Exciting beta upgrade for Garmin Fenix 8 & others!

A major upgrade has recently been made available in beta form for the Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 watches. The release of this public beta has been announced by Garmin on the Garmin forums. The Fenix 8, Enduro 3, and Fenix E watch families can use it.

What is fresh? Among Garmin’s patch notes, three features are particularly noteworthy. In addition to a new mini-app, there are two additional activities.

New features for Garmin Fenix 8

The activities are Jumpmaster and Sail Race. Before the debut of the Fenix 8, some people complained on Reddit about the lack of Sail Race, which had previously been included in Garmin Fenix 7-series watches.

This mode, like a lot of Garmin’s modes, does a little more than merely record the statistics you see in other modes. According to the Garmin website, “you can utilize the device to help you cross the start line of a race exactly when the event begins.”

“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.”

Another mode that was present in the Fenix 7 series but was not initially included in the Fenix 8 and other models is Jumpmaster.

It is for people who leap out of airplanes with a parachute attached, making it even more specialized than Sail Race. You can set the intended landing spot and use it to gauge when you are at the proper height for the jump.

More information on this pro-grade mode can be found on the Garmin website. The Trolling Motor app is the final significant update, and no, it has nothing to do with online trolls.

Although not necessarily present in the more popular Fenix/Enduro models, this type of feature would be a mainstay of the Garmin Quatix line. From your wrist, you can operate compatible Garmin Force Trolling boat motors.

Fenix 8 update patch notes

Many additional fixes and adjustments are included in the release. According to Garmin’s post, here is the complete list:

• 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.

Since Garmin’s beta program is free to join, it is important to note that this update will also turn off the watches’ Dive mode and ECG readings. Since Garmin releases software on a quarterly basis, it will probably take several weeks before these capabilities are included in a full non-beta version.