F7 Series - lack of Feature Update compared to FR x55/x65

socorsu said:

For those waiting for the next release and a good news from Garmin, it looks like this is the end of the road for Fenix 7 and Epix 2 (Pro and non-pro).

I wouldn't even be surprised if they still bug fixes for the Fenix ​​6 but not for the Fenix ​​7. See this:
forums.garmin.com/.../1916832

Thank you for your response.

However, we find this unacceptable. Many of us in the Garmin community, including those who purchased the Fenix 7 Pro as recently as last August, are extremely frustrated by the lack of an escalation process for feature requests—especially for a premium device that was released so recently.

The Fenix 7 Pro was officially launched in May 2023, making it less than two years old. It's incredibly disappointing to hear that feature updates may be discontinued or deprioritized for a flagship product that is still well within its expected lifecycle.

We expect ongoing support, improvements, and new features—especially given the price point and positioning of the Fenix 7 Pro.

Telling customers to submit ideas to a public forum with no clear visibility, follow-up, or escalation path is simply not good enough.

We are asking for transparency and a clear explanation regarding Garmin’s plans for continued software support for the Fenix 7 Pro. It’s critical for us as a user community to understand whether this device is being prematurely phased out in favor of newer models, despite being a recent release.

We hope Garmin values its loyal customers enough to address this seriously.

Any updates from Garmin?

To add a data point here at least:
Epix Pro
Still lacking features
at least some of the subcomponents are updated in beta? https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/epix-2/356220/link-to---garmin---fenix-7-epix-2-series---excel-changelog#pifragment-1292=4 

Ahmed Tawfiq said:

The Fenix 7 Pro was officially launched in May 2023, making it less than two years old. It's incredibly disappointing to hear that feature updates may be discontinued or deprioritized for a flagship product that is still well within its expected lifecycle.

Its been said a few times already, but we'll say it again - never anticipate that a Garmin device will routinely get new features or any expected period of time. Unlike Apple, Whoop etc, Garmin treat their products are appliances which are fully baked at launch (with the exception of bug fixes obviously).

Prior to Connect+ being launched, they didnt have other streams of ongoing revenue like Apple, Whoop etc do, hence they only make money on new hardware sales.

Maybe this will change with Connect+. Perhaps you'll need to eventually pay $20/month to keep the device fully unlocked and always with the latest features. Only time will tell. Lets hope thats never the case.

Hope this helps set expectations.

2529455 said:

Prior to Connect+ being launched, they didnt have other streams of ongoing revenue like Apple, Whoop etc do, hence they only make money on new hardware sales.

Garmin previously had several other subscriptions, including InReach and Outdoor Maps+: https://www.garmin.com/c/subscription-plans/

2529455 said:

Maybe this will change with Connect+. Perhaps you'll need to eventually pay $20/month to keep the device fully unlocked and always with the latest features. Only time will tell. Lets hope thats never the case.

Subscription-based features would make sense if it weren't for the fact that Garmin watches are the most expensive on the market. Until now, the high price could be explained by the lack of additional fees and several years of updates.

2529455 said:

never anticipate that a Garmin device will routinely get new features or any expected period of time. Unlike Apple, Whoop etc, Garmin treat their products are appliances which are fully baked at launch (with the exception of bug fixes obviously).

That's not how users and reviewers see it. Garmin is known for providing long-term software updates, so it's natural for users to be surprised when expensive devices stop receiving features just 18 months after purchase. DC Rainmaker often highlights Garmin’s longer update cycle compared to competitors, but that no longer seems to be the case—if it ever was.

If this expectation was never justified, where did it come from? Clearly, Garmin’s business model and marketing have been effective in shaping user perceptions. If Garmin were confident in their approach, they would issue a clear statement about their update and support policy. Instead, they quietly drop support for high-priced devices that are still being sold today.

On top of that, Garmin watches often launch with major bugs that take about a year to fix. This makes it even more important to discuss the reality of their update strategy so users aren’t misled into expecting longer and better support than what they actually get. And obviously, many users are misled. 

2529455 said:

Incorrect

So you think that Garmin did not stop feature update to Epix Pro and Fenix 7 Pro?

You also think that users did not expect feature updates to Epix Pro and Fenix 7 Pro for longer than 18 months?

2529455 said:

Garmin have at times delivered new features to *current* devices in order to remain competitive, and very occasionally on devices one generation old for reasons only relevant to them

You have just proved what I am saying. Users expect Garmin to actually deliver feature support for their costly and flagship watches for longer than year and a half, not only partial updates when it feels threatened by competition. 

2529455 said:

Presumably from folks coming from Apple where the Apple Watch operates as a lock-in device for future iPhone and Apple Music sales.

I do not have Apple devices, never did, and feel misled and let down by Garmin. Let's come back to the topic of misled Garmin's user's expectations and Garmin's behavior instead of bringing Apple into the story whenever facts that do not speak positively about Garmin are discussed.

In essence, I do agree that Garmin is not to be expected to feature update any of their devices for long time since users can never know if for how long their devices will be supported in such a way. This is important message that Garmin users and potential buyers should know.

Vizi said:

You have just proved what I am saying. Users expect Garmin to actually deliver feature support for their costly and flagship watches for longer than year and a half, not only partial updates when it feels threatened by competition. 

Except the Fenix 7 isnt the current model is it? Garmin produce a new model when they feel that:

• They've developed features which warrant an upgrade
• The market (us) is ready for it

They only make money when we buy a new device. They dont make a single cent by giving away new features to a user who gave them $1000 several years ago. I assume that if enough users were upset and shifted over to Apple as many here claim that they want to do, then Garmin would change their behavior, but I'm guessing they're not seeing enough churn.

The only exception to this may be Connect+ and it's reoccuring revenue stream. We might just start seeing updates with new metrics trickle down into old devices provided users stay locked in to a Connect+ subscription.

2529455 said:

Except the Fenix 7 isnt the current model is it?

So is Fenix 7 pro and Epix pro, for which feature updates stopped.

2529455 said:

They only make money when we buy a new device.

So do many other brands. I do not think that makes it right to mislead their customers.