Garmin rolls out two of the most-requested new features to more smartwatches

Garmin just added even more smarts to your wrist, and you don’t need a flagship triathlon watch to get them.

As reported by Notebookcheck, a new beta software update rolling out to mid-range models, such as the Garmin Vivoactive 6, introduces several of the headline features previously seen on the best Garmin watches.

The Evening Report is a natural complement to Garmin’s popular Morning Report.

Instead of forecasting your day, it reflects on it, summarising how much activity you’ve done, how stressed you were, what your body needs overnight, and whether you’ve got any workouts coming up.

It’s a useful way to close the loop on your recovery and training cycles, and it’s now available to test on the Vivoactive 6 via beta firmware 12.50, with a wider rollout to the Garmin Fenix 8, Garmin Enduro 3 and E series expected soon.

If you’ve been training with a weighted vest or backpack, Garmin’s new Rucking activity profile will be a welcome addition.

It tracks distance, pace and elevation, while also factoring in pack weight to deliver more accurate calorie burn and VO2 max estimates.

Rucking has already landed on the Fenix 8 and Garmin Forerunner 970 as part of Garmin’s May update and is now making its way to more devices.

Take control of notifications like never before

Another highlight is the introduction of Custom Focus Modes. Previously, Garmin users could only switch between sleep and do-not-disturb modes, but the new update lets you build your own: think “Work mode” that silences social alerts, or “Movie mode” that mutes everything but emergency calls.

It’s another nod to Apple Watch-style personalisation, and it works across time schedules, calendar events and manual toggles.

Other additions include a built-in calculator app, which is more useful than it sounds, especially if you want to split a restaurant bill post-run and forgot your phone.

Currently, these features are only available through Garmin’s public beta program, but based on previous cycles, a stable release shouldn’t be too far off. To join the beta, head to your watch settings and check for updates manually.

Garmin continues to expand its feature set at a rapid pace, and with tools like the Evening Report now making their way to more watches, the experience gap between mid-range and premium devices is shrinking fast.