If you scooped up a shiny Garmin Fenix 8 last month for your aquatic adventures only to discover it crashes when you submerge it in cold water, there may now be a fix for your new watch.
Garmin released the Fenix 8 on August 27, hailing the GPS watch as their "most capable yet." In addition to the high-powered AMOLED display and extra long battery life, the Fenix 8 has a 40-meter dive-rated case plus leakproof metal buttons and support for scuba and apnea dive activities. With a 10 ATM water rating, it's built to withstand pressures equivalent to a depth of 100 meters. In other words, it's a dream come true for divers and wild swimmers.
Several weeks later, however, users started reporting a big problem – on September 23, one customer took to Garmin's forum to report that their Fenix 8 AMOLED 47mm consistently crashes when the water temperature drops below 46°F/8°C, writing:
"Interestingly, after a crash due to the temperature drop, the watch can usually reboot and function properly, even if the displayed temperature is below 8°C."
The customer noted that they had seen others reporting on the issue over on Reddit, where on September 22, one user commented: "Garmin said it wasn’t a known issue and asked if I could send the device in to be tested."
The issue wasn't restricted to divers – others have chimed in to report they have submerged their watch at home in an experiment and found it also crashed.
We've reached out to Garmin for a comment and haven't received a response yet, but the good news is that a recent post in the Forum suggests they have come up with a potential fix.
"Our engineers have identified a potential concern, that may cause the watch to shut down when submerged in water. They have released the latest BETA software update version 11.81, that includes a fix for this. So if you are experiencing this concern, you may consider installing this update."
How to stop your Fenix 8 from crashing in cold water
Some users are reporting that the software update has solved the problem, and comments have quietened down since that announcement, so it's looking hopeful that the Fenix 8 will live up to its name and rise from the ashes after all.
To get the new software update, you'll need to be a member of Garmin's public beta testing program. Installing beta software on your watch lets you try new features early, but it's worth remembering that pre-release software may contain bugs that prevent your watch from working as it should. Before signing up, we recommend checking out our list of reasons why you should and shouldn't install beta updates on your watch.
If you want to go ahead, our guide how to join Garmin's public beta testing program will help you do exactly that.
This update is available via 'Check For Updates' on your watch. Rather than manually loading files to update your watch's software, you can download this update via Wifi/Bluetooth. To download the update, on your watch go to Menu -> System -> Software Update -> Check For Updates.
As always, there is one catch, and that is that the Beta software available for the Fenix 8 series currently has the Dive features disabled. If you would prefer to keep this feature accessible on your watch, Garmin recommends not participating in the Public Beta program.
So if you're a diver, the headache might not be over yet, and you might want to go back to your Fenix 7 for now, but everyone else should be able to take the plunge with the Fenix 8 without it crashing.
