Garmin offers up new stable update to latest mid-range smartwatch

The Forerunner 165 (curr. $249.99 on Amazon) is nearing its two-month anniversary, having been announced on February 20. While Garmin kept the smartwatch running its stock firmware for a while, it released Software Version 9.24 in the dying days of March before swiftly replacing it with Beta Version 19.09 for units enrolled on its Beta Program. Now, the company has delivered another stable update to its latest smartwatch, although it is not an extension of Beta Version 19.09.

Instead, Garmin has delivered Software Version 9.26, building on Software Version 9.24. Surprisingly, the company's forum post already claims that Software Version 9.26 has reached 100% of smartwatches in a phased rollout process, despite being less than 24 hours old. However, it also stresses that only Music compatible models with Wi-Fi connectivity will receive the update automatically.

For reference, you can head to Menu, System and Software Update before tapping 'Check for Updates' to initiate the download of Software Version 9.26 manually. According to Garmin's changelog the new update introduces Connect IQ bug fixes and improvements. Unfortunately, it has not elaborated on what these changes actually are. Similarly, Software Version 9.26 is said to have addressed a bug that could degrade Connect IQ app performance after disconnecting a Forerunner 165 from a Mac or PC. Please see Garmin's forum post for more information.