Garmin brings nearly 40 improvements and new features to current flagship smartwatches with latest stable software update

Garmin has quietly released a new stable update for its current flagship smartwatches, including the Fenix 7 and Fenix 7 Pro series. For context, the company recently pushed a beta update to the same devices, albeit not to those sold with 'Pro' monikers. While Beta Version 16.22 had a comparatively small changelog, its stable counterpart rolls in all Beta 16.xx improvements from Software Version 15.77 onwards.

In other words, Software Version 16.22 is the result of nearly three months' worth of development refined through Garmin's Beta Program. Consequently, the new update contains over three dozen changes, of which two dozen are bug fixes alone. For reference, Software Version 16.22 ships with the following bug fixes from Software Version 15.77:

• Connect IQ bug fixes and improvements.
• Fixed bug with "Footpod Connected" banner showing when paired to HRM strap.
• Fixed CIQ animations.
• Fixed issue where backlight would always stay on when night vision is enabled (Tactix 7 non-AMOLED models only).
• Fixed issue where date format setting would not sync down from Garmin Connect during device setup.
• Fixed issue where navigation could incorrectly also include a straight-line routing back to start.
• Fixed issue where primary race widget would not show results of race completed earlier in the day.
• Fixed issue where Spotify shuffle and repeat controls would not work.
• Fixed issue with city search where some cities would not be found.
• Fixed issue with error icon incorrectly drawing next to the smart notification widget glance.
• Fixed issue with some widget glance folder views when in large font mode.
• Fixed potential issue causing shutdowns when using heart rate in Connect IQ.
• Fixed potential issue where flashlight could enable during a treadmill activity.
• Fixed potential issue with temperature data fields on CIQ watch faces.
• Fixed potential issues when configuring map layer toggles when subscribed to Outdoor Maps+.
• Fixed potential shutdown due to WeChat Pay.
• Fixed potential shutdown when deleting a course.
• Fixed potential shutdown when launching a workout in the workouts app.
• Fixed potential shutdown when listening to music during an activity.
• Fixed potential shutdown when requesting weather data.
• Fixed potential shutdown when resetting device to default settings.
• Fixed potential shutdown with CIQ widget glances.
• Fixed UI issue in golf activity on FMB page.
• Fixed widget glance folder view for Fish Forecast widget.

Additionally, Garmin has over bundled half a dozen improvements for existing features, such as making sure that the weather service no longer shows misleading information if that information is over an hour old. Moreover, Software Version 16.22 includes eight new features. For example, Garmin has added CIQ System 7, as well as automatic activity type detection within multisport activities. Currently, Software Version 16.22 has only reached 25% of eligible devices, although this should increase over the next few days. The full list of new features and improvements that Software Version 16.22 brings to the likes of the Fenix 7 series is as follows:

• Added automatic activity type detection within multisport activities.
• Added CIQ System 7.
• Added database of 400m running tracks all over the world.
• Added Jump Rope activity.
• Added quick flashlight control when using double-tap LIGHT to enable the LED flashlight, for models with this hardware.
• Added Sleep Coach widget glance.
• Added support for Male audio prompts.
• Added the ability to double-tap the screen in golf green view to mark your current position as the hole location, if you are standing on the green.
• Improved '5 Minute' backlight timeout setting to 'No Timeout' (non-AMOLED only.)
• Improved display of ski/snowboard activity summaries to exclude chairlift data.
• Improved incident detection not supported banner to only show once per power cycle of the device.
• Improved Max Heart Rate prompt.
• Improved scaling on elevation charts to show more variation in elevation where it previously looked flat.
• Improved weather to not show misleading information if it's older than an hour.
• Updated translations.

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