This opens up quite a few possibilities

Until now, having a microphone and speaker on a Garmin hasn’t meant that third-party developers could simply build whatever voice feature they wanted. Garmin itself has been making much more use of the hardware lately, including the recent rollout of hands-free “OK Garmin” voice controls across models such as the Fenix 8, Forerunner 970 and Venu 4.

Connect IQ apps now have another option. Garmin’s new Audio Capture API can feed recorded audio directly to an app, while the Output API lets apps play audio and control things such as playback position and volume. Garmin even includes support for noise reduction and echo cancellation during recording.

So what could developers actually do with it? Voice notes are an obvious one. You could also imagine spoken workout coaching, custom audio alerts, apps that accept voice input, or utilities that record a short message without requiring you to get your phone out.

Things get more interesting once online services enter the picture. In theory, an app could capture speech and hand it off to another service for transcription, interpretation or AI processing, opening the door to much more capable voice-based tools.

This also comes at an interesting time for Connect IQ itself. We recently covered the huge increase in Connect IQ app submissions, which has left Garmin dealing with unusually long approval queues. Giving developers access to more of the hardware could encourage apps that go beyond the usual watch faces and data fields.

There are some important limits

This doesn’t suddenly turn every Garmin into a tiny voice recorder running continuously in the background. Garmin’s documentation specifically shows an error if an app attempts to capture audio after it has been moved into the background, so recording needs to happen while the app is active.

Apps also need permission to use the microphone and speaker. So microphone access is not automatic, and users should be able to see when an app is asking for it.

Garmin lists a broad range of devices as supporting the new Audio module. This includes the Fenix 8 and Fenix 9 families, Forerunner 570 and 970, Venu 4, Venu X1, Approach S72 and several others.

There could be a downside if developers go overboard with always-listening ideas, although Garmin’s background restriction should keep that somewhat under control. We’ve already seen that Garmin’s own “OK Garmin” feature can have a noticeable impact on battery life, so developers will need to think carefully about how often their apps activate audio hardware.

For users, nothing changes immediately. The interesting part starts when developers get their hands on Connect IQ 9.3 and begin building around it, because Garmin watches have just become capable of a much wider range of third-party voice and audio apps than before.

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Garmin has changed its mind

When CIRQA first arrived, Garmin was pretty clear about what it wanted the $199.99 tracker to be. You got health monitoring, activity tracking, recovery metrics and a vibration motor for alarms, but none of the usual smartwatch distractions.

In fact, when we covered Garmin’s explanation of CIRQA’s design choices, the company had confirmed that phone calls and notifications would not trigger vibrations. It wasn’t a hardware limitation, either, since the vibration motor was already there.

Now Garmin has reversed that decision. The official firmware 4.20 changelog specifically mentions support for vibration alerts from smart notifications and incoming calls.

There’s a slightly amusing detail here. Garmin’s own CIRQA support FAQ still says the band cannot vibrate for phone calls, text messages or other smartphone notifications. Clearly, someone hasn’t got around to updating that page.

Of course, CIRQA still doesn’t have a display. So you won’t be reading messages or checking who’s calling directly on your wrist. The band simply gives you a physical nudge when something arrives, leaving you to check your phone for the details.

A few workout improvements too

There’s more to version 4.20 than notifications. Garmin has added automatic Run/Walk detection for Trail Run activities.

Indoor workouts get some attention as well. Users can now calibrate recorded distance for treadmill running, indoor rowing and indoor cycling before saving an activity, while the Live Activity screen in Garmin Connect can show heart rate before recording begins.

Version 4.20 follows the substantial 3.20 update released in September, which introduced additional button controls and several Bluetooth-related changes.

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Reports started appearing today, that Google’s music app is finally available for the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro. It’s a small update, admittedly, but a welcome one for anyone who uses YouTube Music as their main listening service.

The news surfaced in a discussion among Garmin owners, where one user confirmed that the app could now be installed on the Fenix 9. They subsequently clarified that support had also been added for the Fenix 9 Pro, which previously wasn’t compatible.

The funny thing is, YouTube Music has been available on Garmin watches since June 2024. So people with older models like the Fenix 7 and Epix have been happily using it for over two years, while those who splashed out on Garmin’s latest and most expensive watches were left waiting. Nothing quite like spending a small fortune on a new watch only to find out your mate’s three-year-old Garmin can do something yours can’t!

What Fenix 9 owners can now do

The YouTube Music app allows users to download playlists and podcasts directly to their watch over Wi-Fi. Once downloaded, they can listen through Bluetooth headphones without carrying their phone.

You’ll need a YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium subscription for music downloads. And this is offline playback rather than streaming, so you’ll need to download your favourite tracks before heading out.

Garmin doubled internal storage to 64GB with this latest generation. That provides plenty of room for maps and music, with Garmin quoting capacity for around 7,000 songs.

Not everyone appears to have access just yet. One owner in Germany reports that the app still isn’t appearing in Connect IQ, so availability might not be identical across all regions and watch configurations.

What’s particularly annoying is that this isn’t the first time. YouTube Music support was also late arriving on the Fenix 8 and Fenix 8 Pro. Google seems to have made a habit of playing catch-up whenever Garmin releases a new flagship watch, which isn’t exactly ideal for people upgrading on launch day.

And the delay has had some real consequences. In earlier discussions, several Fenix 9 buyers said they’d temporarily signed up for Spotify Premium just to get music onto their watches. One owner even reported returning their Fenix 9 and going back to an older Epix. That’s quite a price to pay for something as basic as app compatibility!

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That’s finally changing. The company has introduced a new Personal API, which means regular users can access their own data without going through the usual approval process. If you’ve ever wanted to build your own fitness dashboard, dig deeper into your training numbers or get AI to analyse your workouts, this could come in handy.

Your Garmin data, without the usual hoops

With Garmin’s new developer programme, you can now get your own API key straight from Garmin Connect. That means direct access to your workout files, health stats and other information your watch collects, without having to apply as a business developer.

So what could you actually do with it? Well, you could put together your own dashboard to see how sleep affects your training, look at heart rate trends over time or even use AI to make sense of your fitness history. There’s plenty of room to experiment.

The catch is that you’ll need to know your way around a bit of coding. Garmin isn’t adding any new tools to the Connect app itself. It’s simply making it easier for people to build their own.

We’ve previously covered ways to export and analyse Garmin data. This takes things a step further because you no longer have to rely on manual downloads or unofficial workarounds to get at your information.

But some workout metrics are still missing

Here’s the slightly odd part. Just as Garmin is making personal data easier to access, some third-party training platforms are receiving less information through their existing connections.

Runalyze, for example, recently reported that Garmin’s automatically delivered FIT files no longer include certain metrics. These include VO2 max estimates, recovery time, performance condition and some other Garmin-specific information.

The data hasn’t disappeared from Garmin Connect itself. Download the original FIT file manually and those metrics are still there. Garmin says it has been removing undocumented fields from files delivered to third parties, which explains the difference.

Runalyze has already introduced a workaround that lets users merge manually exported FIT files into existing activities. It works, but having to download and upload individual workouts isn’t particularly convenient.

There’s also the wider issue of how Garmin data moves between different services. We recently covered the shutdown of Intervals Pro, an AI coaching tool that closed amid uncertainty over restrictions on passing Garmin-sourced information between platforms.

The new Personal API doesn’t automatically resolve those commercial integration issues. Garmin has also reopened its business developer programme, with separate access options for smaller companies and larger platforms.

The practical implications for Garmin owners

For most Garmin owners, nothing really changes. Your watch will keep syncing as usual, and you won’t suddenly see a bunch of new features popping up in Garmin Connect. This is more about what you can do with your data outside the app.

And there’s plenty you could do with it. Garmin watches collect a huge amount of information, but Garmin Connect doesn’t always give you the best ways to explore it. Having more options is definitely a good thing.

The question is how much of that data Garmin will actually let people access. Opening things up is a step in the right direction, but the recent changes to FIT files suggest there are still some limits to what you can get your hands on.

Via

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Berhanu crossed the finish line on Sunday, October 18, in 2:03:33, missing the Amsterdam course record by just three seconds. Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir finished second in 2:03:39, while Patrick Mosin took third in 2:03:58. It was a remarkably close finish, particularly given the wet conditions on the day.

The 32-year old made his decisive move in Vondelpark, dropping Kipkorir in the closing kilometres before running into the Olympic Stadium for the victory. It was also the fastest marathon of his career, and the first time Amsterdam’s top three men had all finished under 2:04.

A four-year-old Garmin on the winner’s wrist

What makes Berhanu’s choice rather surprising is the age of the watch. Garmin introduced the Forerunner 255 back in June 2022, and several newer generations of running watches have arrived since then. Yet here is one of the world’s fastest marathon runners still using it to compete at the highest level.

The Forerunner 255 was originally priced at $349.99 in the US. It weighs just 48 grams, has a traditional memory-in-pixel display and uses five physical buttons rather than a touchscreen. It also offers multi-band GPS, wrist-based heart rate tracking, running power, HRV status and Garmin’s training metrics.

Battery life is another strong point. Garmin quotes up to 30 hours in GPS-only mode and up to 16 hours with multi-band positioning enabled, far more than anyone needs for a marathon. The screen also remains easy to read in daylight without needing to wake an AMOLED display.

Of course, Garmin has moved on quite a bit since 2022. The Forerunner 265 brought an AMOLED screen and additional training features, while the newer Forerunner 570 and 970 introduced further hardware and software improvements. But there is very little on those more expensive models that would make a substantial difference when running a marathon.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen this

Berhanu is hardly alone in sticking with an older Garmin. Earlier this year, we looked at the watches worn at the 2026 London Marathon and found that women’s winner Tigst Assefa was also wearing a Forerunner 255. Garmin’s relatively affordable running watches continue to appear on the wrists of athletes producing extraordinary performances.

And only a week ago, Eliud Kipchoge won the Melbourne Marathon wearing what we identified as the Huawei Watch GT Runner 2. That is a much newer device, developed with input from Kipchoge and his running team. Berhanu’s choice is almost the opposite, a watch that has been around for years and doesn’t offer many of the headline features found on newer models.

For anyone wondering whether their older Garmin is still good enough, this is a useful reminder. The Forerunner 255 may no longer be among Garmin’s newest running watches, but it still offers accurate GPS tracking, reliable pace information and more training data than most runners will ever use. And now it has another major marathon victory to its name.

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The situation has become frustrating enough that developers are openly questioning how Garmin manages its app store. Some are also pointing towards the growing number of mass-produced and potentially AI-generated watch faces, although Garmin hasn’t confirmed that AI is responsible for the sudden increase.

Garmin confirms the backlog

The complaints have been building throughout October. Developers who previously received approval within a day or two are now finding their submissions stuck in review for a week or longer.

In one Garmin developer forum discussion, several users describe waiting between seven and 13 days. The delays affect new watch faces, apps and updates to existing products.

Garmin has acknowledged the situation. On October 16, Brandon from the Connect IQ team explained that the company has experienced an enormous influx of app submissions over the past month, with no indication that the volume is slowing down.

According to Garmin, this isn’t a software bug. The review team is simply dealing with more submissions than usual, and the company hasn’t provided a timeframe for returning to normal approval times.

The delays are particularly troublesome for developers selling watch faces. Some report missing potential sales while their products remain unavailable, despite paying Garmin’s $100 annual merchant account fee. There are also complaints about merchant accounts unexpectedly returning to review status.

Are AI-generated watch faces making things worse?

Is this due to vibe coding and AI? Perhaps that has made the situation worse. But developers have been complaining about the sheer number of similar-looking watch faces in Connect IQ for some time, well before the current approval delays.

An earlier discussion on Garmin’s forums raised concerns about developers releasing large numbers of nearly identical products. Some differed little beyond their background images, making it harder for more original designs and useful applications to get noticed.

Those complaints have resurfaced during the current backlog. Developers are questioning whether mass-produced watch faces are overwhelming the approval process.

There is a plausible explanation here. AI tools and watch-face generators make it easier to produce numerous designs without building everything from scratch. Developers can create multiple variations relatively quickly, potentially submitting dozens of products in the time previously needed to develop just a few.

That doesn’t automatically make those watch faces poor quality. But it does create a problem if submission volumes grow much faster than Garmin’s ability to review them.

Importantly, Garmin hasn’t released figures showing how many submissions come from AI-assisted tools, or whether these are responsible for October’s increase. For now, the connection remains a theory raised by developers rather than an established explanation.

Some developers are suggesting submission limits, including restricting accounts to one new app per week. Others want Garmin to do more about repetitive watch faces and improve communication when reviews take longer than expected.

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The feature arrived through Garmin’s September software updates, bringing hands-free voice activation to the Fenix 8, Forerunner 570 and 970, Venu 4 and several other models. Instead of pressing a button, users can simply say “OK Garmin” to activate voice commands.

But that convenience appears to come at a surprisingly high drawback.

Battery estimates dropping sharply

Reports across Garmin’s support forums suggest that enabling the feature can reduce estimated battery life by roughly 35% to 50%. The complaints involve multiple models.

In Forerunner 970 discussions, for example, users describe battery estimates falling from around 15 days to nine. Similar experiences have appeared in the Fenix 8 forums, where estimated runtimes have reportedly dropped from around two weeks to just seven or eight days.

The pattern is fairly consistent. Users are finding that turning off “OK Garmin” restores much of the estimated battery life, sometimes immediately. In certain cases, they have also needed to disable the separate Phone Assistant wake-word setting to return to their previous estimates.

Garmin says reduced battery life is expected

Garmin actually warns about this in its official documentation. Enabling the voice wake word reduces battery life, although the company doesn’t specify how much users should expect to lose.

The explanation is straightforward. The watch needs to monitor its microphone for the wake phrase throughout the day, even when voice commands aren’t being used. That requires additional power compared with activating the feature manually.

What many people don’t realise is that after installing these latest updates, the feature is automatically enabled. So they need to go into the settings to disable if they do not plan to use it.

It’s also worth noting that some Fenix 8 owners have experienced battery problems unrelated to voice activation. Not every complaint following the September firmware updates necessarily has the same cause.

For anyone noticing shorter battery life, disabling “OK Garmin” is a sensible first step. The setting can be found under the watch’s voice settings, and it’s worth checking whether the separate Phone Assistant wake word is also enabled.

Turning off hands-free activation doesn’t remove voice commands. Users can still activate them manually through the watch’s controls, without keeping the microphone listening throughout the day.

That’s probably the better arrangement for anyone who only occasionally uses voice commands. Giving up several days of estimated battery life simply to avoid pressing a button seems like a rather expensive trade-off.

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Intervals Pro used training and recovery data pulled through Intervals.icu, a popular training platform used by endurance athletes. Intervals.icu itself is running normally, but its developer says Garmin’s updated terms will likely prevent Garmin-sourced data from being passed onwards through the platform’s API.

Intervals Pro billing has stopped, and any unused prepaid time is being refunded automatically. Users have until October 19 to log in and download their coaching conversations

What Garmin is changing

The issue is not Garmin sending your workouts to another service. That still works. If you connect Garmin directly to a platform such as Intervals.icu, your activities can continue to arrive there.

The problem comes at the next step. Garmin appears to be restricting whether that platform can then make the same Garmin-sourced data available to another app or service unless Garmin has approved it.

Intervals.icu developer David Tinker says the new conditions appeared in Garmin’s developer portal without advance notice. He expects the platform will have to block Garmin data from its API, although discussions with Garmin are still ongoing and nothing has been finalised yet.

That uncertainty was enough for Intervals Pro to pull the plug. The service relied heavily on data coming through Intervals.icu to analyse training history, sleep, HRV, training load and upcoming workouts, then use that information for AI-based coaching.

This could go beyond one small coaching app

Not every training service has its own direct Garmin integration. Smaller developers often connect to a platform that already collects data from multiple wearable brands, then build their own coaching, analysis or AI tools on top of that.

Garmin’s approach could make that much harder. If a service wants access to Garmin data, it may increasingly need its own approved relationship with Garmin rather than getting that information indirectly through another platform.

There is also a possibility that the restriction will apply to older data. Tinker said on October 12 that he expects complete Garmin activities, FIT files, data streams and wellness information to be covered, including historical data that originally arrived through Garmin’s API. He stressed that this is still being discussed with Garmin rather than a final decision. 

Files uploaded by users themselves may be treated differently. An independent project called Garmin Intervals Bridge is already experimenting with replacing Garmin-imported activities with original FIT files uploaded by the athlete, which could keep that information available to other authorised tools. But this is very much a workaround rather than an official solution. 

For most Garmin owners, nothing changes today. Garmin activities can still sync into Intervals.icu as normal, and the restrictions being discussed concern what happens when that Garmin-sourced data is then passed on to another service.

But the closure of Intervals Pro shows where things may be heading. Garmin appears to want more control over where its data goes after it reaches another platform, and smaller apps built on top of that data are likely to feel the effects first.

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So far the rollout has only reached 20% of users. So plenty of owners will not see the update yet.

Garmin finally names the problem

Garmin’s changelog is unusually direct about the main fix. It says version 23.40 fixes the optical heart-rate sensor not working, which is a much clearer acknowledgment than the troubleshooting advice affected owners had been receiving.

This was not a case of slightly inaccurate readings during a run. On affected watches, the green and red sensor lights went completely dark and wrist heart rate disappeared, including during recorded activities.

That also created a knock-on problem for the health data built around the optical sensor. Owners reported losing overnight HRV, Pulse Ox, sleep information and Body Battery data, turning an expensive multisport watch into a far less useful device until the sensor came back to life.

The earlier fixes were all over the place

We first reported the Fenix 8 heart-rate failure on October 3. Some owners managed to recover the sensor after switching the watch off for more than 90 seconds, while others needed a factory reset or firmware reinstall.

Those methods were never dependable. In some cases the sensor returned only to stop again, while other watches remained without heart rate after every suggested reset and reinstall.

Garmin support even told one owner that the watch might need replacing if reinstalling the software failed. Version 23.40 now confirms that Garmin had a software fix to make, so affected users should install this release before treating the sensor as failed hardware. 

The timing also adds another corrective release to a fairly untidy stretch of Fenix software. Garmin previously had to issue version 22.44 after display complaints, and 23.40 arrives only a few weeks after the much larger 23.39 update.

There are three other changes

Heart rate is the headline fix, but it is not the whole changelog. Garmin says 23.40 also fixes a crash when users enable active heart-rate broadcasting through Garmin Connect Mobile, along with a problem that allowed notifications to make noise while silent mode was enabled.

The final entry simply mentions other minor issues, without explaining what they are. This is still a compact hotfix rather than another feature release, so owners should not expect new training tools or interface changes.

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Just a day after the MARQ Gen 3 was spotted on Garmin’s support pages, the company has officially launched its third-generation luxury smartwatch collection. There are six models, with prices ranging from $2,500 to $3,100.

The new lineup consists of MARQ Athlete, Adventurer, Aviator, Commander, Golfer and Diver. All six get larger AMOLED displays, LTE and satellite connectivity, expanded mapping and Garmin’s latest health and fitness features.

What’s new with MARQ Gen 3

The previous generation arrived in October 2022, so Garmin has taken four years to deliver a full refresh. There have been special editions along the way, including the MARQ Carbon collection, but the underlying hardware was starting to show its age.

The new watches feature 47 mm Grade 5 titanium cases, sapphire crystal lenses and ceramic bezel inlays. Each measures 15 mm thick and comes with a 1.4-inch AMOLED display, up from 1.2 inches on the previous generation.

Storage has increased from 32GB to 128GB, while battery life reaches up to 18 days in smartwatch mode or seven days with the always-on display enabled.

Perhaps the biggest addition is embedded inReach connectivity. All six watches support LTE calling, messaging and location sharing without a phone nearby, along with satellite messaging and emergency SOS through Garmin Response. These services require a subscription.

Garmin has also added a speaker, microphone and LED flashlight. Other additions include the ECG app in supported regions, newer health and recovery metrics, and worldwide TopoActive maps with address search.

These changes bring MARQ much closer to Garmin’s latest high-end sports watches in terms of functionality. Previously, buyers were paying a considerable premium for hardware that lacked some features already available elsewhere in Garmin’s range.

Six models with different specialities

MARQ Athlete is the entry point at $2,500. It has a silicone strap, VO2 max markings on the bezel and Garmin’s full collection of running and training features.

MARQ Adventurer costs $2,700 and comes with an Italian leather strap and compass bezel. It focuses on hiking, navigation and climbing, including preloaded ClimbPro information.

MARQ Golfer is priced at $2,800, with an 18-hole bezel indicator, woven strap and more than 43,000 preloaded golf courses. Virtual Caddie and green contour data are among its specialist features, although some require a Garmin Golf membership.

The other three models each cost $3,100.

MARQ Aviator features aviation weather, flight mapping and UTC markings. MARQ Commander adds tactical features including stealth mode, night vision compatibility and an Applied Ballistics solver.

MARQ Diver is the new addition to the family. It supports scuba diving, apnea and snorkelling to depths of 40 metres, with sealed buttons for underwater use. Garmin has also included boating features such as autopilot control and tack assist.

Each edition has different straps, bezel markings and watch faces, but the underlying hardware is pretty much identical.

Garmin says the collection is available now, although broader retail availability is reportedly scheduled for November 5. You can check the watches out on the company’s website.

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