The latest beta firmware for the Fenix 6 and Marq watches fixes a bunch of bugs and adds a couple of interesting features.
Let’s appreciate the new Garmin Fenix 6 and Garmin MARQ feature introducing a “backcountry snowboard” tracking mode, and at the same time adding an Exercise Load graph. This shows how much strain a workout will have put on your body following a workout. It’s somewhat similar to a single-session version of the Training Load stat.
Aside from these features, the v23.80 update also contains a number of minor tweaks and bug fixes that have been implemented behind-the-scenes. The activity profile limit, for instance, has been increased from 60 to 75. This limit won’t have impacted all that many Fenix 6 owners, but it would have been a major pain to those who have been affected.
The Garmin Fenix 6 and MARQ now have an improved altimeter calibration process, in which one takes into account weather forecast data to compensate for natural changes in air pressure. Garmin appears to have increased the ways to get to the watch’s settings menu too, which is “via the Activity List, Hot Key, and Power Controls.”
The UI bug that flared up when reordering activities on the activity list has also been fixed. Finally, Garmin has resolved a potential issue with the Treadmill Calibration tool. The feature now lets you match your steps logged on the watch to those registered on your workout machine.
The software’s release notes also outline the process of Incident Detection, suggesting it has been tweaked slightly, most likely to align it with that of newer watches like the Garmin Fenix 7X and the recently released second gen Garmin MARQ watches. You will need to sign up for Garmin’s Beta program to join in as this is a beta software release, whereby you can try out the new features before the official update is released to the public. You will connect from the Garmin Connect website rather than the phone app.
Log into Garmin Connect using your Garmin account and then tap on the wearable icon in the top-right of the screen. There should be a pop up where you can Click on your Garmin watch. Tap on it and you should then see a “join beta software program” shortcut. You can find out more information about the v23.80 update at Garmin official website.
