A massive jump in major version since the last “stable” release of the Garmin fēnix 6 firmware. Annoyingly, they haven’t released the binaries for the adventurous, and I haven’t been able to make Garmin Express deliver the goods, so I’m still running the 18.80 beta.

The major version change sort of makes sense given how many new features were added, although, I’m a bit confused by the number of jumps. The change log is below and I’ve highlighted the ones I think are most interesting. One fix that isn’t mentioned, but is a massive improvement for me personally (at least in 18.80), is that they finally fixed the issue where if a Smart Trainer sensor was enabled estimated pace on the treadmill didn’t work. So really happy to see that.

Change Log

New Adventure Race activity: This new activity prevents use of GPS data fields for navigation, allowing the watch to be used in adventure racing and orienteering races where GPS devices are not allowed.
Added new workout animations which can be updated with Express or a Wifi sync.
Added the ability to rate the perceived effort and feel of a Run, Bike, or Swim activity. The prompts appear during activity save. Go to [Activity] Settings > Self Evaluation for options.
Added sleep tracking widget with sleep score and insights by Firstbeat Analytics TM.
Added metabolic calories into the total calories reported in the calories data field and recorded in the activity file.
Added setting to enable/disable workout audio prompts.
Automatically disable Battery Saver when battery sufficiently charged.
Updated workout audio prompts for hundredths distance precision.
Updated Intensity Minutes determinations to align with guidance from CDC.
Improved feedback on stress level readings.
Improved calorie calculations for activities using a power meter.
Improved results for daily Body Battery calculations.
Improved visibility of Climb Pro alert page.
Improved power meter calibration and settings.
Improved layout of target card page. (Only applies to tactix Delta – Solar Edition with Ballistics)
Improved Body Battery estimation when the device is powered off for a long period of time.
Fixed issue where compass would become unresponsive during SUP activities.
Fixed issue with incorrect energy values on range card. (Only applies to tactix Delta – Solar Edition with Ballistics)
Fixed issue with manual time setup during initial setup.
Fixed display issues when editing data field layouts.
Fixed issue where recovery sets would not be properly displayed during workouts.
Fixed issue where a Suggested Workout could draw with a nearly blank diagram.
Fixed issue with editing data screens for Ultra Run app.
Fixed text truncation issues when calibrating altimeter or barometer for some languages.
Fixed issue with configuring map state. (Only applies to tactix Delta)
Fixed issue with default FTP value for XC Ski.
Fixed issue with distance to green layout while using ‘Big Numbers’ mode in golf activity profile.
Fixed potential crash while using ClimbPro.
Fixed an issue where some training metrics were not updated after downloading stored heart rate from a capable chest strap.
Fixed issue where the LAP key may not advance workout step.
Fixed issue where Treadmill distance/pace would not record if watch was also connected to another nearby training device.
Connect IQ improvements and bug fixes.
Other minor improvements and bug fixes.