- Garmin Feature Update for Q2 2026 Now Rolling Out
- It brings a host of new features, including support for golf tags, inventory tracking and a recovery function – and much more – to select watches.
- However, some relatively new Garmin watches are missing here
Garmin has announced a new feature update for its watches, although the catch is that only newer devices will benefit from it.
As spotted by Gadgets and Wearables, the Q2 2026 update affects not only Garmin watches, but also cycling computers, and it’s rolling out starting now (over the “coming weeks,” and as always with rollouts, the time it takes to arrive on your device may vary).
What’s new? When it comes to golf, one addition is Approach CT1 tag compatibility for select watches, meaning those devices can pair with Garmin’s NFC club tags (to track the golf club used along with shot distance and other stats).
The following watches will benefit from the Q2 update:
- Fenix 8
- Fenix 8 Pro
- Enduro 3
- Tactic 8
- Quatix8
- Quatix8 Pro
- Mach D2
Other features already found on some watches are being added to other Garmin models with this update, including Premium Golf features (via Garmin Golf subscription), which will be available on the Garmin Venu 4, Vivoactive 6 and D2 Air X15.
If you own a Garmin Instinct 3, Instinct Crossover AMOLED, or Instinct E, you will receive the Stocks Tracker and Mobility Activity features with this update. These watches will also benefit from Workout Execution Score functionality, except for the Garmin Instinct E, which is missing here.
Troubleshooting Bonus
There’s also a new Recovery Mode feature – a troubleshooting function to recover the watch after a software glitch – which Gadgets and Wearables informs us is coming to several Garmin watch lines. This includes the Venu 4, Venu X1, Vivoactive 6, D2 Air X15, Forerunner 570 and 970, as well as the Fenix 8 and Fenix E models.
As for the bike computer, the Q2 update allows you to connect e-bikes compatible with Bosch smart systems to your Edge bike computer to display information such as battery level, power and cadence data, and intelligent range route. On-device equipment tracking is also added to these Edge cycling computers.
Owners of relatively new Garmin watches will no doubt be disappointed not to benefit from these features. For example, there is nothing for Venu 3 owners here, nor for Vivoactive 5 or Fenix 7 models, and others.
This doesn’t mean that these slightly older devices are completely left behind, because even if they can’t be visited with feature additions, they won’t be left without software fixes. That’s probably a small consolation, especially considering the substantial outlay for some of these gadgets.
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