The Garmin Instinct 2 is getting a major software update that will add a bundle of new features previously only seen on the company's higher-end watches, including the extremely useful and popular Morning Report.
Morning Report is a tool designed to help prepare you for the day ahead. When your watch detects that you're awake, it displays your current readiness score so you can plan your day's activities, a workout suggestion, a summary of your sleep, a weather forecast, and any events coming up on your calendar – though you can tweak the contents to suit your preferences, adding or removing data cards.
You'll also be able to adjust what your watch does in sleep mode (turning off the backlight, for example).
Improved training tools
Other features soon working their way into the Instinct 2's tough reinforced resin case include running power from the wrist, which lets you see how much effort you're putting into your workout objectively, without the need for accessories like a Garmin HRM around your chest, or a Running Dynamics Pod on your shoe.
As Gadgets & Wearables explains, your watch's daily suggested workouts will be improved (there's no official word on what this will entail, but we're intrigued), and there's a new Grade Adjusted Pace option for runners, which will help you adjust your pace depending on the gradient you're running up. No longer will your watch tell you to maintain the same speed running uphill as on the flat.
The update is currently available to intrepid alpha testers, who can download it via Garmin's forums. Once the initial kinks have been worked out, it will be rolled out to members of the company's beta testing program. Curious? Check out our guide to the pros and cons of signing up.
If you'd rather not be part of the testing group, just sit tight and wait for the final release to arrive on your phone via Garmin Connect. This is likely to take a couple of months, but with any luck, it should land in early spring 2023.
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