Garmin Instinct 2 to Get Exciting New Features in January

Beta testers get an early Christmas present

Danny Chadwick
Associate Editor

Danny has been a technology journalist since 2008. He served as senior writer, as well as multimedia and home improvement editor at Top Ten Reviews until 2019. Since then, he has been a freelance contributor to Lifewire and ghostwriter for Fit Small Business. His work has also appeared on Laptop Mag, Tom’s Guide, and business.com. Read more...

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@jdannychadwick
Dec 23, 2022, 12:34 pm EDT | 1 min read

Garmin Instinct 2 on a white background — Garmin

Garmin Instinct 2 early-access users got a holiday gift this week. The company rolled out an alpha update for the popular smartwatch with some new features and bug fixes. Remember that alpha updates are for testing purposes. Garmin will release these updates to everyone in January.

New features in the alpha firmware update include:

Morning Report: Provides users with a daily summary of their sleep and activity data, helping them to start their day off on the right foot.
Sleep Mode: Allows users to track their sleep patterns and receive personalized recommendations for improving their sleep quality.
Primary Race and Race Calendar Glance: Provides users with quick and easy access to important race information, such as their race pace and time remaining.
Wrist-Based Running Power: Allows users to track and measure their running power in real time, helping them to optimize their training and performance.
Daily Suggested Workout Improvements: Provides users with personalized workout recommendations based on their activity levels and goals.
Grade-Adjusted Pace: Takes into account the incline or decline of a given route, providing more accurate pace information for runners.
Backcountry Snowboard Activity: Allows users to track and record their backcountry snowboarding sessions, including essential metrics such as distance and altitude.
Physio TrueUp: Allows users to sync their activity data across multiple devices, ensuring that their progress is accurately tracked and recorded.
Real-Time Settings Support for Activity Alerts: Allows users to customize and receive alerts for specific activities, such as heart rate or pace.
Temperature Recording Activity Setting: Allows users to track and record the temperature during their workouts and outdoor activities.

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The Garmin Instinct 2 alpha update also includes several bug fixes to improve the overall performance and reliability of the smartwatch. These include incorrect daily calorie counts, indoor bike activity starting on the wrong data screen, and problems with the surf activity summary page.

The updates are available for early-access beta testers now. We expect Garmin to roll out all the new features and fixes to Instinct 2 users sometime in January. You can sign up as a tester through Garmin’s website if you want them while they’re in the alpha phase.