The Latest Garmin Forrunners Now Feature a Smart Alarm, Calculator and More
The latest software update for the Garmin Forerunner 570 and 970 watches, as well as the Fenix 8, adds a smart alarm previously only available on the Vivoactive 6 and the Index sleep monitor , which I reviewed here . The update adds a few other new features, including an automatic rest countdown for strength training (even if you’re not doing a scheduled workout).
How to update
This is a regular update, not a beta. You can update in Settings, then System , then Software Update , and Check for updates . Make sure you have version 12.70 to get access to the smart alarm and other new features.
Below are the release notes for the update for the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970. The Fenix 8 also received a smart alarm and other features in the 17.28 update .
Here are some of the other new features:
How does a smart alarm clock work?
After the update, you’ll see some new options when setting an alarm. To set an alarm, go to your watch settings (press and hold the middle left button) and select Clock .
When you set an alarm, you can now turn on Smart Wake. When turned on, the alarm can wake you up any time within 30 minutes before the set time. (So a 7:30 a.m. alarm will wake you up between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.) The alarm will wake you up earlier if the watch detects that you’ve had a good night’s sleep and that you’re in the light sleep stage.
Smart alarms will have a yellow flashing icon and display the time as a box (e.g. “7:00–7:30”) in the alarm list.
Focus modes
You can now customize your watch based on your focus. We already had a sleep mode, but now you can enable Theater mode, which turns off motion notifications (thank you!), mutes all sounds, lowers the brightness, and disables the gesture that turns on the screen when you move your wrist.
Right now, I only have access to Sleep, Theater, and Activity. I can edit the settings for each mode in the Garmin Connect app, but I can’t add new ones there. Instead, I have to go into the watch settings, select Focus Modes , scroll down, and tap Add. This option isn’t available in the watch context menu, only in the settings.
Automatic rest time countdown for strength training
I’ve always loved that I can program a strength workout and set an automatic rest timer at the end of each set so it vibrates when I need to get up and do the next set.
Now you can even get this feature during “free” strength workouts – the ones where you don’t follow a specific workout, but just go about your day in the gym and hit the circle button to start and end sets.
Before you start a strength workout, there’s now a “Rest Countdown” menu item. Turn it on and set the time you want, like two minutes. (Need help choosing? I wrote about rest time here . Most of you don’t rest long enough.)
Now when you finish a set, a timer appears that starts at 2:00 and begins counting down. When it reaches zero, the watch alerts you and begins counting down . The time is displayed with a plus sign and a red border so you know how long you’ve been slacking.
You can change the rest time during a workout. Just go to the workout settings (long press middle button and left button) and change the time. If the rest timer is currently running, it will be updated immediately.
Calculator app
It took me a minute to find the calculator app, but it’s there! Open the Controls menu (long press the top left button), then Controls Preferences (long press the middle left button). Tell it you want to add a control, and scroll down until you find the calculator.
There’s even a handy “Tip” button. Enter the cost of your order, click “Tip,” and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can select a tip percentage (the default is 20%). This screen also displays the total, and you can automatically split the bill by specifying how much each person should pay to cover the final amount.