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Are bugs fixed by resetting the Fenix?

Rianor
2 months ago

The Fenix 8 has various bugs. The updates have improved it, but there are also new bugs. I wonder if there is a Fenix 8 out there that is completely stable and works without errors?
I have often thought about doing a complete reset of the watch. Not just resetting the settings, I mean a big factory reset. Has anyone ever tried this? Will a complete reset make the bugs disappear? I would like to know your experience before I try this.

  • 0 2 months ago

    To answer your question about whether a factory reset will make the bugs disappear, an honest answer is "no."  The 13.XX series of software releases still have bugs that haven't been fully resolved.  13.31 was a disaster for my watch (constant unrecoverable shutdowns) so after days of troubleshooting and chats with Garmin support, I rolled back to software version 12.35 which is MUCH more stable on my watch.  13.31 through 13.35 don't offer much that I "need" on my watch, so I've turned off automatic updates and will wait until a more stable version of software with fewer bugs is released and fully tested before I let the watch update again.  

    That said, a factory reset can help in certain situations.  Once 13.31 crashed my watch, the only way I could recover the watch was to do a full factory reset.  Depending on the nature of the bug/failure, it can persist until you do a full factory reset. You can back up your settings prior to doing the factory reset, but I found that not all settings restored properly, so I finally just resorted to setting the watch up from scratch each time I did a factory reset.  (I had multiple crashes on 13.31, so had to do multiple factory resets to even get the watch to turn back on properly.)

    If the 13.XX software doesn't have anything you "need," I would consider rolling back to 12.35.  It seems stable for me, and all the functions I want on the watch work properly.

  • 0 2 months ago in reply to 1257350

    Thank you very much for your contribution.
    What I don't understand is that all Fenix 8s have the same hardware. How can the watches have different bugs with the same software? And other watches don't have a bug at all? Shouldn't they all have the same problems?

    For me, v12.35 was also the most stable. But how can you go back to an old version?

    But even if I were to do a complete reset. Wouldn't that automatically fix all the bugs? And yet new bugs can presumably arise again after an update? I don't have a bug that has been there since the beginning.. Many have been fixed, but new ones have emerged.

  • +1 2 months ago in reply to Rianor

    I'll answer the easy question first.  :-)  To go back to an old version click on the link following this paragraph and scroll down to the bottom of the page.  There you will find the link to download the files needed to roll back to software version 12.35.  Garmin provides this capability to roll back software in the event that Beta software causes issues with your watch.  Garmin's instruction are to: "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 files you need to backdate software, as well as a "Read Me" text file with further instructions on how to backdate."  

    Here's the link: https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-8-series/f/announcements/398518/beta-version-13-12---check-for-updates-only

    To answer your other questions.  The new bugs that have emerged are due to the new software.  Unfortunately it looks like it was pushed out before being fully tested. With the Fenix line now consisting of both AMOLED and MIP watches it looks like Garmin isn't fully testing new software with all the hardware combinations before pushing out the new software.  We're all becoming Beta testers, unfortunately. 

    You are mostly correct in stating that "all Fenix 8s have the same hardware."  The exceptions to this "same hardware" are different display screens (and one would presume the software to drive those screens) as well as different batteries, and solar charging (and one would presume the software to perform power management functions for those watches).  Unfortunately it looks like Garmin is testing as if "all Fenix 8s have the same hardware," when it is apparent that some of these hardware differences are incompatible with the new software.  The AMOLED and MIP watches also ship with different default watch faces, and it is obvious that not all watch faces have been tested prior to pushing out the new software.  13.31 broke at least one of the "stock" watch faces for Fenix 8 47mm solar, and who knows what else was broken "underneath the covers."  

    As far as I'm concerned, 13.XX is still "Beta" software that hasn't had all the bugs worked out yet.  That's what happens when you introduce too much complexity and don't take the time to test all possible configurations.  We all become beta testers.  I choose to wait out this mess by remaining on software 12.35 until 13.XX becomes more stable.

  • 0 2 months ago in reply to 1257350

    Thank you very much for your time and detailed answer. It has helped me a lot and I understand things better.
    I will therefore not do a reset. It's too time-consuming for me if I have to check all the settings afterwards. It's not running perfectly, but not so bad that I'm going back to v12.35.
    For the future, however, I will also deactivate the automatic update as soon as I have a stable update. I will only update new updates after positive feedback from users.

  • 0 2 months ago in reply to Rianor

    I have the same approach to this and I am still on 10.23, so prepare for a lot of waiting as I have not heard anyone talking positive of any release so far. I have asked if anyone could suggest a better version than the one I got, but not anyone have recommended any version that has better «sleep» and «indor climbing» tracking covered. I use alarms a lot too and I am depending on them. News about alarms not working properly in some newer versions is also disturbing.

    I hope that this beta testing phase is soon to be over, but my hopes is not that high at the moment though.

    I’ve never spend this much money on such a crappy product ever.

    I feel kind of conned.