Garmin typically releases four feature updates throughout the year. On August 19, 2025, they announced their Q3 update for the year – and rolled out a bunch of new features to the fenix 8 family.
These feature updates have been a contentious topic over the past year or so, with some users complaining that their new-ish watches were no longer seeing updates. With this update, Garmin seems to have doubled down on their approach of only upgrading the latest watches in a family – and neglecting the rest.
This update included new features for the Venu X1, the vivoactive 6, the Forerunner 570/970, and the fenix 8 family (fenix 8/E, Enduro 3, tactix 8, and quatix 8). Nothing new was announced for the cheaper Forerunners (255/265 and 165), the Instinct 3, or the older fenix 7 family.
This feature update essentially brought the fenix 8, Venu X1, and Forerunner 970 to parity. The vivoactive 6, on the other hand, only got a small selection of these new features.
The Major Feature Updates
The notable new features in the announcement include:
- Running Tolerance. This metric aims to track how much mileage you’ve been doing and recommend a maximum weekly mileage. It launched with the Forerunner 970, and it was just expanded to the Venu X1 and the fenix 8.
- Garmin Triathlon Coach. This feature allows you to set up a training plan with personalized workouts for an upcoming triathlon event. This launched with the Forerunner 970/570, and it was just expanded to the Venu X1 and the fenix 8.
- Daily Suggested Workouts – Track. This feature makes the daily suggested workout more appropriate for working out on the track. This is a brand new feature fresh out of beta, and it hadn’t previously launched on any of the recent watches.
- Running Economy and Step Speed Loss. These two metrics require the new HRM 600 to work, and they offer details about your running efficiency. They both launched with the Forerunner 970, and they’re now available on the Venu X1 and the fenix 8.
- Evening Report. Like the Morning Report, this provides you with a summary of things right before bed. It launched with the Forerunner 970/570, and it’s now available on the Venu X1, the fenix 8, and the vivoactive 6.
List of Minor Feature Updates
Beyond those headline features, a longer list of smaller features were also expanded:
- Triathlon Race Events. Previously, you could only add running and cycling events to your race calendar. Now, you can add triathlon events as well. Launched with the Forerunner 970/570 and now available on the Venu X1 / fenix 8.
- Multisport Workouts. Previously, you could only build workouts with one specific activity type. Now, you can create multisport workouts that include multiple segments, like running and cycling. Launched with the Forerunner 970/570 and now available on the Venu X1 / fenix 8.
- Projected Race Time Prediction. Previously, you could get a race time prediction for a specific event on your calendar. Now, it’ll assume that you continue with your current training and project how much you can improve by race day. Launched on the Forerunner 970/570 and now available on the Venu X1 / fenix 8.
- Suggested Finish Line. When you forget to stop your watch at the end of the race, this feature will suggest an appropriate point to trim the activity. Launched on the Forerunner 970/570 and now available on the Venu X1 / fenix 8.
- Auto Lap by Course Point. This is a minor feature but potentially really cool for races. You can set your watch to auto lap when you pass the mile markers on the course – eliminating some issues with inaccurate GPS. Combine this with Race Screen, and you’ll no longer need to worry about manual lapping. Launched on the Forerunner 970/570 and now available on the Venu X1 / fenix 8.
- The Calculator App. Self-explanatory. Launched on the Venu X1, and now available on the vivoactive 6 / Forerunner 970/570 / fenix 8.
- Rucking Activity and Pack Weight. For rucking or hiking with a backpack, you can now add the weight of your pack and more accurately track your activities. Launched with the fenix 8 and available at release on the Forerunner 970/570 and Venu X1, these features were just expanded to the vivoactive 6.
- Smart Wake Alarm. When you set an alarm, your watch will use sleep data to determine the best time – up to thirty minutes prior to the alarm – to wake you up. Launched on the vivoactive 6 and already available on the Venu X1, this was just expanded to the fenix 8 and the Forerunner 970/570.
Beyond this, there are also a long list of minor bug fixes and other improvements. For example, you can see the full list of changes on the fenix 8 Series forum here.
What’s Next for Garmin?
This is probably the last big feature release for the year. They usually roll something out in December, but I can’t imagine it’ll be that big – probably a bunch of bug fixes and maybe one or two new features.
This release basically brought the latest three watches up to parity, ensuring that new features from the Forerunner 970/570 and the Venu X1 were also available on the fenix 8. I don’t think there were any other new features on the Forerunner 970/570 besides these – at least nothing that was headline worthy.
The one thing that seems a bit odd to me is there’s nothing for the Instinct 3. It’s a new watch, and you’d think it would have at least gotten something basic like Evening Report. Maybe it’ll get some love in the next round.
This is a good time to remind you that there’s really not much daylight between the fenix 8 and the Forerunner 970. The fenix 8 includes the microphone, access to your phone’s voice assistant, and dive features. But otherwise, it’s pretty much the same as the Forerunner. If you’re on the fence, check out the comparison here.
And this is also a good time to reflect on whether any of these features matter to you or not. If you have a much older watch – or you don’t currently have a Garmin – you can get in the game with a previous generation fenix 7 Pro at a much more reasonable price than the current fenix 8 price tags. You’ll forego these new features, but you still get an awesome watch. Check out the comparison here.
It’s only been a year since the fenix 8 came out, and now the Forerunner, Venu, and vivoactive lines have all been refreshed, too. Over the next year, the other thing you might want to look out for is a refresh of the Forerunner 265/165. The Forerunner 570 doesn’t really fill that niche, there’s got to be a newer entry level watch on the horizon.