If you follow sports tech, your inbox fills up fast. Most of what lands is minor patches dressed up as news. This cuts through all that with one weekly post covering every feature addition across the major brands, nothing else. Trivial bug fixes are excluded. Subscribe via RSS at the5krunner.com.
Garmin Forerunner 970 / Venu 4 — v19.15 beta — 20 October 2026
the5krunner insight: A decent beta for everyday training, with the move alert and swim detection changes the most useful.
The headline additions are lap-number announcements on Auto Lap, smarter move alerts and more accurate swim length and stroke detection. Garmin also published v19.15 betas for the Forerunner 170, Forerunner 570, Forerunner 70, Venu X1 and Vivoactive 6; the bullets below are the changes confirmed for the Forerunner 970 and Venu 4, so check the notes for your own model.
- Swim length and stroke type detection is more accurate
- Auto Lap prompts now announce the lap number
- Move alerts can be snoozed manually and are suppressed automatically under certain conditions
- Change Sport lists your favourite activities first, with a More option
- Discard behaviour changes for activities longer than 30 seconds
- Weather data keeps displaying during outages
- The Pulse Ox app blocks vibrations only while a reading is in progress
- Pairing mode instructions are added for the HRM 200 and HRM 600
Find your model’s release notes: Forerunner 970 · Venu 4
Garmin Edge 1050 — v33.13 beta — 20 October 2026
the5krunner insight: Worth installing if you ride with a Garmin Edge 1050, as it brings four Edge 1060 features across.
The Garmin Edge 1050 beta carries Garmin Messenger, GroupRide, Alternate Datafields and Garmin Cycling Coach over from the Edge 1060.
- Garmin Cycling Coach arrives from the Edge 1060
- GroupRide arrives from the Edge 1060
- Garmin Messenger arrives from the Edge 1060
- Alternate Datafields arrive from the Edge 1060
- GPS and bike lights are no longer switched off while Connect IQ apps are running
Full release notes: Edge 550 / 850 / 1050
Garmin Instinct 3 / Instinct E — v16.07 beta — 21 October 2026
the5krunner insight: A small release, only relevant if you surf or want to see what Recovery Mode turns out to be.
The Instinct 3 beta adds a Recovery Mode and improves wave detection in Surf activities. The release notes reference Recovery Mode without further detail — one to watch.
- Recovery Mode is added
- Better wave detection in Surf activities
Full release notes: Instinct 3
Garmin CIRQA Smart Band — v4.20 — 19 October 2026
the5krunner insight: A decent update, with treadmill and indoor distance calibration the most useful addition for runners.
The stable release for the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band adds Run/Walk detection for Trail Run and lets you calibrate distance before saving an indoor activity. The band has no screen, so the update installs automatically at the next sync with Garmin Connect.
- You can calibrate distance for Treadmill Run, Indoor Rowing and Indoor Cycling before saving the activity on the band
- Run/Walk detection is enabled for Trail Run activities
- Heart rate appears on the Live Activity screen before recording starts
- The spoken duration time alert now accumulates
- Stress alerts are blocked while Auto Activity Detection is recording
- The band vibrates for smart notifications and incoming calls
Full release notes: CIRQA Smart Band
Amazfit Active Max — October update — 18 October 2026
the5krunner insight: A modest update, and only relevant if you race HYROX or use the Active Max for navigation.
Amazfit’s post for the Amazfit Active Max highlights HYROX station-by-station race analysis, improved cycle tracking, better connections to Helio wearables, bike trainers and music, and navigation help. Amazfit’s page gave no full feature list at the time of checking, so detail is limited to these headline areas.
- HYROX race performance broken down station by station
- Improved cycle tracking
- More reliable connections to Helio wearables, bike trainers and music
- Navigation improvements to help you follow routes
Full release notes: Active Max
No updates this week
Checked and nothing to report for the week ending 24 October 2026: COROS, Suunto (Race S page: source unavailable this week), Polar (a Flow app release for Android only, with no features listed), Wahoo, Hammerhead, Samsung and Huawei either had no release in the window or released stability and bug fix updates only.
Previous edition: #17 Deep Dive Feature Files: Week Ending 17 October 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is new in the latest Garmin Edge 1050 firmware update?
The beta brings Garmin Messenger, GroupRide, Alternate Datafields and Garmin Cycling Coach over from the Edge 1060. It also stops GPS and bike lights from being switched off while Connect IQ apps are running.
Does the Garmin Edge 1050 get Garmin Cycling Coach?
Yes. The latest beta brings Garmin Cycling Coach to the Edge 1050 from the Edge 1060.
Does the Garmin CIRQA Smart Band let you calibrate distance for treadmill runs?
Yes. You can calibrate distance for Treadmill Run, Indoor Rowing and Indoor Cycling before saving the activity on the band.
What is new in the latest Garmin CIRQA Smart Band firmware update?
It adds Run/Walk detection for Trail Run and shows heart rate on the Live Activity screen before recording starts. Stress alerts are also blocked while Auto Activity Detection is recording.
What is new in the latest Garmin Forerunner 970 firmware update?
The beta announces lap numbers on Auto Lap prompts, improves swim length and stroke type detection, and lets you snooze move alerts manually. Change Sport also lists your favourite activities first.
What is new in the latest Garmin Instinct 3 firmware update?
The beta adds a Recovery Mode and improves wave detection in Surf activities. Garmin’s release notes give no further detail on Recovery Mode.
What is new in the latest Amazfit Active Max update?
It adds HYROX race analysis broken down station by station and improves cycle tracking. Amazfit also highlights better connections to Helio wearables, bike trainers and music, plus navigation improvements.
Last Updated on 24 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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Written by real people, with AI assistance. Fact-checked and verified for originality. See the Editorial Policy. FTC: Affiliate Disclosure — some links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
