#14 Deep Dive Feature Files: Week Ending 26 September 2026 — firmware feature roundup

The useful part

This cuts through all that with one weekly post covering every feature addition across the major brands, nothing else. Garmin — Fenix 8 / Fenix 8 Solar / Enduro 3 / Fenix E / Tactix 8 / Quatix 8 / D2 Mach 2 — v23.39 — 24 September 2026 the5krunner insight: Worth installing for the "OK Garmin" wake word alone, though the rest of this package already reached Fenix 8, Fenix E and Tactix 8 two weeks ago.

How it works

• The feature list is the same Q3 package covered in the last two issues: a suggested quick workout for running and an XC Ski Indoor activity are the other additions worth knowing about.
• Fenix 8 Pro, Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED, Quatix 8 Pro and D2 Mach 2 Pro pick up the same voice control and workout additions through the beta channel, ahead of a stable release for these Pro variants.
• Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic One UI 9 Watch Beta 2, issued on 23 September, was Always-On Display and app stability fixes plus the September security patch, with no new features.
• Suunto's Race, Race S, Vertical 2 and 9 Peak Pro release note pages show nothing newer than August.
• The release also adds a suggested quick workout for running, an XC Ski Indoor activity, dive computer settings sharing in the Garmin Share app, and an improved flashlight shortcut that cycles through on,...

What to take from it

Voice control graduates to stable status here and reaches the wider Fenix 8 family for the first time, including Fenix 8 Solar, Enduro 3, Fenix E, Tactix 8, Quatix 8 and D2 Mach 2. Fenix 8 series Garmin — Fenix 8 Pro / Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED / Quatix 8 Pro / D2 Mach 2 Pro — v23.38 beta — 22 September 2026 the5krunner insight: Only relevant if you run beta firmware on a Pro model, since the stable build two days later carries the identical changelog to the rest of the range.

Example or evidence

• Hammerhead's Karoo build on 17 September was bug fixes only and falls just outside this window.
• Fenix 8 Pro series beta Wahoo — ELEMNT ACE / ELEMNT BOLT v3 / ELEMNT ROAM v3 — build 302685 — 22 September 2026 the5krunner insight: A small release, but the redesigned home screen is a genuine...
• Quatix 8 Pro and D2 Mach 2 Pro are on the same beta build.
• Amazfit, COROS, Suunto, Polar, Hammerhead, Samsung and Huawei either had no release in the window or released stability and bug fix updates only.

Details worth keeping

Theme customizer > Additional HTML DIRECTIVES: 1. Allows large image previews in Discover feed. Unlimited text snippet length in search results.

Related coverage

• The5krunner: Issue 16 covers Garmin Fenix 8 faults on software 23.31 including podcast volume stuck at the alarm level, missing 25 m pool swim lengths, a dead wrist heart rate sensor, halved battery estimates and broken...
• The5krunner: Twenty one issues are covered this week.
• The5krunner: This week's Fix Files covers Speedplay Power dropouts on the Wahoo Roam 3, the Varia RearVue 820 Radar Error, the Headwind heart rate threshold, the Edge 1050 and Rally RS 200 pairing, Edge 540 and 1040...
• Histalk2: Top News Grindr, which calls itself "the world's largest social...