Garmin confirms Fenix 8 screen bug that can drain the battery

Your Fenix 8 should not keep lighting up the room after you walk indoors. But some owners say that is exactly what happens: the AMOLED screen stays at full brightness after the watch has been in bright sunlight, and the battery ends up taking a hit.

Garmin has now acknowledged the brightness problem in its support forum. In an October 7 reply, a company representative said a fix is pending for the next software update, though there is no release date yet. 

What owners are seeing

The original report on Garmin’s forum describes a fairly specific setup. With Always On Display enabled and the wrist gesture switched off, the watch raises its brightness in strong light but sometimes fails to dim again when the wearer moves somewhere darker. Other owners in the discussion describe the same behaviour.

The reports began with software version 23.31, but they have not stopped there. Some owners says their Fenix 8 AMOLED still gets stuck at high brightness on version 23.39. That version of the software was meant to tidy up problems from the earlier release, so installing it does not appear to be a reliable answer to this particular fault.

There is a simple temporary fix when it happens. Garmin says to tap the touchscreen or press a button, which should return the display to its normal brightness. You may have to do that again after the watch is exposed to bright light, since the software fix has yet to arrive.

A fix is coming, but the timing is unclear

Garmin’s reply says the correction is pending for the next update. It does not name a software version, give a date or say how many Fenix 8 watches are affected. Also, Garmin has not published a complete list of affected models or configurations.

This is another issue in addition to the optical sensor failures we covered after the Fenix 8 23.39 update. Those owners reported losing wrist heart-rate readings altogether. Here, the screen remains brighter than it should, which offers a plausible explanation for some battery-drain complaints. I

For now, the useful check is straightforward. If your Fenix 8 AMOLED is losing charge unusually quickly, see whether the display remains bright after you come in from outside, particularly if you use Always On Display without the wrist gesture. Garmin has confirmed that a fix is on the way; the next thing to watch for is the version that actually contains it.