Garmin releases major update to older flagship smartwatches

Last month, Garmin released the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro (curr. $1,149 on Amazon) globally. With October just starting, the company has returned to older flagship smartwatches with a new software update. Specifically, Garmin has restarted Fenix 6 software development, having issued new updates to Fenix 7 and Fenix 8 series smartwatches in the last few weeks.

For context, Garmin last offered a new update to the Fenix 6 series in March 2025. Even then, almost a year passed between the releases of System Software 27.00 and System Software 28.02. This time, Garmin has taken to its Beta Program to deliver Beta Version 29.02, adding:

We have been working on a few late updates to this generation of devices, this software will be released as part of out Beta Software Program

At this stage, it is unclear from Garmin's wording whether v29.xx firmware will reach the company's stable software development branch. Setting that aside, Beta Version 29.02 is said to resolve an issue that could cause the Race Predictor to generate incorrect values on older software.

Currently, Garmin is only offering Beta Version 29.02 on a 'Check for Updates' basis. Hence, one must request the update manually after enrolling in its Beta Program by navigating through the main menu to Settings, System and Software Update before tapping 'Check for Updates'. Please see the company's forum post for more details.