like real-time error reports, function autocompletion and the ability to quickly look up the definition of a variable or function. Plus, there is an extra 16 megabytes of code space for smartwatches which support System 8. There is a new on-device watch face editor where you can create up to four versions of a Connect IQ watch face. However, this is only available for more recently released wearables like the Fenix 8 (51mm Solar model curr. $1,174.99 at Amazon). On top of this, the new Notifications module allows for triggered actions while the app is running in the background.

Garmin app developers can get the Connect IQ System 8 beta SDK and the system8preview device via the Connect IQ SDK manager. The company notes that the Monkey C extension for Visual Studio Code is available via a separate download. If you want to sign up to become a smartwatch tester for Connect IQ System 8 as it rolls out, you can join the Beta Program via Garmin Connect.