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What is the best way to update?

Rianor
1 month ago

Many updates have bugs, and it’s not always clear whether the issues come from the update itself or from errors that occur during downloading or installation. Does anyone have experience with which method gives the best chance for a stable and problem-free update? Should I update via Garmin Connect (Bluetooth), directly over Wi-Fi on the watch, or using Garmin Express on a PC/Mac?

  • 0 1 month ago

    I do over WiFi connection if available, then if I'm on PC or Mac, I checked if my Garmin Express is up to date.  If I see updates on my Garmin express, even it might be the same version on the watch, I still connect it to the Garmin Express and sync it.   Anyhow, I have not experienced any issues of ramdom rebooting or any touch issue as sone posted here.  My F8 has. been working great.  I'm using it for the workouts, sleep/heath tracking, and golfing.

  • 0 1 month ago

    I doubt delivery methods cause a problem.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to Dave

    Yes, I don't think so either. It was just a thought. I will try it out.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to BBK.Paul

    When did you buy your watch? Can you explain that to me again in more detail? So you have disabled the automatic updating? And you are searching for an update via Wi-Fi or are you doing it through Garmin Express when there is an update? Because if you're on the go and the watch suddenly wants to do an update, it will probably run through Garmin Connect and Bluetooth, right?

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to Dave

    Garmin Express is known over the years, to randomly change settings.

  • 0 1 month ago

    I've never had any issues with updates, regardless of the method (BT, WiFi, PC). 

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to Dave

    Personally I prefer updating only manually though Garmin Express (and no, no settings were ever reset by GE on any of my 12 Garmin devices over the years, and I do update very frequently, also all beta firmware versions).

    Dave said:
    I doubt delivery methods cause a problem.

    The problem with the OTA updates is, that they can completely brick the watch, because they usually happen unattended at the end of the night. So when the battery is low and/or the BT or WiFi connection unreliable, the firmware download can fail several times, leading to the watch downloading it again and again, draining the battery significantly. When it then finally manages to start the update process, it can shut down due to low power, or it can simply crash and reboot, in the middle of the update, bricking so your watch. Most frequently it happens to people during the upgrade of the additional firmware components like the Sensor Hub, GPS, etc. It can be avoided by a manual update in Garmin Express.

    We see cases of people ending with a bricked watch without working sensors, WiFi, GPS, or other components, or with battery drain problems, here on the forum after practically every firmware update, and at every Garmin model. The battery drain can be caused also by many other factors, but a mishap during the update is one of the most frequent causes (PulseOx and CIQ being the other two most frequent ones). I describe the method of a safe upgrade over GE in the Troubleshooting guide for high battery drain 

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to trux

    I'm always prompted to instal the update, isn't everyone else?

    The file is verified before installation, if it's not correct, the instal is aborted.

  • 0 1 month ago in reply to Dave
    Dave said:
    I'm always prompted to instal the update, isn't everyone else?

    Frankly, I do not know how it is now, since I disabled auto-updates a long time ago, but formely updates could happen  unattended.

    Dave said:
    The file is verified before installation, if it's not correct, the instal is aborted.

    Yes, it is, but when the watch dies or crashes during the update, it won't help. Also, updates used to come in several independent parts, which install independently one after the other, and you could finish with incompatible components. This should be solved at recent models, because Garmin recently changed the process so, that all components are now bundled together in a single file.