Final month, Garmin introduced entry to its ECG function inside the European Union (and Australia) for Fenix 8, Venu 3, and Venu 2 Plus customers. Nonetheless, Fenix 7 Professional & Epix Professional customers had been left within the literal January chilly. As I stated on the time, “this is among the extra baffling selections I’ve seen in latest instances from Garmin.” In any case, it made no technical or regulatory sense. The ECG App is licensed by regulators on the app + sensor {hardware} stage. The Fenix 8 & Fenix 7 Professional items share an identical {hardware} at that stage, as demonstrated by the US launch (and for that matter, Venu 3 launch within the EU).
Including gasoline to the hearth, once I requested Garmin on the time why the Fenix 7 Professional & Epix Professional items had been getting skipped, they mainly sidestepped the query and basically implied solely future “forward-looking” units would get it.
Clearly, that didn’t go nicely with both me or the Web.
And as a Valentine’s Day reward to European Union and Australian customers, now you can allow ECG in your Fenix 7 Professional and Epix Professional items. This additionally contains teh D2 Mach 1 Professional, Quatix 7 Professional, and Tactix 7 AMOLED – all of which have Garmin’s Gen5 optical HR sensor in them (whereas the Tactix 7 non-AMOLED makes use of the Gen4 sensor).
To activate this, you’ll merely stroll by the steps outlined in my earlier submit on this. It takes all of 1-2 minutes to get began, tremendous fast and straightforward:
Observe that as earlier than, the UK is excluded right here. Clearly, with the UK now not within the EU, the regulatory course of is completely different and in flip, requires extra approvals. In fact, as earlier than, you possibly can at all times activate your machine when touring to the EU (or US), after which it stays activated completely. I counsel a heat sunny location.
As for Garmin’s change of coronary heart, who is aware of? Maybe after the GPS fiasco a couple of weeks in the past, they’re on the lookout for some love. Or maybe it was the heavy pushback from customers. Or maybe they simply wished to get into the Valentine’s spirit. Who is aware of. That stated, what is evident is customers are increasingly pushing again on the idea that lately launched watches shouldn’t get new options by way of firmware.
Garmin had been doing rather well on that entrance in the previous few years within the case of Forerunner, Edge, and Fenix/Epix (save Venu/Vivoactive, trigger it by no means will get back-love). But it surely looks like for the reason that fall and the discharge of the Fenix 8, that method was shifting. Given the Q1 2025 replace listing is sort of solely new {hardware} items (not less than when it comes to probably the most fascinating options), I’m not satisfied that method is altering, not less than anytime quickly.
Within the meantime although, Fenix 7 Professional & Epix Professional customers can take pleasure in the brand new function.
With that – thanks for studying
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