Does latest software version damage the F6X?

I recently had an issue with my F6X sapphire following the latest update. The watch got stuck on "loading cartography" and when it finally rebooted it did so as a Tactix. I called Garmin and they kindly replaced the watch. I just recived a brand new F6X but my question is, should I update it to the latest version? Now it's on the 19.30 version. My fear is that it will damage the new watch. I saw other people who had the same issue.

Top Replies

C.sco over 3 years ago +4

Au Thon said:
I saw other people who had the same issue.

I've seen it before, but it's been quite a while since someone reported it happening, and it's a very rare occurrence. It's doubtful that the firmware…
bluefish over 3 years ago +1

Au Thon said:
Now it's on the 19.30 version.

Is your watch an APAC version? Or a world wide version? I do not know 19.30 at ww watches.
C.sco over 3 years ago in reply to apersson850 +1

apersson850 said:
Just update. It rarely fails.

Ya know, I said exactly the same thing in this very thread yesterday... Then 24 hours later exactly the same thing happened to my own watch today, bricked…

All Replies

0 Dr Phil over 3 years ago

Au Thon said:
should I update it to the latest version?

Yes, when you get it either OTA or from GE

0 C.sco over 3 years ago

Au Thon said:
I saw other people who had the same issue.

I've seen it before, but it's been quite a while since someone reported it happening, and it's a very rare occurrence. It's doubtful that the firmware broke your watch, likely something was already wrong with it and the firmware update just exposed it.

Edit to add: Scratch everything I wrote up there yesterday. The update bricked my own watch today too.

0 Tim_B_ over 3 years ago

I guess it’s one of those things, if the newer software either fixes a specific problem you are having or provides a feature you want, then it’s worth upgrading, otherwise if the Fenix is working fine for you, why risk it.

0 muppetman over 3 years ago in reply to C.sco

This. If you have a faulty flash chip on your watch, writing a new firmware to it will probably trigger the faultiness and it goes pop. It's not the firmware that's faulty, it's the act of writing the firmware to it.

0 bluefish over 3 years ago

Au Thon said:
Now it's on the 19.30 version.

Is your watch an APAC version? Or a world wide version? I do not know 19.30 at ww watches.

0 mcbadger over 3 years ago

Mine did that in December, but it wasn’t triggered by a firmware upgrade, just randomly in the middle of a run. As muppetman says, it’s the flash chip going bad and setting itself read only, it’s nothing directly to do with the firmware.

0 apersson850 over 3 years ago

Just update. It rarely fails.

0 bluefish over 3 years ago

Au Thon said:
and when it finally rebooted it did so as a Tactix.

I read here in the forum sporadic messages that the fenix switches to the "tactix mode". Tactix and fenix have the same firmware. Obviously there is no other solution than a replacement of the watch.

0 C.sco over 3 years ago in reply to apersson850

apersson850 said:
Just update. It rarely fails.

Ya know, I said exactly the same thing in this very thread yesterday... Then 24 hours later exactly the same thing happened to my own watch today, bricked it and now it's going back to Garmin for a replacement.

Watch survived 2.5 years of updates just fine before this one.

0 Tim_B_ over 3 years ago in reply to C.sco

Ha, this post didn’t age well

Sorry to hear of your problems though, good that Garmin is sorting it out. Hopefully no GPS issues with the new one!