What you need to know
- Garmin is rolling out a new software update to select Fenix, Forerunner, Venu and Vivoactive smartwatches.
- The Venu 6 is getting fall detection, which can automatically share your live location with emergency contacts.
- Select Garmin watches are also gaining hands-free "OK Garmin" voice controls and personalized run workouts.
Garmin has released a new software update for some of its smartwatches, bringing a variety of new features to the ecosystem.
Garmin makes some of the best smartwatches for fitness tracking, and the company continues to improve its devices with regular software updates. Now, Garmin has announced its latest round of features for select watches, including the Fenix 8 series, Forerunner 570, Forerunner 970, Venu 6, and Vivoactive 6.
Garmin says the new features are designed to help users get even more from their devices and take their training to the next level.
With the fall update, Garmin is bringing fall detection to the Venu 6. The feature can send the user's live location to emergency contacts after detecting a hard fall. It's something we've already seen on plenty of Apple and Wear OS smartwatches, but thankfully, Garmin is adding it as well.
Several Garmin smartwatches are also getting hands-free voice controls with a new "OK Garmin" command, allowing users to access certain features without touching their watch.
Garmin is also improving its running features. The update brings personalized run workouts alongside a new adaptive Garmin Run Coach plan, which can adjust training based on the user's performance and progress.
Garmin says the software updates have already started rolling out to compatible devices. Users can check for the latest software through the Garmin Connect app on their phone. If you don't see the update or new features just yet, it's worth checking again over the next few days as the rollout continues.
In addition to its smartwatch updates, Garmin has released new features for its Edge cycling computers as well, including automatic climb and descent detection and switching. Those updates can also be installed through the Garmin Connect app.
We haven't tested the new software on our Garmin smartwatches just yet, but I'm particularly looking forward to trying the new personalized running features. Garmin already excels when it comes to run and training guidance, and these additions could make that part of the experience even better.
