Amazfit software update brings new training features to eight watches

Amazfit is rolling out a new software update across eight of its current smartwatches, bringing better pool swimming controls, FTMS rowing support and improved workout locking. Some of these features have already appeared on individual watches, but the company is now spreading them across much more of its current range.

The update covers the Balance Ultra, Balance 3, T-Rex Ultra 2, both T-Rex 3 Pro sizes, T-Rex 3, Cheetah 2 Ultra, Cheetah 2 Pro and Active 3 Premium. Feature availability varies between models.

Swimming and workout controls get better

Pool swimmers get Manual Rest, which lets you press a button to mark when swimming stops and recovery begins. The watch then separates swimming and rest periods, while also breaking swimming segments down by stroke.

Automatic rest detection can struggle with structured pool sessions, particularly when recovery periods are short. Manual control removes some of that guesswork.

There is also a new Always Locked option. Once enabled, the touchscreen stays locked for the entire workout, while the physical buttons remain active. The standard T-Rex 3 is the exception and does not get Always Locked mode.

We recently covered several of these additions when they arrived on the Amazfit Active 3 Premium alongside Zepp OS 6. The interesting part now is that Zepp Health is extending the same training tools across Balance, T-Rex and Cheetah models as well.

Better support for connected rowing

Indoor rowing gets another addition. Compatible FTMS rowing machines can send workout data directly to the watch, including power and distance. Zepp Health specifically lists support for equipment such as the Concept2 RowErg. This means the watch can use data reported by the rowing machine rather than relying entirely on estimates from wrist movement.

Balance 3, Balance Ultra, Cheetah 2 Ultra and Cheetah 2 Pro also gain Athlete Defaults. This automatically enables Workout Do Not Disturb, switches off workout alerts and sets GPS to maximum precision. It is essentially a shortcut for people who use the same settings every time they train.

A few smaller improvements round things out. Route Preview now supports panning and zooming before and during workouts, map zooming has been refined, and Amazfit says alarm creation and management should be simpler.

None of these additions is particularly dramatic on its own. Taken together, though, they show where the company has been focusing its recent software work.

The hardware is already competitive. In our Amazfit Balance 3 review, GPS, heart rate tracking and battery life all held up well. The next challenge is making the training software around that hardware deeper and more consistent.

Source: Amazfit blog