Garmin Fenix 8’s cold water bug catches Joe Rogan off guard

Joe Rogan’s new Garmin Fenix 8 smartwatch has a problem – it shuts off in cold water. This glitch, discovered during Rogan’s cold plunge routine, forced him to switch back to his older Fenix 7 for those icy dips.

The podcast king is well known for his gruelling workout routines and outdoor adventures. What’s less well known is that has been a long-time user of Garmin’s Fenix series. The robust build and advanced fitness tracking capabilities of these watches align well with his dynamic lifestyle. However, his transition from the Fenix 7 to the Fenix 8 hasn’t been without its challenges.

Essential readingTop fitness trackers and health gadgets

The most notable issue Rogan encountered was during his cold plunge sessions. He reports on it in episode 2209 of the Joe Rogan Experience.

The Fenix 8 unexpectedly shut off when submerged in cold water, he notes, a problem he found particularly ironic given the watch’s diving capabilities. To quote “it doesn’t make any sense”. He says – if he is in the water for 5 seconds, the watch shuts off. This glitch forced Rogan to temporarily revert to his trusty Fenix 7 for cold water activities.

Despite this setback, Rogan was quick to praise several aspects of the Fenix 8. He was particularly impressed with the watch’s battery life, noting that it could last “30 plus days without charging.” He also notes the improvements of its heart rate tracking capabilities. This feature is particularly valuable to Rogan, who had previously reported issues with inaccurate wrist-based heart rate readings due to his extensive tattoos. Among the other features that caught Rogan’s attention is the built-in LED flashlight, which he described as “crazy.”

You can check-out the clip for yourself. It starts at the 2:40:13 mark.

The good news is that a recent update seems to have updated the issue. So if, like Rogan, you have a Fenix 8 – make sure to update to the latest version of the firmware. A beta update was initially released to fix the problem, although it temporarily disabled the dive and ECG functionality. Subsequently, a stable software update has been rolled out with the full range of features enabled.

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Ivan Jovin

Ivan has been a tech journalist for over 7 years now, covering all kinds of technology issues. He is the guy who gets to dive deep into the latest wearable tech news.

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