Garmin announces fresh update for older flagship smartwatches with bug fixes and new features

Over two months has passed since Garmin last updated the Fenix 6 series. Even then, the company only released a beta update, full details of which we have covered separately. Surprisingly, the Fenix 6 series and its peers have not received a stable software update this year. Instead, these older flagship smartwatches running Software Version 26.00 from mid-June 2023 onwards.

Garmin is still actively developing software for the Fenix 6 (curr. $319.99 on Amazon) though, as well as the Enduro, Quatix 6 and MARQ. Although the company is not forthcoming about the whereabouts of a new stable update, it has now published Beta Version 26.91 for smartwatches enrolled on its Beta Program. Please note that the new update must be installed manually, download links for which you can find on Garmin's forum post.

According to the same post, Garmin has introduced seven changes with Beta Version 26.91. On the one hand, the new update makes three ski and snowboard-related improvements, such as adding Ski tracking splits. On the other hand, there are also four other bug fixes that focus on addressing problems that were present in Beta Version 26.86. The full changelogs from Beta Version 26.86 and Software Version 26.00 are as follows:

Changes from Beta Version 26.86

• Added tracking of splits for Ski.
• Improved display of ski/snowboard activity summaries to exclude chairlift data.
• Fixed an issue where the device would shutdown when creating a custom course.
• Fixed an issue where LiveTrack would stop tracking after 24 hours.
• Fixed an issue where eBike-related data fields would show incorrect data.
• Fixed an issue where the text displayed on the Breathing Activity would sometimes be blank.
• Fixed missing ski/snowboard distance in the All Stats section for those activities.

Changes from Software Version 26.00

• Added Device Settings Backup and Restore.
• Added manual SW updates using Wi-Fi to the settings menu (Pro models only).
• Added CIQ App Rating to all CIQ Types (no longer restricted to "Apps" only).
• Added tracking of splits for Ski.
• Added the ability to check for software updates via Bluetooth.
• Improved quality of randomness of music shuffling (Pro models only).
• Improved display of ski/snowboard activity summaries to exclude chairlift data.
• Updated software backup to display a message when backup is from an incompatible source.
• Removed the limitation on the number of points allowed in a course.
• Fixed an issue with alarm tones not activating when an activity is set to max battery.
• Fixed an issue where some Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and Greek text would not display properly.
• Fixed an issue where the Indoor Bike Activity would default to the first set of data fields.
• Fixed potential issue where the "Safety Features Enabled" notification would continually be displayed.
• Fixed an issue where devices would not play a tone nor vibrate after acquiring GPS in an activity.
• Fixed an issue when pairing to new CT10 golf club types.
• Fixed an issue to ensure training load is properly calculated when using the Store & Forward feature on supported Garmin HRM straps.
• Fixed an issue where the device would sometimes shutdown when viewing the map on the Fish activity.
• Fixed an issue with audio prompts on workouts not playing the correct messages.
• Fixed an issue with auto runs on the Ski activity from not always starting on a descent.
• Fixed an issue with auto pause on the Ski activity from improperly activating.
• Fixed an issue where the menu to create a course would not display properly.
• Fixed an issue where sport devices would shutdown when attempting to create a backup.
• Fixed an issue causing lap cadence spikes in swim.
• Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause smart notifications to not display properly.
• Fixed an issue where the device would shutdown when creating a custom course.
• Fixed an issue where LiveTrack would stop tracking after 24 hours.
• Fixed an issue where eBike-related data fields would show incorrect data.
• Fixed an issue where the text displayed on the Breathing Activity would sometimes be blank.
• Fixed missing ski/snowboard distance in the All Stats section for those activities.