Garmin improves heart rate metric in new beta update for older smartwatches
Garmin has released a new beta update for the Forerunner 165, Forerunner 255, Forerunner 265, Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 965 smartwatches. This latest release, Beta Version 25.02, is the first in the 25.xx testing cycle. It follows the stable software version 24.12 update from August, which brought a range of bug fixes for features like device passcode and Connect IQ glances.
With Beta Version 25.05, Garmin says that it has improved the wrist-based heart rate metric for users of these Forerunner smartwatches. The change log indicates that the company is aiming to tackle instances where the heart rate value was “unusually elevated”. The update also fixes an issue with the Primary Race glance, which could occasionally incorrectly show a secondary race.
Plus, Garmin has resolved a problem for Garmin Run Coach plan users, where they could not mark Strength workouts as complete. For users of the Forerunner 255, Forerunner 265, Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 965 smartwatches, there is also a bug fix related to the Power Save Timeout settings for multisport activities. On top of this, there are said to be other minor improvements and bug fixes, though these are not detailed.
In a post on the Garmin forum, the company notes that Public Beta Version 25.02 has been rolled out to 20% of eligible users of these Forerunner smartwatches (FR165 curr. $237.62 at Amazon). To manually download the update, you can go to the Main menu > Settings > System > Software Update > Check For Updates.
