Fenix 5S/5 - 2.96 Beta Release

Looking forward to being a fenix 5 beta tester... I ordered mine today :D

The "Boating" app sounds interesting, I was wondering if Paddling is supported or whether I'll have to use the SUP app to track my surfski paddling?

Disabling those in trail running was a change brought in in the F3 after it had been out for a while; the reason was that users were unhappy that trail runs would drag their VO2max down from the values they'd achieve on road runs with less ascent (which you could probably calibrate for with the altimeter) and much more even terrain underfoot (which isn't so easy to quantify). IOW, done for people who use trail run a lot, but not exclusively. I think you'll probably need to do some runs in the standard Run app.

Just to add to MCBADGER's post, VO2 Max and LTHR calculation were excluded from the Trail Run app, by design, some time ago on the Fenix 3 (for all the reasons MCBADGER explains - folks moaned long and hard for that change on the Fenix 3 beta threads....). The Fenix 5 has essentially inherited this. Have a look under the Fenix 3 changelog notes for "Changes made from version 7.00 to 7.20" here http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=7623

Fixed a potential issue where VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold estimates were being used incorrectly with Trail Run activities.

Now, getting back to this Fenix 5 beta realease:
What's not instantly clear in the changelog notes for the Fenix 5 2.96 beta, is that the BLE/ANT/SNS gets a software update to 2.90 (this is nothing to do with the main software versions). Just wondering if folks who were/are having problems with connecting to their phones, ANT+ sensors (bike power meters) or Stryde pods might want to give this beta a whirl to see if it fixes some/any of their issues (I've personally had no problems; but I connect to an iPhone rather than Android and I don't specifically have a bike power meter or Stryde foot pod). I can report that 2.96 beta has installed fine on my Fenix 5 and everything is working fine having done my usual checks of settings, BLE phone connection and sensor connections after updating; in case anyone is worried about instability of beta software.

Just to add to MCBADGER's post, VO2 Max and LTHR calculation were excluded from the Trail Run app, by design, some time ago on the Fenix 3 (for all the reasons MCBADGER explains - folks moaned long and hard for that change on the Fenix 3 beta threads....). The Fenix 5 has essentially inherited this. Have a look under the Fenix 3 changelog notes for "Changes made from version 7.00 to 7.20" here http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=7623

Fixed a potential issue where VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold estimates were being used incorrectly with Trail Run activities.

Maybe it should be a preference to have Trail Runs calculate VO2 and lactate but this isn't noted in the manual that Trail Runs won't measure these values.

This is my 1st Garmin watch and I bought the ANT+ chest strap along with it under the premise that I'd get all of these fancy calculations for runs. Those features changed my price point by about $200 of my purchase decision. i.e. I could've bought a watch which didn't do this stuff for much less money.

Maybe it should be a preference to have Trail Runs calculate VO2 and lactate but this isn't noted in the manual that Trail Runs won't measure these values.

This is my 1st Garmin watch and I bought the ANT+ chest strap along with it under the premise that I'd get all of these fancy calculations for runs. Those features changed my price point by about $200 of my purchase decision. i.e. I could've bought a watch which didn't do this stuff for much less money.

Perhaps it should be an option for Trail Runs, but that would just complicate things (settings, menus, etc) IMHO.

I might be missing something, but why can't you just use the standard Run app when doing trail runs & have all these metrics calculated as you desire? You can configure the Run app to have all the necessary trail run screens, etc (i.e. Auto-climb, ascent, map, etc) so you can have the best of both worlds.

Also, I don't get your logic... VO2Max and LT are standard measurements with specific, standard tests & conditions prescribed to determine these measures. Usually this is on a treadmill, flat road, etc. What is the value of getting an unfairly low VO2Max reading on a trail run with 2k of vert gain & technical descents (for example)? The number will not be anywhere near your true maximum aerobic potential and therefore it makes perfect sense that Garmin made this change with the F3.

Maybe it should be a preference to have Trail Runs calculate VO2 and lactate but this isn't noted in the manual that Trail Runs won't measure these values.

That's a fair point, it really should have been in the manual as it's always been this way on the Fenix 5 and so was a known behaviour to note (unlike the Fenix 3 at launch). But now you do know this is not a bug and is intentional, can you not just move on and start using the Run app instead as DKATCHALOV describes; you can even copy the Run app and rename it Trail Run if that helps.

Or if you're really anal, set up a new "run" profile and rename it "trail run"

What's not instantly clear in the changelog notes for the Fenix 5 2.96 beta, is that the BLE/ANT/SNS gets a software update to 2.90 (this is nothing to do with the main software versions). Just wondering if folks who were/are having problems with connecting to their phones, ANT+ sensors (bike power meters) or Stryde pods might want to give this beta a whirl to see if it fixes some/any of their issues (I've personally had no problems; but I connect to an iPhone rather than Android and I don't specifically have a bike power meter or Stryde foot pod). I can report that 2.96 beta has installed fine on my Fenix 5 and everything is working fine having done my usual checks of settings, BLE phone connection and sensor connections after updating; in case anyone is worried about instability of beta software.

I can confirm that the new BLE/ANT/SNS software solved my problem of not being able to pair a Bluetooth sensor with Beta 2.95.

It seems 2.96 has made the BLE connection more stable between my f5 and the phone (iPhone 6S+). On 2.95 and prior, I could leave my phone in the bedroom, go to the kitchen and it would disconnect/connect/disconnect. Now, I have to go one room further than the kitchen before it disconnects. It could be this firmware has made it less sensitive to drops. Time will tell...