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Fenix 6 Series - 20.86 Public Beta

Julianna_ODQA
over 3 years ago

Hello Fenix 6 customers,

Our next beta version for the Fenix 6 series is now available! 

Please email the Garmin Outdoor Quality Team if you find issues in software after installing this update: [email protected]

If you’ve participated in the Fenix 6 Beta Program previously, you’ll notice a few changes from how we have managed this in the past. And further down the line, we’ll have some additional improvements to the Beta Program (more on that later!) Notably, this forum post is now the primary resource for reading the change log notes – they are not available on another webpage. (There will be more options for viewing change logs after we implement the additional improvements to our beta program.)

The links to download the software update are listed below. Select the link specific to your watch model. Please note that your computer will download a .zip file when you open this link. This zip contains the software update, as well as a folder with the file necessary for backdating software, and instructions for this process if you choose to do so. Remember, backdating software will reset all settings.

Use these links to download the zip for your watch to update to version 20.86:

Change Log for version 20.86 (changes since 20.85):

  • Added prompt to reboot if GPS is unresponsive.
  • Fixed an issue that could prevent device from booting up properly.
  • Added a new tip to notify the user that the Wrist Heart Rate Sensor is disabled. This tip will be displayed whenever accessing a heartrate-related glance while the wrist heartrate sensor is turned off on the device.
  • Updated name of the Endurance Horseback activity to be Horseback.
  • Fixed Run/Walk detection algorithm to properly calculate running & walking times.
  • Fixed an intermittent issue where the device would report inaccurate activity distance data.
  • Fixed intermittent shutdowns that would occur in the Strength activity.

Instructions for updating software:

  1. Download the .zip specific to your computer, using the links above.
  2. Connect the watch to your computer.
  3. Copy the included gupdate.gcd file (from the System_x.xx folder) to the Primary\Garmin folder on your watch.
  4. If there is a Sensor Hub_v*** folder, place the gupXXXX.gcd file into the \GARMIN\REMOTESW folder of the device. Please note, not all Beta releases will include an update.
  5. If there is a ANT_BT_BLE_v*** folder, place the gupXXXX.gcd file into the \GARMIN\REMOTESW folder of the device. Please note, not all Beta releases will include an update.
  6. Disconnect the watch from the computer and it will prompt you to update software.

After updating, your watch will be running the following software versions. These can be confirmed on the Menu – System – About pages. New versions are indicated in red.

System Software: 20.86

GPS: 5.30
Sensor Hub: 18.00 *If you have been participating in the Beta Program, you may already have this sw
ANT/BLE/BT (Pro models): 6.15 *If you have been participating in the Beta Program, you may already have this sw
ANT/BLE (non-Pro models): 3.01
Wi-Fi (Pro models only): 2.60

Please note, the beta updates released on these forums are not compatible for APAC region devices.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    Today my watch also credited me with daytime sleep, in two parts, separated by a large awake window. This is actually correct as I have had a very easy day, watching TV and taking some naps as I'm under the weather at the moment. So in one sense this is great.

    Unfortunately my daytime napping has erased all traces of my big sleep last night. They should not replace, only add.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to AndersB

    That's a very confusing thing. Garmin should change that to be clear. I.e: device version: 20.30, latest version: 20.60

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to eezytiger
    eezytiger said:
    Unfortunately my daytime napping has erased all traces of my big sleep last night. They should not replace, only add.

    If you go and modify your sleep to approx real start and finish of the night sleep, you should see the recorded staged are still there, this is one of the strange things that it does at the moment.

    Actually, of you set the start point at around where you actually went to bed last night and leave the finish point where it is (end of the second nap) my guess is that you will see the night stages, and a huge chunk of light sleep connecting it to the daytime stages in your snapshot above.

    In the mood for an experiment? Wink

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Former Member
    This paper from FirstBeat explains a lot of it.

    Thanks! I think I'll read through as soon as I get a little time, seems really interesting

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Frankysour

    You are correct. The data was there for all my sleeps and joined up with light sleep. But the totals did not add up correctly. From 22:05 to 18:07 is 20 hours, but my sleep total was shown as 10 hours. That's actually probably correct in reality - 8+1+1, but not correct if most of my waking day was misreported as light sleep instead of awake.

    I've decided to adjust my sleeping time to last night's sleep (Oura Ring 3 has the actual numbers) and remove the naps from Garmin. My HR, stress and body battery still reflect the naps, so I'll leave it at that. It's the best truth I think I can achieve with Garmin.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    Thanks for indulging with the experiment Slight smile

    As I interpret this... Bb and stress are mostly driven by hrv, so they won't be impacted by the sleep window considered or shown. They will just consider the trend of hrv during the whole day.

    Interesting is when the replacing nap is considered in other metrics like recovery time, unsure if changing the window to the right one will make the watch recalculate these eliminating the impact of the falsely removed night sleep.....

    The fact that the separate sleep periods are joined by light sleep instead of awake time is probably a visual thing only (meaning, you're telling the watch your sleep window was 20 hours, so whatever it has to add it's visually added as sleep - and particularly as light sleep - however the "measured sleep" is the amount the watch actually measured. Still strange that for the day part it did not indicate 2 separate naps but instead a whole period with a big chunk of awakeness in the middle, but again could be due to algorithm limitations, like...previously only one sleep period was allowed, so no naps. Now 2 periods are allowed to be considered, so if there is 2 naps these are shown as a single big sleep with awake time in the middle.

    This sleep thing is really big fun to try to understand.......

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Frankysour
    Frankysour said:
    This sleep thing is really big fun to try to understand.......

    It seems broken to me.

    Right now its 10:07PM and my sleep widget is reporting 'sleeping' yet I am awake and typing here!

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to 5135968
    5135968 said:
    It seems broken to me.

    Ow well yes, surely not working as intended or in any case in an acceptable way, that was not what I meant.

    I meant it's funny to try to understand how it actually operates, what parameters and patterns it looks for, etc.

    Then... I really hope Garmin will find they way out of the mess which is at the moment ongoing. 

    One hypothesis is (after reading the paler linked by Data, looks like the firstbeat algorithm is strongly dependent on the hrv data) is that the reliability of the hrv read by the wrist sensor is insufficient and too much correlated to the hr data - meaning that it inversely follows hr trend too closely - so a drop in hr would be generating a spike in measured hrv, interpreted as instant relaxation, so... Sleep! Would explain the repetitive occurrences of "post activity false naps"

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Frankysour

    Relying on HRV derived from an optical sensor is asking for problems. Accurate HRV really needs a chest strap - hence why they are a requirement with HRV apps.

    (yes still awake!! it will be interesting to see what Garmin reports tomorrow.for tonights sleep).

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    I have problems with the auto calibration of the altimeter too. Then I noticed in the fenix 6 it was possible to change the auto calibration to "during activity". Now when I go to System -> Sensor -> Altimeter -> Auto calibration it just gives the option on or off. Not during activity or not during activity like before?