Garmin releases new public updates 12.25 and 12.26 for Instinct 2, Instinct 2S, Instinct Crossover and Instinct 2X smartwatches

Garmin has released public version 12.25 for the Instinct 2, Instinct 2S and Instinct Crossover smartwatches and public version 12.26 for the Instinct 2X wearable. The company notes that the update will be available to users "through traditional channels", meaning it will be delivered OTA via GCM or syncing with Garmin Express.

Compared to the last public release, Garmin 12.25 brings an Obstacle Course Racing activity to the Instinct wearables. This was also added to other smartwatches like the Fenix 7 through the latest stable update. Both v12.25 and v12.26 bring a new automatic sensor discovery setting, added to the Sensors and Accessories menu, and improvements have been made to activity voice prompts and the algorithm used to calculate calories burned during a Swim activity. The latest software also includes a range of bug fixes, resolving problems with abnormal high heart rate alerts and the activity Power Mode Auto Enable setting. You can view the full changelog for update 12.25 here and update 12.26 here.

The new public software marks the end of the 12.xx Alpha and Beta update period for these Instinct 2, Instinct 2S, Instinct Crossover and Instinct 2X watches. It is unclear when the next cycle could begin. If you want to sign-up for the Garmin Beta Program to receive updates before other users, you can do so via Garmin Connect.

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