Garmin releases new update for flagship smartwatches with multiple changes and improvements

Garmin has already released multiple updates this week for the Fenix 8 (curr. $849 on Amazon) and its peers. For context, the company issued System Software 22.43 on August 18. As we discussed at the time, the stable update promised to introduce multiple security improvements, despite being interim v22.xx software.

A few days earlier, Garmin started rolling out Beta Version 23.25. However, the company decided against revealing what changes this update made from Beta Version 23.24. Not only has that not happened, but Garmin has now replaced Beta Version 23.25 with Beta Version 23.26.

In a forum post, the company claims that Beta Version 23.26 introduces four changes from its predecessor. Specifically, the new update is said to fix an issue that prevented volume levels from adjusting correctly in the music app. Also, Beta Version 23.26 contains a fix that should result in phone assistant recognising voice commands again. Moreover, the update features updated translations and multiple incidental fixes for other 'minor issues'.

At this stage, Garmin has not revealed when it intends to transition v23.xx development to its stable software channel. Typically, the company only does so after issuing a beta update with Dive and ECG functionality enabled. Given that both are disabled on Beta Version 23.26, it seems that more beta updates are on the horizon before Garmin announces a major stable update release.