The Fenix 8 and other associated smartwatches like the Tactix 8 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Tactical-Smartwatch-Ballistics-UltralightTM/dp/B0DX27BBBQ?tag=nbcnewsnet-20″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>(curr. $1,299 on Amazon) are no longer Garmin’s latest generation flagship smartwatches. As we have discussed separately, not only has the company now released the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro, but it has also introduced the Enduro 4 and the Marq Gen 3 too.
Nonetheless, Garmin has now started rolling out a major update to the Fenix 8 series, including the Fenix 8 Pro. For context, the company just issued System Software 23.40 to the Fenix 8 and other non-Pro branded smartwatches. By contrast, the Fenix 8 Pro and Tactix 8 Pro remain on the older System Software 23.39 for the time being.
ⓘ Garmin
Now, Garmin has kicked off v24.xx with the release of Beta Version 24.12 to Beta Program participants. However, the company is only offering the new update on a ‘Check for Updates’ basis. Hence, one must request the update manually by navigating through the main menu to Settings, System and Software Update before tapping ‘Check for Updates’.
In a forum post, Garmin claims to have included 45 changes from System Software 23.39 and System Software 23.40. Of those, 37 are bug fixes covering various areas. With that said, the new update also promises to improve place of interest (POI) search result speeds and adds instructions for entering pairing mode for the HRM 200 and HRM 260. The full changelog for Beta Version 24.12 is as follows:
- Adds instructions for entering pairing mode for HRM 200/600.
- Adjusts Change Sport to show favorite activities first with a More option.
- Changes Pulse Ox App to only block vibrations while taking a reading.
- Fixes a reboot that could occur when processing Garmin Explore data.
- Fixes a speech recognition deadlock.
- Fixes alert volume unmuting itself after silent mode is turned on.
- Fixes an issue preventing removal of the Radar Camera Controls data screen.
- Fixes an issue that could cause Breathwork Live Activity instructions to appear blank.
- Fixes an issue that could cause device crashes when using Connect IQ watch faces.
- Fixes an issue that could cause the device to restart when starting a GPS activity with Bluetooth headphones connected.
- Fixes an issue that could leave Calendar Glance empty or prevent workouts from starting.
- Fixes an issue that could prevent notifications from being received on the device.
- Fixes an issue that prevented spectator message actions from opening.
- Fixes audio prompts and voice alerts stopping during activities.
- Fixes bad EasyCard icon.
- Fixes battery drain issue that could happen while using Alipay.
- Fixes boot loop on watch face.
- Fixes calendar app showing too many workouts.
- Fixes climb pro average grade display.
- Fixes excessive DGNSS asserts after GPS acquisition.
- Fixes floors climbed not accruing during activities.
- Fixes Health Snapshot freezing on first prompt.
- Fixes heart rate icon on Furnace watch face showing white at times.
- Fixes inconsistent Bluetooth headset volume control and volume synchronisation.
- Fixes list becoming stuck when entering Pinyin.
- Fixes max depth data field not showing decimal granularity.
- Fixes missing audio for swim and row stroke rate alerts.
- Fixes missing Find My Device alerts on repeated searches.
- Fixes missing heart rate values on the FR 165 default watch face.
- Fixes popular bicycle courses not loading on map in China.
- Fixes slow Calendar Glance loading when Garmin Coach workouts are present.
- Fixes some roads showing as thick black lines.
- Fixes Spoken Watch Face not working after swimming.
- Fixes the Next Track button being cut off on the music controls page.
- Fixes the virtual partner screen not displaying automatically when racing yourself from a downloaded activity.
- Fixes the watch not immediately moving a stock up/down in its list when rearranging stocks.
- Fixes unreliable LTE signal strength indicator.
- Fixes watch face tide data field displaying the wrong time suffix compared to the tide glance.
- Fixes watch rebooting while answering a phone call on the watch.
- Fixes watch vibrating in recovery mode.
- Improves POI search result speed.
- Keeps showing weather data when hitting outages.
- Only shows full page course turn guidance if not watching map page.
- Prevents using Garmin Pay while in Stealth Mode via shortcut/hotkey.
- Updates swim module.
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> Expert reviews and news on laptops, smartphones and tech innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2026 10 > Garmin delivers major new update to high-end smartwatches with dozens of new features and improvements
Alex Alderson, 2026-10-18 (Update: 2026-10-18)
