Garmin releases new update for popular smartwatches with over a dozen improvements

Garmin has returned with a new round of beta updates for the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 (curr. $749 on Amazon). To recap, the company moved the pair onto v18.xx builds at the start of July with the release of Public Beta Version 18.12. Ear marked as a pre-rollout update, v18.12 introduced dozens of changes for both smartwatches, including new voice control functionality.

Now, the company is transitioning the pair to Public Beta Version 18.14. In a series of forum posts, Garmin has clarified that only about 20% of Beta Program participants have received a notification to download v18.14. Nonetheless, one can skip this phased rollout by navigating through the Main menu to Settings, System and Software Update before tapping ‘Check For Updates’.

This time, Garmin has included 18 changes, of which almost all are bug fixes. Nonetheless, Public Beta Version 18.14 should improve the overall user experience in numerous areas. For instance, Garmin claims to have reduced the volume of false unlocks when using the Touch Lock feature. Also, volume controls and music playback is said to have been improved in several aspects. The full changelog between v18.12 and v18.14 is as follows:

• Defaults button tones to off when using headphones.
• Fixes an issue that could cause music to play over a spectator message.
• Fixes an issue that could cause music volume to increase after an alarm sounds.
• Fixes an issue that could cause the device to reset when saving an indoor rowing activity.
• Fixes an issue where an alarm set to vibrate only could play a tone.
• Fixes an issue where device will crash during indoor climb activities.
• Fixes an issue where the music page could fail to show accurate playback status.
• Fixes an issue where the previous button could fail to restart the song.
• Fixes an issue where the training days shown on the watch might not match the days shown in the Garmin Coach plan.
• Fixes an issue where the volume of an alert could fail to match the alert volume setting.
• Fixes an issue where the volume of audio playback through headphones could incorrectly change with the focus mode.
• Fixes an issue where touch is enabled in water sports while a custom focus mode is active.
• Fixes an issue with adjusting the volume of alarms.
• Fixes an issue with selecting rest days for daily suggested or Garmin Coach plan workouts.
• Fixes other minor issues.
• Prevents music from playing via the speaker for a brief period after headphones are disconnected.
• Reduces false unlocks when using the touch lock feature.
• Updates translations