Mid-range Garmin smartwatch receives over a dozen improvements via new stable update

Software Version 19.18 has landed on the Forerunner 165 (curr. $249.99 on Amazon), Garmin's latest Forerunner series smartwatch. For reference, the new update is available to all Forerunner 165 owners, not just those that participate in Garmin's Beta Program. With that being said, the company points out in its forum post that Software Version 19.18 has only reached roughly 20% of Forerunner 165 units for now.

While the update will be delivered automatically, it is also possible to download it manually by going to System, Software Update and then tapping 'Check For Updates' within the smartwatch's main menu. Given that the Forerunner 165's previous stable update arrived over a month ago, it should come as no surprise to learn that Software Version 19.18 contains several improvements.

Arguably, one of the update's key features is the introduction of heart rate dynamic source switching. In short, this allows the Forerunner 165 to choose the most accurate heart rate monitoring source automatically when running, should you also be wearing a chest heart rate monitor (HRM). Moreover, Software Version 19.19 adds the Garmin Messenger App and its Find My Phone functionality. The full changelog, including the new features already mentioned, is as follows:

• Add Find My Phone feature - During an activity, use GPS to navigate to the point where a phone lost connection.
• Add Garmin Messenger App - Adds support for Garmin Messenger with a glance and app.
• Add HR Dynamic Source Switching - Adds heart rate dynamic source switching to select the best heart rate data source (watch or chest HRM) to improve accuracy during running activities.
• Add the Jet Lag Adviser glance.
• Fix "Lock On Road" setting not being honored.
• Fix intermittent crash in music control.
• Fix persistent notification vibration for incoming calls.
• Fix inconsistent activity profile ordering between Connect and device.
• Fix intermittent Zwift heart rate monitor drop out on iOS.
• Fix intermittent jump rope activity upload failure.
• Fix real time settings auto distance unit selection.
• Fix UI haptic feedback.
• Various UI improvements and fixes.