Garmin rolls out a slew of updates to cheaper and high-end watches alike

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

Garmin has launched several new beta updates for its wearables
These contain new features, bug fixes, and more
They’re available for both affordable and premium smartwatches

If you’re the proud owner of one of the best Garmin smartwatches, you’ll be glad to hear that the company is rolling out a range of updates to keep its devices running smoothly. Furthermore, the good news is that these fixes are coming to a wide variety of Garmin’s products, both at the affordable and premium ends of the line. They follow hot on the heels of another recent update that brought Lifestyle Logging to Garmin Connect.

One thing that some users of Garmin’s Vivoactive 6 smartwatch have noticed recently is that its battery can tend to drain uncomfortably quickly. If that sounds familiar to you, you’ll want to check your device for the version 15.05 update. That’s because Notebookcheck has noticed that users of Garmin’s forums have spotted a new update that seemingly addresses the problem. Interestingly, it hasn’t been officially announced by Garmin, and it appears to be a beta version that’s rolling out to select users.

Aside from the battery drain fix, forum users believe that the 15.05 beta update includes a tweak that allows you to access your Morning Report and Evening Report right from the Notification Center. The third change supposedly contained in the release is a new gesture that allows you to exit a smart notification by placing your hand over your watch’s screen.

We don’t yet know when Garmin will officially acknowledge the update, and considering it’s only a beta update, it may not be available on your device as of yet. If you want to sign up for the public beta and gain access to it, you’ll need to follow the instructions in our guide here.

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Garmin Fenix 8 — (Image credit: Craig Hale)

The Vivoactive 6 isn’t the only Garmin smartwatch to get a slate of bug fixes – its high-end offerings have also been affected. That includes the Fenix 8, the Tactix 8, and more.

The 20.07 update for these products comes with four new features, according to Garmin. That includes a cycling VO2 Max watch face complication, support for GPI files, and the ability to use automatic touch lock and unlock if touch is enabled for a strength reps session. Plus, Garmin has added touch access to the keyboard layout menu via drag.

Garmin says the update also contains over 30 tweaks and bug fixes. Various crashes and instances of lag have been addressed, as have black screens, faulty features, and scrolling issues. You can see the full list of changes on Garmin’s website.

Like the other improvements, this update has also been released as part of Garmin’s beta program, so you’ll need to sign up to get it. Beta updates can contain bugs, so be cautious when installing them on a critical device.

Whether you have a premium Garmin wearable or one of the company’s more affordable products, these updates should bring some notable benefits. Hopefully, they’re able to address any of the problems you might have been having with your smartwatch.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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