Garmin Fenix 6, Forerunner 945 & 245 to get new 745 features
A range of Garmin watches will get new software features introduced with the Forerunner 745. Users of Fenix 6, Forerunner 945 and 245 can access them now by downloading and installing the Beta, or they can wait for the public release.
The Forerunner 745 was introduced earlier this month. The mid-range sports watch came with a slew of upgrades over the 735XT. This includes a slight redesign, the latest elevate optical heart rate monitor with Pulse Ox, additional performance data and more.
Daily workout suggestions
What was interesting is that the 745 also brought some functionality, that up to that point was not available in even high-end Garmin sports watches. For example, there’s a New Daily Workout suggestion feature. This was recently announced for cycling on the latest Garmin Edge 1030 Plus but has never made it to a watch.
Now in addition to the Forerunner 745, the Fenix 6 and Forerunner 945 are also getting the feature. You can enable or disable this from activity settings once you install the Beta.
What it does is it spits out daily workout recommendations for running and cycling based on your previous activities, Training Load of the past few days and the current VO2max. For example, if you’ve been exercising a lot it might tell you to do a recovery workout. The training suggestions also show the projected aerobic and anaerobic training effect.
Track Run profile
While Daily workout suggestions will not be available for the Forerunner 245, Track Run profile will. So owners of the Fenix 6 and two Forerunners will be able to record outdoor track run data including distance in meters and lap splits with a very small margin of error.
They will just need to do an initial calibration so the watch memorizes the track. It works best on a standard shape 400m track.
Improved recovery time time
All three watches are also getting support for improved Recovery Time. This takes your stress, sleep, relaxation, and physical activity into consideration when telling you how long to wait before the next training session.
So rather than just a simple countdown following a run or cycle, your recovery metrics are now adjusted in real-time based on how well you are resting. It brings Garmin’s Recovery Time closer to metrics offered by Polar and Whoop and makes the feature much more useful.
How to install the Beta
Other upgrades include improved optical heart rate performance, redesigned alarm screen and more. The 945 is also getting support for Bouldering and Indoor Climb activities, as well as support for Grit and Flow features for mountain biking activities.
You can view the full change log and download the software on the following links: Garmin Forerunner 245; Forerunner 945; Garmin Fenix 6.
Upgrading your watch to the beta version is not very difficult. But it does involve a few steps.
First connect your smartwatch to your computer using the USB cable. Download the appropriate file from the links above and unzip it. You’ll see a GUPDATE.GCD file. Copy this and paste in the “\GARMIN” folder of your device’s internal storage drive. Go back to the unzipped file, open the “RemoteSW” folder and copy the GCD files (names vary depending on the model) to the “\GARMIN\RemoteSW” folder on your device. Disconnect your watch from the computer.
Or you can simply wait for the public release of the software. This should probably take no longer than a few weeks.
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