There's a newer model of this product. It's been replaced by the Garmin Epix Pro Series, you may want to check out that review instead.
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Not for FR965?
Is there any chance to see these features on F955/965?
I noted on the 955 forum that there’s an update incoming soon, and it’s been quite a while in the making – so I’m going to hazard a guess it’s a beta with the nap tracking 🤞🏻
Arrived now for the 965 link to forums.garmin.com
Adding link to 955 as well link to forums.garmin.com
Hello and thanks for the link. Have you figured out if you now receive photos in addition to messages? Thank you
Even for the FR255.
https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/running-multisport/f/forerunner-255-series/352970/forerunner-255-software-version-17-26—live
Is the body battery future supported by Physio TrueUp? If ride a bike on Edge, do I get full stats? Or I need to run now all activities on epix?
+1, I’d love an answer to this. It’s not clear if that works or not, even in my limited testing.
yes and no… my edge 530 (i think its the same with newer units) doesn’t support BB as such so your watch gets the sync of ride data and puts in some sort of estimated BB drain. in my experience it is typically a fairly low drain rate compared to the effort of the ride – typically after a ride the drain rate the next few hours will be higher than it was during the ride due to post-exercise stress
DCR
The forums have just posted about the course audio alerts – they require some additional files that should be available soon
https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-7-series/f/community-discussion/350152/15-68—added-audio-prompts-for-course-points
Thanks for your reply ! I hope you’re right 🙂
Where can I find inline skating? There is nothing with me after the update.
You have to add it. It’s under OUTDOOR.
Message images on my Fenix 7??? Really that would be awesome.
I couldn’t get what’s app messages but security camera images worked! That’s even bette
r
Hi Sam,
I have Fenix 7X and I’m not able to see images on my watch if I get a message from messenger or WhatsApp. Should I change some settings to activate it? Or is it somehow limited?
#rip FR965 lol
The Fenix line-up has always had new features before the Forerunner. These will be on the 955/965 soon, don’t worry.
Thanks for the update… I’m updating it on my Epix gen 2.
Will the Instinct 2x Solar have this feature added eventually? I really need nap tracking
Garmin is not supporting map mode to any of the instinct models. Hoping they will do so after offering it in beta for the more expensive models.
Also noting Daily Summary made it, along with a Moon Phases glance.
Don’t see Sleep Coach, though – any word on whether that will be added?
Confirmed no sleep coach on this update
How to access daily summary
I would love it if Garmin offered an actual sleep activity. Mine always gets my sleep times wrong so all the readiness and body battery numbers are off. Sure, it might take a few weeks to get into the habit of starting and stopping it but long-term it would help make it accurate. It could also get hints from my phone: if my phone is unlocked it means I’m awake. Or offer me the ability to edit my sleep start and end time when reading the morning report.
I know it’s not quite the same, but you can edit your sleep in Garmin connect.
There is a type here:
“I’ve excluded the much longer list of fixes/tweaks/etc from the below, and kept it to just teh ‘Added’ things:”
I guess the typical Garmin customer is getting older, hence the large fonts option 😀
I think the phone lost detection makes total sense… I never take the phone to a run, but still, could be helpful for a hike or something.
Wow, large font mode – finally – really looking forward to that.
Hopefully…and displaying images beyond the text of messages would be a great thing too. Let’s hope Forerunner 955 isn’t left behind
Hi Ray! Your text says Epix, but I assume you mean Epix Gen 2 and not the original Epix, that came out 2014.
I think that goes without saying. The last update for the original Epix was about a year after it came out. I think Garmin is quietly trying to forget that there ever was an original.
It works fine on Epix 2. Just got the beta and the updated features are really, really nice
Yes, but it should still be pointed out in the text, for optimal clarity.
“I think Garmin is quietly trying to forget that there ever was an original.”
I agree with this. That’s gotta be why the product is branded as Epix (Gen 2) as opposed to Epix 2. They want ppl to call it an Epix in casual speech, and we’re already seeing that in the titles of YouTube reviews, etc.
Wonder what the next model after Epix (Gen 2) and Epix Pro (Gen 2) will be.
Epix 2 (Gen 2)? Epix (Gen 3)? Epix 3?
They kinda painted themselves in a corner here lol. Epix 3 would probably be the smarter move, but Epix 2 (Gen 2) would be hilarious bc of the ambiguity it would create whenever anyone says “Epix 2”.
Thanks for your work… do you know if these updates will also arrive on Forerunner 955? thanks again…and find time for a nap😉
Hey Ray, as a Garmin user I was really surprised when a friend showed me what his Huawei Watch 4 Pro can do. In smartwatch terms it seems way ahead of Apple/Samsung and I was curious how does it compare in sports department to the likes of Garmin (from various reviews I know their watches have a better heart rate sensor). I know Huawei products are banned in the US but in Europe people actually use them a lot so why no reviews? Probably will stick with Garmin for analytics but why not test watches that seem better than Fitbit, Samsung and Apple?
I would never ever give Huawei access to my health data.
Just my 2cents
Hi Ray,
Hope you are doing well! I just discovered that they also added daily summary in the update. This is under the health & Wellness. It’s not mentioned anywhere although you stated it in another review.
Cheers Pascal
What is “NAVIC GPS support”?
NAVIC is an Indian GPS system (like GPS, GLONASS, Galileo etc)
I’ve heard of these naps before… With 2 small kids, job, life, training, etc. that’s one feature I won’t be using.
Finally Inline Skating is there, it does even feature a Indoor/Outdoor option 😊 and a very serviceable default Data Screen. I was always wondering why there were so many “obscure” activity types and not this one (you can go to any trail on any mayor city and you will find someone doing Inline Skating / Rollerblading)
Moon phase widget?The Instinct had that on 2018…
Got to give props for the humble brag of the nap widget conveniently sandwiched between a 7000+ endurance score and nearly 20000 steps for the day. Although it’s probably not as high as The Girl’s stats right now. Wonder what the Garmin training recommendation was post-Kona … probably “take a nap”, am I right?
Haha, and the next day was…75,000 steps! Hahah..
Yeah, she took some pictures of it post-Kona. It was all zero’s for Training Readiness and such. Her Endurance Score has been floating in the mid-8 to low-9 range. Mine was in the low 8,000’s again, but then got whacked with the September of product launches reducing my time for longer workouts.
They changed the tones as well during workouts (when have headset connected to your watch). The beep is different, much more audible.
Heads up on a great deal on Fenix 7x Solar at buydig.com for $562.99
I verified this is a US version, brand new in the box. I just ordered one. The deal is good through 10/31.
Mark
I have a query regarding the AMOLED screens on Garmin. Anyone experienced Burn-in? I read many reddit posts and Garmin forum too, citing Venu 1 series had severe burn in and some Venu 2 also. I am interested in the new Venu 3 series and I am thinking if any improvements have been made or this is still an issue with ALMOLED screens used by Garmin. If not Venu 3, I might have to go with the PW2 (waiting for DCR’s review on it).
Burn in will happen sooner or later, that’s just the nature of this limited technology. Question is: are you willing to go all out consumerism style like most people here and buy a new watch every year or two or do you prefer buying and using a lot longer than that…
Hi hari Krishna, burn in doesn’t exist on the latest Garmin watches. You can safely use AOD. So no worries about that.
That’s not entirely true. My friend has a Galaxy Watch 3 and there is no burn it till now. It’s just how the company cleverly designs algorithms to prevent burn-in..
Maybe but you can’t prevent organic diode from burning out, it will fade eventually and with AoD rather sooner than later. There was even a warning when I used a Garmin watch with AMOLED and they tell you this in the manual.
Burn-in on AMOLED/LCD screens is largely a thing of the past. We saw some with the Venu 1, but the watches from all companies are largely smart enough now to pixel shift/dim/etc automatically to prevent it. I haven’t seen/heard of any burn-in on watches from the 1-2 years, short of some sort of one-off watch malfunction.
Thanks for the confirmation. Because Garmin devices are meant to last longer, I typically wish to use them for at least 5 years.
I’m honestly curious whether your watch in AOD mode will last that many years. If so, I will back down peacefully. But the truth is, these displays aren’t meant to be always on, they last many years in TVs and smartphones but I’m not sure about watches. And I’m talking purely about longevity, not burn in.
I may not use AOD (not a huge fan of it), but tilt to wake is fine for me. MIP displays last longer. I own a Vivoactive 3 right now and it’s still perfect, not a single defect. I could say the same regarding my brother’s Galaxy Watch 3 which has AMOLED, he used it for 3 years (without AOD) and so far it’s fine. If it can last me 5 years without AOD, I would be perfectly happy. I am okay spending 450$ every 5-6 years (assuming I get the Venu 3).
Yeah without AOD it will last 5 years no problem. I just wouldn’t be able to use gesture mode as I switched to Garmin because raise to wake pissed me off on other watches. And on AMOLED it still kinda pisses me off because of constant dimming. Well, let’s hope Garmin won’t fully abandon MIP displays or will come up with some other tech (micro LED or something).
Thanks,
It looks like they’ve improved the auto-brightness on Fenix 7 Pro. Fantastic!
Only slightly off topic.. Anyone, Anyone..
Is it likely that one of the new hardware features of Fenix 8 will be a camera? Kinda miss that feature in the old Samsung watch I had. I’d hold on to my Fenix 3 a little longer if that’s probable (instead of getting the Fenix 7 pro now)..
Seems very unlikely. Garmin abandoned the action camera business a long time ago. The Apple Watch doesn’t have a camera and isn’t likely to, since the iPhone has excellent cameras. I can’t think of any other watch with a camera built in. You can, of course, control cameras from a watch. I do that with my old VIRB 360 and my new Epix, and there’s a “Camera Remote” app on my Ultra that controls the iPhone. I can’t see why it would be worthwhile to go to all the trouble. I can’t see it as a big draw.
There have been rumors about wrist temp tracking. I downloaded this temp x connect iq app a while back. It would show two temperatures- which I presumed to be ambient watch temp and skin temp. They were usually close but didn’t often match.
Well the last week this third temp has popped up, intermittently and not often. Cannot pinpoint when or why it activates but it looks to me like wrist temp is almost certainly what it’s looking at.
@dcrainmaker thoughts?
There is a SkinTemp folder under the /Garmin folder, which though I don’t know whether it used to be there before the new Beta 15.68 update or not. On the other hand side, the SkinTemp folder seems to be placed on all watches (Pro and non-Pro watches) that got the beta 15.68 update, so no linking with the new Elevate HR v5.
It seems that skin temperature will be released soon as part of this beta lifecycle if Garmin doesn’t remove the folder, although it is a bit confusing that the folder appears on all watches.
What I am more interested in is if Garmin will utilise the data in a meaningful way, e.g. detect onset of illness (long shot) or for better estimating sleep cycles (more down to earth feature).
How many of the new features will also end up on the Forerunner 265?
Is there anything known?
Waiting for the next Beta phase, as of today no news.
link to forums.garmin.com
Nice! A new public beta version 17.18 is out:
Change Log
-Adds embedded images in smart notifications
-Adds naps and personalized sleep insights
-Adds new functionality to body battery
-Adds red shift.
-Adds inline skating.
-Adds large font mode.
-Adds up ahead voice prompts.
-Fixes an issue where workouts were missing from some activity profiles.
-Fixes an issue that could cause the device to reset when scrolling through the calendar glance.
-Fixes course point limitations.
-Fixes some Spotify and related music issues.
-Various UI improvements and fixes.
-Sensor Hub Firmware update.
Glad to see the nap feature is coming to the FR265.
Garmin needs to change its update policy. I like the new Venu 3, but until this moment, I was under the impression that it supports Garmin Courses, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. In the past, it was acceptable because there was a considerable price difference between Vivoactive and FR series but now Venu 3 is identically priced as FR265 and although there are a few differences like the new HR sensor on Venu 3, and FR has multiband GPS, FR has a lot of features/metrics which are not seen in Venu 3. I wouldn’t ask for all the running metrics and things, but Courses are very basic functionality, and at 449$ it feels like not a good idea to exclude it. The reason I wish to choose Venu 3 is for the presence of a mic and speaker. I am not sure if Ray is still following this post, but if you are, it would be great if you could ask them if they have any plans to bring this to the Venu 3 series.
Hi, is it your post ?
link to forums.garmin.com
Haha, Yeah that’s me. I recognize you now lol. And nice to see you here.
I do agree with the existence of dwmap app, but it’s a software functionality that Garmin could do in a whip-up in no time. Like I said, I will try out DWmap this weekend, I should be free after Thursday for a bike ride.
😉
Would you have an example of a notification with an embedded image please Ray?
I also wonder what it is… I think it’s the possibility, in addition to messages, to receive photos…
Yes. It was introduced in the Venu 3 series I believe ( I am sure it’s there on Venu 3, but not sure if it was introduced earlier). A message with an embedded image (if any). I am not sure if it supports all the apps or its limited to certain apps. Ray should comment on that. I also think its Android only.
Unfortunately it seems that WhatsApp is not supported
Hopefully, it will come as an update later.
I have installed the new beta 17.18 on my F965 and I am really happy with the first impressions. The GPS is giving me more precise tracks than before in Sat IQ mode, the weather widget is now updated based on the location and more things that I am testing
…would love to have the moon phase widget on the fr 965…
What’s about Sleep Coach?
My 955 is recording “naps” while TV. Ha ha ha
Yo! Appreciate all your write-ups and videos! I have the Epix 2, but don’t see how to engage the Nap widget. Help!
Thanks
Same here. I have an Epix (gen 2) non-pro. Just updated to 15.74 and still no nap widget or sleep coach. Is it possible that it only went to the Epix Pro?
Never mind! I spoke too soon. It wasn’t in my Glance list because it was already added to all the widgets… oops. It must have come with this latest update. Perhaps I’ll see the sleep coach soon, too?
Fyi, I just received the update (version 15.74) to my Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar. I’m not a beta user, so the update is public now. Check for updates if you’re not a beta user and you’re waiting for it.
Too bad I didn’t check sooner – I had a nice long nap this afternoon which would have been a great opportunity to test it! It’s a feature I’ve been wanting ever since I started sleep tracking on my previous Fenix.
FR265 got also updates like nap and new body battery.
But my nap didn’t show in garmin connect app in iOS
Ray,
Since you tested all versions, what size of Garmin Epix gen 2 pro that you prefer?
I am moving back to Garmin from Apple Watch Ultra 2. As a pool swimmer, I miss the custom large data screens and interval metrics provided by Garmin during swim workouts. I am concerned that the Epix pro 51mm may be too large and heavy (88g) for swimming. I also have a Garmin 6X Pro Solar, and experienced heart rate spikes on the 51 mm version while swimming. Since Garmin now offers ability to enlarge text size in the new software update, I am gravitating towards the Epix gen. 2 pro 47mm (70 g). I am 5’-9” and 178 lbs. Any thoughts?
Anyone know when Garmin is going to add individual network connection for their fenix series watches so one can send sms or make calls without a phone?
TIA