Garmin Fenix 8
Garmin
Garmin has announced a long-awaited upgrade for various watches in the Fenix, Enduro, and Venu families. However, this upgrade is not yet available for US users as they already have it.
The ECG feature is now unlocked in a trio of Garmin watch models in Europe and Australia, as reported on the Garmin forums.
Garmin is sending emails to affected users, which currently include owners of the Fenix 8, Venu 3, and Enduro 3, according to the Garmin support website.
This unlocking is not available for the entire European region, only EU countries. This means that users in the UK and Switzerland will have to wait for the feature.
A full list of countries where the ECG feature is supported in Garmin watches includes:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Republic of Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finaland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Luxenmbourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Taiwan
- United States
- Vietnam
If you have the ECG feature unlocked on your watch, you will need to set it up in the Garmin Connect app on your phone before using it on the watch.
The European and Australian unlocking of the ECG feature does not apply to all Garmin devices that support ECG. Other watches that support ECG but are not included in this unlocking are the Garmin D2 Mach 1 Pro, Epix Pro (Gen 2), Fenix 7 Pro, Quatix 7 Pro, Tactix 7, and Venu 2 Plus.
There may be differences in the heart rate sensor hardware of these watches, which could require a separate process for approval in the EU and Australia. Garmin has not provided any updates on whether ECG will be available for older models.
What Is Garmin’s ECG Feature For ?
Unlike standard heart rate monitoring in watches, Garmin’s ECG feature evaluates the electrical signals in your body to determine your sinus rhythm. This requires active participation by placing your thumb and forefinger on the watch bezel for around 30 seconds.
ECG can detect irregularities that may indicate atrial fibrillation. Garmin also provides optional alerts for unusually high or low heart rates, which could signal potential issues.
