Garmin quietly boosts older smartwatches with a feature runners actually use

Garmin Coach improvements are heading to legacy devices via a new beta update, hinting the brand isn’t done with older hardware just yet

The company hasn’t made a big deal out of it, but the update is already rolling out via its beta programme to a wide range of older Garmin watches.

That includes the Garmin Fenix 7 lineup, Garmin Epix Gen 2 models (both Pro and non-Pro), as well as the Garmin Enduro 2, Garmin Quatix 7 and Garmin MARQ Gen 2.

In other words, this isn’t a blanket update for all older Garmin devices, but it does cover a substantial chunk of the brand’s recent high-end lineup.

The update, part of the new v26.xx cycle (currently Beta 26.04), focuses on improving Garmin Coach functionality rather than introducing new features.

Garmin has spent the early part of this year prioritising new features for its latest watches, with tools like Course Planner, Sleep Alignment, and expanded training insights largely reserved for newer models.

Older running watches, meanwhile, have mostly received bug fixes and stability tweaks.

This update nudges things in a slightly different direction by refining one of its core training tools, suggesting there’s still life left in its premium back catalogue.

Garmin Coach gets smarter

Garmin Coach has quietly evolved from a beginner-friendly running plan generator into a broader training platform, especially with the addition of more personalised and adaptive workouts in recent updates.

This update certainly isn’t the biggest in the brand’s history, but it does what a software update is supposed to do.

Smaller tweaks to older smartwatches keep them up to date for longer, which is exactly why many athletes choose Garmin over its competitors.

In other words, while Garmin is pushing innovation on its latest devices, it isn’t forgetting about its older ecosystem, either.

Given the ongoing noise around subscriptions, feature gating and upgrade cycles in wearables, even small updates like this can go a long way.

For now, it’s only available via the beta programme. But if it rolls out more widely, it could be one of the more quietly appreciated Garmin updates of the year.

[via NotebookCheck]