ⓘ Garmin
At the end of October Garmin released the first major update for the Fenix 7 series in three months. As discussed at the time, the 28.02 Beta version arrived with nine general changes compared to the old 27.18 system software.
Now, the company has moved beta development to Beta version 28.07. In a forum post, Garmin clarifies that the new update is available on non-Pro and Pro-branded models, including the Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar (curr. $499 – refurbished on Amazon).
However, you must manually request the 28.07 Beta version, with Garmin marking the firmware as a “Check for Updates” update only. To do this, navigate the main menu to Settings, System, and Software Update before tapping “Check for Updates.”
According to Garmin, Beta 28.07 brings two significant changes over Beta 28.02. On the one hand, the new update should fix an issue that could cause some Enduro 2, Epix, Fenix 7, and Quatix 7 smartwatches to turn off when paired with bike shifting.
On the other hand, Beta 28.07 fixes a separate bug where the same smartwatches could go into sleep mode even after manually disabling the feature altogether. Garmin adds that the 28.07 Beta version keeps the ECG functionality disabled.
Therefore, it may offer multiple v28.xx beta updates before moving development to the stable software branch. The full list of changes between system software 27.18 and beta 28.07 is as follows:
- Fixed a device validation issue that sometimes occurred when downloading TopoActive maps.
- Fixed an issue where HRM 200/600 would not work during golf activities.
- Fixed an issue where navigation calculation would sometimes fail.
- Fixed an issue where new clubs added to the Garmin Golf app were not visible in the device’s club list.
- Fixed an issue where rangefinders would sometimes display stale data.
- Fixed an issue where the calendar widget was sometimes slow to load.
- Fixed an issue where the device would sometimes turn off when paired with a bike shift.
- Fixed an issue where the Garmin Coach widget would sometimes not display data.
- Fixed an issue where the GPS setting for an outdoor activity was disabled after selecting the indoor version of the activity.
- Fixed an issue where the watch would enter sleep mode even after manually turning off sleep mode.
- Fixed stability issues when downloading maps on the map manager app.
Before writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a degree in History and International Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to Law. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.
