Garmin has released a new software update for the Forerunner 955 that adds a bundle of new features to the top-tier triathlon watch, improves the accuracy of several tools, and fixes an array of minor bugs.
As Notebookcheck reports, cyclists are the biggest winners here. The new update adds support for the Shimano Di2 system, allowing you to see the battery status of the system on your watch, view front and rear gear data, and export your ride data to third-party sites for analysis. The watch can also now display a power guide for cycling courses, helping you manage your effort throughout a ride.
The update also enables SatIQ, which is a tool that helps balance GPS accuracy and battery life. If you're in an area with good line of sight to GPS satellites then the watch will use standard GPS. However, if you then move to an area that's heavily wooded or has tall buildings that block or deflect the radio signal, the watch will switch to multi-band GNSS to pinpoint your location more accurately.
Fixes and tweaks
You can now set sleep and wake times on the watch itself rather than having to use the Garmin Connect app on your phone, and you can see step streaks on the weekly steps graph for a little extra dose of motivation.
Other tweaks include improvements to the maps page and daily workout suggestions, and alter the VO2 max page to show data from the last four weeks rather than just seven days (a useful tweak since it takes time for VO2 Max to change). You can see the full list of changes on Garmin's forums.
Update 12.20 is now available for members of Garmin's public beta testing program (see our guide to find out how to join). Depending on the results of testing, there may be further incremental updates before the new features and fixes roll out to all users. If you'd rather not take part in the testing, just sit tight and the finished update will land on your watch in due course.
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