A significant update is coming to Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 watches, and has just been released in beta form.
Garmin has announced the roll-out of this public beta over at the Garmin forums. It’s available for the Fenix 8, Enduro 3 and Fenix E watch families.
What’s new? Three features stand out among Garmin’s patch notes. There are two new activities plus a new mini-app.
New Garmin Fenix 8 Features
Sail Race and Jumpmaster are the activities. Sail Race has featured in Garmin Fenix 7-series watches before, and its omission in the latest generation caused a few folks to complain over on Reddit closer to the Fenix 8’s release.
Like so many of Garmin’s modes, there’s a bit more to this one than just recording stats you’d see in other modes.
“You can use the device to help you cross the start line of a race exactly when the race begins,” the Garmin website explains.
“When you set the starting line, the device uses GPS data to indicate whether your boat will cross the start line before, after, or at the correct time to start the race.”
Jumpmaster is another mode that did feature in the Fenix 7 family, but did not originally make it to the Fenix 8 and co.
Even more niche than Sail Race, it’s for folks who jump out of planes — with a parachute attached. You use it to determine when you reach the right height for the jump, and can set the desired landing location.
It’s a pro-grade mode, and more details are available over at the Garmin website.
The last major addition is the Trolling Motor app and, no, it has nothing to with internet trolls. It’s the kind of feature that would be the staple of the Garmin Quatix series, but not necessarily the more mainstream Fenix/Enduro ones.
It lets you control compatible Garmin Force Trolling boat motors, from your wrist.
Fenix 8 Update Patch Notes
The update includes a host of other fixes and tweaks. Here’s the full list, as per Garmin’s post:
- Added CIQ System 8: Supports the latest Connect IQ apps, watch faces, and data fields.
- Added Sail Race Activity.
- Added Jumpmaster Activity.
- Added Trolling Motor App.
- Added connection type information for paired sensors.
- Improvements to the icons that display with notifications.
- Added Insight Hint to Health and Fitness Apps.
- Added Missing Map Option in Mountaineering Activity.
- Added Respiration Graph to Meditation Activity Summary.
- Added Stress Card to Gaming Activity Summary.
- Added Support for HRM as Speed and Distance Monitor for BLE Sensors.
- Added Support for Nautical Units.
- Added Support to Show Needed Equipment for Strength Workouts.
- Added Touch Support to Dismiss Popup Notification.
- Fixed a possible issue where touchscreen input could not be disabled in activities.
- Fixed Apps that were Inaccessible from the Recents Menu.
- Fixed Auto Climb Data Screen Selection.
- Fixed Blank Calendar Card in Morning Report.
- Fixed Blank Map for Power Guide Preview.
- Fixed Current Time Indicator on the Tides Graph.
- Fixed Do Not Disturb Smart Notification Setting.
- Fixed InReach Contacts List Layout.
- Fixed InReach PIN Code Display Page.
- Fixed Morning Report Showing Stale HRV Data.
- Fixed Pool Swim Interval Details Page Layout.
- Fixed Potential Crash after Deleting Activities from the list.
- Fixed Potential Crash during Meditation Setup.
- Fixed Potential Crash on Body Battery Glance Folder View.
- Fixed Potential Crash on Fitness Age Page.
- Fixed Potential Crash when Dismissing Notifications.
- Fixed Potential Crash when Enabling Broadcast HR.
- Fixed Potential Crash when Viewing Breathwork Preview.
- Fixed Round Trip Routing Not Calculating Full Distance.
- Fixed Sleep History Graph after Traveling.
- Fixed Sleep Window Setup Sometimes Getting Skipped on Initial Setup.
- Fixed Weather App Accidentally Returning to Watch Face.
- Improved Countdown Glance Folder Info Text.
- Improved GPS Progress Bar Presentation when Beginning Search.
- Increased the Maximum Speed of Virtual Partner to 48.95 kph.
- Updated Sunrise/Sunset Time Alert Range.
You can sign up for Garmin’s beta program for free, but it is worth considering this beta update will also disable the watches’ ECG readings and Dive mode.
Garmin operates on a quarterly release cycle, so there is likely a wait of a good few weeks before these features are rolled out in a full non-beta release.
