{"id":212973,"date":"2025-06-25T11:13:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T11:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/212973\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T11:13:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T11:13:20","slug":"garmin-fenix-8-and-enduro-3-get-28-upgrades-in-free-software-update-here-are-the-6-best-new-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/212973\/","title":{"rendered":"Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 get 28 upgrades in free software update \u2014 here are the 6 best new features"},"content":{"rendered":"

Garmin Fenix 8<\/a> owners are unlikely to have had any interest in buying the new Garmin Venu X1<\/a> and Garmin Forerunner 970<\/a> watches \u2014 they already own one of the best Garmin watches<\/a>, after all.<\/p>\n

They should have been paying close attention to those new launches, however. Both the Venu X1 and Forerunner 970 arrived with new features that weren\u2019t yet on the Fenix 8, like running economy measurements and a smart alarm.<\/p>\n

Those upgrades are now heading for the Fenix 8, along with the Garmin Enduro 3<\/a> and Fenix E, courtesy of a free software update that is now available as part of Garmin\u2019s Public Beta program, and will go on wider release in due course.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

There are 28 new features in total in the software update, along with 30 fixes and other improvements for the watches. You can see the full release notes on the Garmin Forum<\/a>, and if you\u2019re signed up to the Public Beta program you can get it now by hitting \u2018check for updates\u2019 in the settings menu on your watch.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been testing the Forerunner 970 and Venu X1 since they launched and have tried the new features heading for the Fenix 8\/E and Enduro 3. Here are the ones you should be most excited about.<\/p>\n

Running tolerance<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

This is my favorite new feature from the Forerunner 970. Running tolerance estimates how much mileage your body can handle in a week based on recent training, and takes into account how hard your runs actually are.<\/p>\n

For example, when I did a flat-out 10K race, and the impact deemed to be 15km of running. So my acute impact load for that week was higher than my actual mileage \u2014 a helpful reminder that hard runs have more of an effect on the body.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

You can use this feature to build up your mileage gradually and safely, and ensure not doing more running than your body can handle in total. While avoiding excessive fast or hard running, which increases your risk of injury.<\/p>\n

Evening report<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Each evening your watch will now give a breakdown of your day\u2019s activities and things like your stress levels throughout the day, and give a sleep suggestion from Garmin\u2019s Sleep Coach feature, which basically amounts to saying you need more or less sleep than usual.<\/p>\n

The report also shows upcoming weather and appointments, along with your suggested workout for the following day. It\u2019s a handy way to get your data from the day shown to you without digging through a load of menus or widgets.<\/p>\n

Running economy and step speed loss tracking<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

To get these new stats you\u2019ll need to use your watch with the Garmin HRM600 chest strap, which enables measurement of your step speed loss during runs.<\/p>\n

This shows how much you slow down with each step, with a lower number being better as it takes less effort to then speed up again during a stride.<\/p>\n

These step speed loss measurements feed into an overall running economy estimate, which says how efficient you are as a runner.<\/p>\n

It takes a few runs to get the running economy measurement on the watch, but once you do it\u2019s another handy way to look at the impact of your training in making you a better runner.<\/p>\n

In general, running more and doing structured training will help to improve your running economy, and a more efficient runner is a faster one, because it takes less effort to maintain higher speeds if you\u2019re running more economically.<\/p>\n

Smart alarm<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

The smart alarm feature<\/a> initially launched on the Garmin Vivoactive 6<\/a> and is also on the Venu X1, and basically involves the watch tracking your sleep and waking you up when you\u2019re not in deep or REM sleep so you don\u2019t feel groggy.<\/p>\n

You set a 30-minute window when you want to be woken up, and your watch will then detect when you\u2019re in light sleep and buzz to wake you.<\/p>\n

As someone who has two young children I haven\u2019t needed an alarm in years, but lately my youngest has decided to sleep in on rare occasions \u2014 usually when I need to be up early myself \u2014 so I\u2019ve tried the smart alarm.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019ve felt less groggy while using it to wake up, but that could be because it\u2019s summer and I\u2019m generally waking up early naturally as it\u2019s lighter.<\/p>\n

Once the dark days of winter arrive it should be a handy addition to my watch, and it will be more useful for those with less consistent sleep schedules.<\/p>\n

Calculator app<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Turning your $1000 smartwatch into a retro Casio calculator watch is surprisingly enjoyable, and the calculator app available in the update also includes a useful tool to work out tips and split bills between people.<\/p>\n

Custom Focus modes<\/p>\n

\"Garmin<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

Focus modes allow you to say which notifications you want coming into your watch at certain times, if any.<\/p>\n

Standard focus modes on Garmin watches include sleep and activity, and since this update you can now create your own modes to turn on in certain situations, like when you\u2019re watching a movie.<\/p>\n

How to get the software update<\/p>\n

To get the update now you have to enroll in Garmin\u2019s Public Beta program<\/a> through the Garmin Connect website. Navigate to your device page there and click \u2018Join Beta Software program\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This will give you access to early updates, but it does also mean that you won\u2019t be getting the finalized versions of that software, so it can mean less stable performance, though I haven\u2019t had any real problems using the program myself.<\/p>\n

However, there is a downside if using the program as a Fenix 8 user. The watch\u2019s ECG and Dive features are disabled when using the current beta software, so you\u2019ll have to wait for the full update if you want to keep those features.<\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n

Today’s best Garmin Fenix 8 and Garmin Enduro 3 GPS Smartwatch deals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Garmin Fenix 8 owners are unlikely to have had any interest in buying the new Garmin Venu X1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3160],"tags":[1685,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-212973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114743713194157279","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}