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Garmin Q3 Call Takeaways: Memory Costs Hit 2027 Margins, Pricing on the Table, Fenix 9 and CIRQA Backlogs
Garmin Q3 2026 Earnings: Record Quarter, Outdoor Up 20% on Fenix 9, Full-Year Guidance Raised
Garmin Releases Approach S72 Stable Version 23.45
Garmin’s CIRQA Can Now Vibrate for Calls and Notifications
Garmin Releases Fenix 9 and 9 Pro Series Stable Version 6.73
ScaleLink Referrals: Invite 3 Friends, Get Your Next Year Free
Ash Dykes Safe After 16 Hours of Silence in the Congo, Thanks to His Garmin Satellite Device
Oura Adds Cardio Effort and a Test-Free VO2 Max as It Passes 6 Million Paying Members
Garmin Revamps Its Connect Developer API With Personal, Starter, and Enterprise Access
Connect IQ SDK 9.3 Opens the Microphone, Speaker, and LTE to Garmin Apps
Edge 1060 vs Edge 1050: What’s New
Garmin Launches the Tacx Nēra Smart Trainer With Built-In Movement
Garmin Launches the Edge 1060 With Voice Control
Garmin Launches the Edge Explore 3 and Edge Explore 3 Plus
Garmin Releases CIRQA Smart Band Stable Version 4.20
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After Garmin’s record Q3 2026 results, the earnings call is where the real story was — and it is why the stock closed down nearly 6% on a quarter that beat on earnings and raised guidance. CEO Cliff Pemble and CFO Doug Boessen spent most of the hour on memory costs, 2027 margins, fēnix 9 and CIRQA demand, Connect+, and Thailand.
The margin warning that sank the stock
Q3 gross margin was a record 63.3%, but Garmin was unusually direct about why that number will not last. Boessen listed three drivers for the quarter: favorable segment mix as Auto OEM shrinks, lower product costs thanks to a weaker Taiwan dollar, and about $33 million in refunds of previously paid tariffs. The memory story is the one that matters for 2027. Pemble, in his prepared remarks:
While it is too early to offer a comprehensive outlook for 2027, we expect our consolidated gross margin profile will return to a historical range primarily due to higher memory costs. We believe a return to historical gross margin levels represents impressive performance given the unusual supply chain circumstances affecting many companies.
Garmin has been running on a safety stock of memory bought before prices spiked. Boessen said memory had only a small impact in Q3, with more coming in Q4 as inventory turns over, and that the Q4 hit is already in the raised guidance. For 2027 he pointed to three moving parts: unfavorable segment mix as the Mercedes-Benz domain controller program ramps, continued higher memory costs, and the usual FX and product mix. No number was given; analysts on the call were working from roughly 58–59%, versus about 61% this year.
Pemble also noted the memory crunch has second-order effects beyond memory itself, including availability and pricing problems with PCBs and cabling, which he tied to the AI build-out.
Pricing is “one of the tools”
Asked about pricing power given that Garmin customers tend to buy on features rather than price, Pemble did not rule out price increases:
Definitely pricing is something that, when I mentioned the mitigations that we can use, it is one of the things that we can look at. It is one of the tools that we have, but we do not overfocus on one particular thing, and we try to get the best balance of all the different ways that we can mitigate cost increases in our supply chain.
He pointed back to the tariff scare a year ago as the playbook: diversification, vertical integration, and products people want. Read between the lines and 2027 watch pricing is at least on the table.
Inventory, prepayments, and less free cash flow
Inventory climbed to about $2.3 billion, up 27% since December, and Q3 free cash flow fell to $293 million from $425 million a year ago. That is deliberate. Boessen said Garmin is executing a strategy to increase inventory of certain components to mitigate the risk of supply constraints, and Pemble added that Garmin makes prepayments to secure supplies from time to time. Asked how those prepayments are structured, Boessen said they are tied to the memory supply situation and negotiated one by one with suppliers to make sure Garmin gets what it needs when it needs it.
Garmin has announced its third quarter 2026 financial results — another record quarter, with consolidated revenue of $1.99 billion (↑ 12% YoY), record operating income of $612 million (↑ 34% YoY), and pro forma EPS of $2.76 (↑ 39% YoY). Gross margin hit a record 63.3%, and Garmin raised full-year 2026 guidance for the second quarter in a row.
That extends the streak: every quarter in 2025 and all three quarters of 2026 so far have grown consolidated revenue year over year — and this time Outdoor, not Fitness, did the heavy lifting.
Key Q3 2026 Financial Highlights
- Revenue: $1.99 billion (↑ 12% YoY) — a new Q3 record, right in line with the ~$1.99 billion consensus
- Pro Forma EPS: $2.76 (↑ 39% YoY) — well ahead of the ~$2.39 analysts expected
- GAAP EPS: $2.80 (↑ 35% YoY)
- Gross Margin: 63.3% (vs. 59.1% last year) — a company record
- Operating Margin: 30.8% (vs. 25.8% last year)
- Operating Income: $612 million (↑ 34% YoY) — a new Q3 record
- Free Cash Flow: $293 million (down from $425 million a year ago)
Through the first nine months of 2026, revenue is $5.76 billion (↑ 13% YoY) with operating income of $1.66 billion (↑ 31% YoY).
2026 Full-Year Guidance (Raised Again)
- Revenue: Raised to about $8.15 billion (from $8.05 billion after Q2)
- Pro Forma EPS: Raised to $10.80 (from $10.00 after Q2)
- Gross Margin: 61.0% (from 59.7%)
- Operating Margin: 29.0% (from 27.0%)
- Full-year tax rate: 16.5% (unchanged)
Most of the EPS raise comes from margin, not revenue — the top line moved up by just $100 million while the EPS target jumped $0.80.
Fitness & Outdoor (the wearables story)
- Fitness: $694 million (↑ 16%) — a Q3 record, with growth led by strong demand for wearables. Segment operating income was $231 million on a 33% operating margin. During the quarter Garmin launched the CIRQA Smart Band, its screenless, no-subscription wellness band, and more recently announced the Edge 1060 with a built-in microphone and speaker for voice control, along with the Edge Explore 3 series.
- Outdoor: $597 million (↑ 20%) — primarily driven by adventure watches, which is to say the fēnix 9 and fēnix 9 Pro. Gross and operating margins were 68% and 39%, good for $233 million of operating income — Outdoor actually out-earned Fitness this quarter despite the smaller revenue base. Garmin also launched the new Garmin Drive GPS navigators with ultrawide displays.
Year to date, Fitness is up 26% and Outdoor is up 5%. After three quarters of Outdoor shrinking while it digested the last fēnix cycle, the fēnix 9 launch flipped that segment back to growth, and in a big way — 20% with only about a month of direct fēnix 9 sales in the quarter.
Changelog for Version 23.45
- Fixed issue where HR could stop recording.
- Fixed potential issues processing smart notifications.
- Fixed the icon shown when a putt is marked.
- Updated translations.
Updates arrive automatically over Wi-Fi or via Garmin Connect / Garmin Express. To check now, on the watch go to Main Menu › Settings › System › Software Update › Check For Updates.
Track every device on our software updates page, or see the complete Approach S72 history on the Garmin Wiki.
Garmin’s screenless CIRQA band can now buzz your wrist for incoming calls and phone notifications — something it couldn’t do when it launched. The change arrived in stable firmware 4.20, whose official changelog lists “support vibration for smart notifications/incoming calls” among its additions.
The CIRQA has no display, so this works the way you’d expect from a screen-free band: your wrist vibrates, and you reach for your phone to see who’s calling or what came in. There are no previews on the device itself. For a $199.99 band built around a single buzz, though, that’s a meaningful quality-of-life addition — and one plenty of early buyers had asked for.
“This is great news. I waited, wished, and begged for this feature.”
— Danish_Nomad, commenting on our CIRQA 4.20 post
A software unlock
The CIRQA launched as a stripped-down, screenless tracker focused on health, activity, and recovery, and phone alerts weren’t part of the pitch at launch. Version 4.20 quietly adds them. When the band launched, our Q&A with Garmin’s CIRQA product manager noted it buzzed for alarms and hourly activity reminders but “does not buzz for notifications or phone calls” — the exact behavior 4.20 reverses.
This update also covers Enduro 4 and MARQ (Gen 3).
Changelog for Version 6.73
- Fixed alarm setting vibration forced to Off.
- Fixed potential drops and audio stuttering while using Spotify.
- Fixed potential shutdown when switching Spotify playlists.
- Fixed potential shutdown when using HIIT activity.
- Fixed potential shutdown when viewing maps.
Updates arrive automatically over Wi-Fi or via Garmin Connect / Garmin Express. To check now, on the watch go to Main Menu › Settings › System › Software Update › Check For Updates.
Track every device on our software updates page, or see the complete Fenix 9 / Fenix 9 Pro history on the Garmin Wiki.
When we launched ScaleLink earlier this month, it was a simple idea: keep the smart scale you already own and send every weigh-in to Garmin Connect. It works with Renpho, Eufy, Wyze, and Withings scales, and it costs $17.99 a year or $1.99 a month.
Since then, a lot of you have told friends about it. So now there’s a reward for that: invite 3 friends, and your next year of ScaleLink is free.
How the referral program works
Every ScaleLink member has a personal invite link on the Invite tab. Share it with anyone who has a Renpho, Eufy, Wyze, or Withings scale and a Garmin Connect account.
Your friends get 21 days free instead of the usual 7 when they start ScaleLink from your link. That’s three full weeks of weigh-ins in Garmin Connect before they pay anything.
You get a free year once 3 of those friends have paid for a year. We add a $17.99 credit to your account, and it pays your next renewal automatically. There’s nothing to claim.
By the way, here’s my link
If you’ve been meaning to try ScaleLink, use my invite link and you’ll get 21 days free instead of 7:
Start ScaleLink with 21 days free
Setup takes about two minutes. Pick your scale, sign in to the scale app and Garmin Connect, and your next weigh-in syncs on its own. After the trial, it’s $17.99 a year or $1.99 a month, and you can cancel anytime in Settings. The annual plan also allows for imports of up to 3 years of past weigh-ins.
Questions or feedback? Email team@garminrumors.com.
Garmin Rumors is an independent site and is not affiliated with Garmin, Renpho, Eufy, Wyze, or Withings.
Welsh explorer Ash Dykes and his team are safe after going silent for more than 16 hours in the Congo Basin, and the only thing that got word out was his Garmin. With their Starlink down and their last power bank dead, the team’s first message came through Dykes’s Garmin satellite device, and his support team shared the news on Instagram: “EVERYONE IS SAFE!”
Who Is Ash Dykes?
Dykes, from North Wales, made his name walking the length of Mongolia alone and was the first person to walk the length of the Yangtze River in China. He holds five world records, four of them world firsts, and his expedition videos have built him a following of more than 15 million on TikTok.
Where He Is Now
The trip is the first of six expeditions in Project Six, Dykes’s plan to take on six of the most extreme environments on Earth over 12 months. He has not said what the other five are yet.
This first leg is a world-first attempt to kayak about 700 km (434 miles) down the Sangha River, from Nola in the Central African Republic to Mossaka in the Republic of the Congo, in an inflatable kayak. He set off on October 8 with a local guide and a videographer, and passed the halfway point on Monday, October 19.
The trip has been rough from the start. The bag with the kayak pumps went missing on the flight in, denied visas forced the team onto a different overland route from Cameroon into the Central African Republic, and Dykes was stung by an unknown insect that got inside his shirt.
16 Hours of Silence
Early on Wednesday, October 21, his support team posted that it had been more than 16 hours since they last heard from Dykes and the team, which they called “concerning.” For an expedition that had been sharing regular videos over Starlink, going quiet in one of the most remote river systems in Africa was a real worry.
A few hours later, a message arrived. The Starlink had gone down and the team’s power bank had died, so they had no way to send video or regular updates. What still worked was the Garmin, and they could send short messages whenever it got a satellite signal.
The team later said a generator in a local village had broken down, leaving a single power bank at 10%, not enough to run the Starlink. On Thursday, October 22, the team said it had made further contact, that everyone was still safe, and that Dykes would keep paddling down the Sangha while looking for another way to charge. Updates and footage will stay limited until then.
What a Garmin inReach Does
The team has not said which model Dykes is carrying, but Garmin’s two-way satellite communicators are sold under the inReach name, and the setup fits exactly what happened here. Here is what an inReach does:
- Two-way text messaging anywhere: inReach uses the Iridium satellite network, which covers the whole planet, including the middle of the Congo rainforest. No cell signal or Wi-Fi is needed.
- SOS with Garmin Response: pressing SOS reaches Garmin’s 24/7 emergency response center, which can text back and forth with you and coordinate local rescue.
- Location sharing and tracking: it can send your position at set intervals so family or a support team can follow along on a map.
- Weather forecasts: you can request forecasts for your location over satellite.
- Voice and photo messages on newer models: the inReach Mini 3 Plus adds 30-second voice messages and longer texts, and the inReach Messenger Plus can send photos.
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Garmin inReach Mini 3
Compact satellite communicator with a color touchscreen, two-way Iridium messaging, interactive SOS, tracking, and weather.
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Everything in the Mini 3 plus a microphone and speaker for 30-second voice messages and longer texts over satellite.
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Oura is adding two new fitness features to its smart ring: Cardio Effort, a weekly score for how hard your heart has been working, and a new VO2 Max estimate that no longer needs a walking test. Oura announced both on October 20. Two days later, the Wall Street Journal reported that Oura has passed 6 million paying members.
Oura built its name on sleep and recovery. These features push it further into training, and closer to Garmin and Whoop.
Cardio Effort
Cardio Effort scores each workout by how hard and how long your heart worked, using your heart rate compared with your resting heart rate. Oura says it is based on TRIMP (training impulse), a long-standing way of measuring training load, and it doesn’t ask you how hard a session felt.
Each workout adds to a weekly total, and Oura places that total in one of five ranges against your own baseline: Light, Fair, Maintaining, Building, or Reaching. The app shows the week on a chart next to your baseline band, with each activity’s contribution listed underneath.
Garmin has revamped its developer API system, the Garmin Connect Developer Program. As DC Rainmaker first reported, the program had been closed to new applications since March 2026, and Garmin has now reopened it with new access tiers.
The Garmin Connect APIs are how other apps and services send data in and get data out of Garmin Connect. When you link your Garmin account to a training platform, a health app, or a coaching service, that service uses these APIs to receive your activities and daily health data, such as steps, sleep, and heart rate, after your watch syncs. Some services also use them the other way, to send routes, courses, and structured workouts to Garmin Connect so they show up on your device.
The new setup has two tracks: Personal, for people who want their own data, and Business, which is split into Starter and Enterprise access.
Garmin has posted Connect IQ SDK 9.3.0, the newest version of the toolkit developers use to build apps, watch faces, and data fields for Garmin watches and Edge bike computers. For the first time, Garmin’s developer documentation describes ways for third-party apps to record from the microphone, play sound through the watch, and turn on LTE on the watches that have it.
Everything below comes from Garmin’s own API documentation, which was updated on October 19, 2026. These are tools for developers, so nothing changes on your watch until app makers update their apps to use them.
Microphone
A new audio capture feature lets an app record from the watch’s microphone. Apps can record in WAV or Ogg, as uncompressed audio or compressed Opus, at 8 to 44.1 kHz, in mono or stereo. Garmin also offers a filter for noise reduction and echo cancellation, and the app receives the audio in chunks as it records, so it can process speech while you are still talking.
There are limits. An app has to ask for a new microphone permission. Recording only works while the app is open on screen, and Garmin’s docs list an error for recording attempted in the background. The audio tools are for watch apps, glances, and audio apps. Watch faces cannot use them.
Speaker
A matching audio output feature lets apps play sound. The sound can be a clip packed into the app, audio the app puts together while it runs, or a stream the app feeds piece by piece, for example audio downloaded from the app’s own service. Apps get play, pause, resume, seek, and volume controls from 0 to 100, plus updates on playback position and state. Playback needs its own permission.
The docs do not say whether an app can choose between the watch speaker and Bluetooth headphones, and there is no text-to-speech tool. An app that wants to talk to you has to supply the recorded or generated audio itself.
LTE
Apps can now check and control LTE. One call reports whether LTE can be used, and if not, why: it is turned off, the watch is in airplane mode, LTE is not available in the region, the modem is on standby, it is still searching, or it is running in reduced frequency mode. Two more calls turn the LTE connection on and off, with optional updates when the connection changes.
Garmin lists the LTE status check for the Fenix 8 Pro (47mm, 51mm, and MicroLED, plus Quatix 8 Pro), the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro, and the MARQ (Gen 3) models. The SDK lets developers include these calls in an app for any watch on the newest API level, including models without LTE, so apps are expected to check whether LTE is actually available before relying on it.
The Edge 1060 succeeds the Edge 1050 as Garmin’s flagship cycling computer, bringing a smaller, lighter design, voice controls, and several new navigation tools. At $799.99, it costs $100 more than the Edge 1050 did at launch, with orders opening October 23. Despite the changes, Garmin has kept the same 3.5-inch display, battery life ratings, and much of the existing training functionality.
Size, Weight, and Display
Both devices feature a 3.5-inch color touchscreen with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, but Garmin has reduced the size of the housing on the newer model. The Edge 1060 measures 58.5 x 107 x 16.3 mm, compared with 60.2 x 118.5 x 16.3 mm for the Edge 1050. That makes it 11.5 mm shorter and 1.7 mm narrower, with no change in thickness.
The Edge 1060 also weighs 142 g, down from 161 g, a reduction of 19 g. Both devices retain an IPX7 water-resistance rating, 64 GB of storage, and a built-in speaker. Garmin also highlights redesigned buttons on the Edge 1060 for use in wet conditions or while wearing gloves.
| Edge 1060 | Edge 1050 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price at launch | $799.99 | $699.99 |
| Size | 58.5 x 107 x 16.3 mm | 60.2 x 118.5 x 16.3 mm |
| Weight | 142 g | 161 g |
| Display | 3.5-inch color touchscreen, 480 x 800 | 3.5-inch color touchscreen, 480 x 800 |
| Water rating | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Storage | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Battery | 20 hours demanding use, 60 hours battery saver | 20 hours demanding use, 60 hours battery saver |
| Speaker | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes | No |
Battery Life and Reverse Charging
Battery life is unchanged, with Garmin rating both devices for up to 20 hours of demanding use or up to 60 hours in battery saver mode.
The Edge 1060 does introduce reverse charging through its USB-C port, allowing it to provide power to another device, such as a Varia light or phone. Garmin notes that this feature is not intended for use while riding.
Voice Control and Messaging
The addition of a microphone is one of the Edge 1060’s biggest hardware changes. Riders can say “Okay, Garmin” to issue commands, including reporting a pothole, finding the nearest coffee shop, or checking their heart rate. Depending on the request, the Edge can change screens, read data aloud, or suggest a route.
Voice commands are supported in select languages, and Garmin cautions that performance may vary with riding conditions.
The Edge 1060 also supports voice messaging through the Garmin Messenger app when paired with a phone. Riders can send recorded messages and listen to incoming messages through the device’s speaker. Garmin lists hands-free voice control, voice messaging, and Messenger support as Edge 1060 features not available on the Edge 1050.
Garmin announced the Tacx Nēra this morning, a direct-drive indoor smart trainer with built-in movement. It comes with a preinstalled 11-speed cassette, or as a Zwift Ready version with a preinstalled Zwift Cog and Zwift Click. Both versions are $999.99, and Garmin’s product page says they will be available to order on October 23.
The Nēra is a new name rather than a replacement for an existing trainer. Garmin calls it an expansion of its smart trainer lineup. For comparison, the Tacx NEO 2T with Zwift Cog and Click, which Garmin launched in August, is $1,099.99, and its movement comes from the separately sold NEO motion plates. On the Nēra, the movement is built in.
“We are excited to expand our indoor smart trainer lineup with the addition of Tacx Nēra. Designed for passionate cyclists who are looking to take their indoor training more seriously, this trainer delivers an unbeatable combination of performance features at an incomparable value with its realistic ride feel, seamless integration with other Garmin products and effortless ease of use.”
Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of consumer sales and marketing
Movement and resistance
Motion pods built into the trainer let the bike move forward, backward, and side to side. Garmin says power and cadence are accurate to within 1%. The trainer simulates grades up to 20% and handles sprints up to 2,200 watts. A race mode gives a faster response to attacks and breakaways in virtual races, in select training apps.
Setup and apps
The standard Nēra ships with a SHIMANO/SRAM 11-speed cassette already installed. The Zwift Ready version swaps that for a Zwift Cog and adds the Zwift Click controller for virtual shifting in Zwift and ROUVY, which need an active subscription. Garmin says new Zwift subscribers who buy the Zwift Ready version can get a free membership offer, but it does not say for how long.
Built-in Wi-Fi is meant for a steadier connection in Zwift and ROUVY. The Tacx Training app has a free workout library, and its premium plan is free for 45 days with a Nēra. Garmin Coach plans set up in Garmin Connect can be ridden in the Tacx Training app.
The Nēra works with the Tacx Alpine gradient simulator, which tilts the bike for grades from 25% up to 10% down and adds virtual steering in compatible apps. A compatible Edge or Garmin watch can also control the trainer.
Specs
From Garmin’s product page:
Garmin announced the Edge 1060 this morning, the successor to the Edge 1050. It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen and a built-in speaker and microphone, so riders can use voice commands and send voice messages. Garmin lists it at $799.99, and its product page says it will be available to order on October 23.
The Edge 1050 launched in June 2024 at $699.99, so the 1060 is $100 more. Battery ratings are unchanged: up to 20 hours in demanding use and up to 60 hours in battery saver mode, the same figures Garmin gave the 1050. The 1050 already had a speaker. The microphone, and the voice control that comes with it, are new.
“Edge 1060 is designed to keep cyclists focused and in control from the first mile to the finish. Voice control helps riders access all the information they need while keeping their grip on the bars. Combined with advanced training insights and new intelligent navigation features, cyclists now have more of what they need to reach their goals and ride more confidently.”
Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of consumer sales and marketing
Voice control
Saying “Okay, Garmin” starts a voice command. Garmin’s examples are “Report a pothole,” “Route me to the closest coffee shop,” and “What is my heart rate?” The Edge responds by changing screens, reading stats out loud, or suggesting routes. Garmin says voice commands work in select languages and that performance can vary with riding conditions.
With a connected phone, the on-device Garmin Messenger app can send voice messages, and incoming messages play through the speaker. The speaker also handles navigation and workout prompts and the digital bike bell.
Garmin also says it added buttons for riding in bad weather or with gloves.
Navigation
- Route Options shows several routes to a destination, compared by ride time, elevation, and bike type.
- Route Previews shows distance, estimated ride time, traffic, and reported road hazards before the ride starts.
- Up Ahead lists the nearest points of interest you pick, such as coffee shops, restrooms, or gas stations, along the route.
- Road closure alerts come from closures reported by other Garmin cyclists, alongside existing hazard reports such as potholes and aggressive animals. They need a paired phone with the Garmin Connect app. Hazards can now be reported by voice.
- Free Flow Routing looks for routes with the fewest stops, intersections, and slowdowns.
Garmin announced the Edge Explore 3 and Edge Explore 3 Plus this morning, the successors to the Edge Explore 2. Both are navigation-focused cycling computers with a 3-inch touchscreen. The Plus adds a speaker, a microphone, and Wi-Fi. Garmin lists them at $399.99 and $499.99, and its product pages say both will be available to order on October 23.
The Edge Explore 2 launched in July 2022 at $299.99, so the base model is $100 more. Battery saver mode doubles from 24 hours on the Explore 2 to 48 hours on both new models. In demanding use, the Explore 3 matches the Explore 2 at 16 hours, and the Plus is rated at 14 hours.
“Whether setting out on a weekend ride, commuting across town or starting a fitness journey, cyclists of any skill level can depend on Edge Explore 3 to help guide every ride and support their goals. With intuitive routing, personalized training plans, a suite of connected features and superior battery life, these durable bike computers bring ride essentials together into one easy-to-use device.”
Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of consumer sales and marketing
Navigation
Both models have bike-specific maps and turn-by-turn directions, plus the following:
- Route options compares several routes by ride time, total elevation, and bike type.
- Up Ahead lists the nearest points of interest you pick, such as coffee shops, restrooms, or gas stations, along the route.
- Road hazard alerts come from hazards reported by other Garmin cyclists, such as potholes, road closures, and aggressive animals. Riders can report hazards too. This needs a paired phone with the Garmin Connect app.
- Free Flow Routing looks for routes with fewer stops, intersections, and slowdowns.
- Pin drop navigation is new. A pin or point of interest from Google Maps or Apple Maps on your phone can be sent to the Edge, which builds a bike route to it.
What the Plus adds
The Edge Explore 3 Plus has a speaker and microphone. Voice control can request a new route, read in-ride stats, report a road hazard, and change screens. The microphone sends voice messages through the on-device Garmin Messenger app, and the speaker plays incoming messages, workout and navigation prompts, and a digital bike bell.
Garmin’s spec pages also list Wi-Fi and a Wi-Fi map manager on the Plus only. The Plus weighs 121.5 g, and the Explore 3 weighs 118.8 g.
Training, eBikes, and safety
Changelog for Version 4.20
- Enable Run/Walk detection for Trail Run activity.
- Fixed the issue that the recorded time of the activity wasn't aligned with the time on the phone.
- Allow the user to calibrate distance for Treadmill Run/Indoor Rowing/Indoor Cycling before saving the activity on device.
- Accumulate the duration time alert for speaking out
- Block stress alert when Auto Activity Detection is recording.
- Support vibration for smart notifications/incoming calls.
- Fixed the issue that bedtime approaching notification wasn't triggered occationally.
- Show Heart Rate on Live Activity before recording starts.
- Fixed the issue that the pinned activity was changed to Timed Activity after changing the phone language.
- Fixed issue that can't edit reps during workout.
- Improve system stability.
The band has no screen or on-device menu, so the update downloads and installs automatically the next time it syncs with the Garmin Connect app.
Track every device on our software updates page, or see the complete CIRQA Smart Band history on the Garmin Wiki.
