Garmin has issued a rather confusing update for the Fenix 8 Pro and its peers. (Image source: Garmin)Garmin has issued a rather confusing update for the Fenix 8 Pro and its peers. (Image source: Garmin)

Garmin has introduced a new update for its current batch of high-end smartwatches. A rather confusing update, Beta Version 21.16 follows a build from last week that has left Beta Program participants scratching their heads.

Garmin has returned to its Beta Program with a new update for the Fenix 8 and Fenix 8 Pro (curr. $1,299 on Amazon). Also rolling out to the Enduro 3, Fenix E and Tactix 8, the new update replaces Beta Version 21.15 that arrived last week. As such, one would reasonably expect Garmin to have found improvements between builds.

To that end, one community member speculated that Beta Version 21.16 may resolve an issue causing reboots when Bluetooth headphones are connected. Unfortunately, what changes Beta Version 21.16 holds remains unclear at this stage. Officially, Garmin claims that Beta Version 21.16 brings the following improvements to the table:

Added the option to turn off navigation guidance until a direction is coming up.Fixed being unable to view runs for Snowboard activities.Fixed crash when scrolling the Nutrition widget.Fixed dive timer seconds being cut off on Solar devices.Fixed third party maps being incorrectly labeled in the Map Type menu.Fixed tone and vibrations not playing when receiving a Storm Alert notification.Fixed unmuting volume not restoring to previous value.Fixed volume slider vibrations.

However, these are the same changes that Garmin mentioned for Beta Version 21.15. Likewise, the company continues to claim that it has offered the update to around 50% of Beta Program participants, despite issuing Beta Version 21.16 only a few hours ago. 

Alex AldersonAlex Alderson – Senior Tech Writer – 14000 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.