Garmin announces premium watch faces and GoPro Camera Control app

Garmin has announced a new premium tier of smartwatch apps and watch faces. Historically, all apps and watch faces available via the Connect IQ Store were free to download, though sometimes you had to pay via a third-party platform to unlock certain features.

Now, Garmin is accepting payments via Garmin Pay, allowing third-party developers to charge for products on the Connect IQ Store. As part of the announcement, Garmin launched a series of watch faces from famous brands for customers to purchase. These include Grogu, Tony Stark, Mickey Mouse, and Minnie Mouse designs from Disney, three Porsche watch faces depicting the wordmark, crest and the 917 Salzburg livery, and a TaylorMade TP5 golf ball-inspired design.

A new official GoPro Camera Control app has also arrived. This paid-for app allows you to remotely control your GoPro, end a recording or take a photo, amongst other features. Garmin notes that the new watch faces and apps do not work with all smartwatch models; when you click on a product in the ConnectIQ store, select the ‘Compatible Devices’ tab to check that your smartwatch is on the list before purchasing. You can now buy these premium watch faces via Garmin Connect for $4.99/£4.99/€5.99. The GoPro Camera Control App is priced at $5.99/£5.99/€6.99.