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| Garmin claims to have resolved a battery drain issue on the Tactix 8. |
Just when Fenix 8 owners thought Garmin had wrapped up its major software overhaul for the year, the company has quietly rolled out an unexpected beta release that’s turning heads. Earlier this month, Garmin made waves by announcing that the Fenix 8 Pro (currently $949 on Amazon) and several other premium smartwatches would soon receive free inReach satellite SOS capabilities—a feature long reserved for dedicated satellite communicators. That news alone sent ripples through the outdoor community. But before users could fully digest that update, Garmin pushed a significant stable software refresh, System Software 22.35, which the company boldly claimed marked the end of the v22.xx Beta Program for the Fenix 8 series.
Well, not so fast.
Over the weekend, Garmin quietly began seeding Beta Version 22.37 over the air (OTA) to active beta testers. The release effectively slams the door on any notion that v22.35 was the final word. While the changelog appears modest at first glance—three bug fixes in total—one particular patch has drawn intense interest from the Tactix 8 crowd.
Battery Drain Fix for Tactix 8—But What About Everyone Else?
In a detailed forum post from Garmin’s engineering team, the company clarifies that Beta 22.37 includes a fix aimed squarely at resolving lingering battery drain issues on the Tactix 8 (both AMOLED and Solar variants). For weeks, Tactix 8 users have reported faster-than-expected power consumption, even with GPS and heart rate monitoring dialed back. Garmin now acknowledges that a background process was improperly waking the system, and this update should put an end to the mystery discharge.
If you’re using a standard Fenix 8, Fenix 8 Pro, or Enduro 3, don’t panic—Garmin hasn’t forgotten you. The same beta build also addresses a separate bug that could cause golf activity crashes when reviewing shot tracking data. That fix applies across all current Fenix 8 series watches, not just the Tactix line.
And for divers who’ve been scratching their heads over a strange depth-readout glitch, there’s good news: Beta 22.37 resolves an issue present in older builds where dive depth would automatically ascend to zero after hitting max depth, effectively wiping the logged maximum before the dive ended. While this bug affected a relatively small subset of users (primarily those pairing the Fenix 8 with Garmin’s Descent series or using dive profiles), it was a frustrating one for safety-conscious underwater explorers.
Should You Install Beta 22.37?
Garmin states that 100% of current Beta Program participants should have already received a notification to download Beta Version 22.37 as of this writing. That’s an unusually fast rollout—beta updates often trickle out in staged percentages to catch showstopper bugs. The fact that Garmin pushed it to every enrolled tester suggests the company is confident in the build’s stability.
If you’re not in the beta program, you’re likely wondering when these fixes will hit the stable channel. Given Garmin’s recent cadence—v22.35 landed barely two weeks ago—we suspect v22.37 will migrate to the public stable software branch within the next few days, barring any last-minute crash reports from beta testers.
For those shopping around, the flagship Garmin Fenix 8 Pro remains a top-tier choice for multisport athletes, and you can check current pricing and availability here. It’s worth noting that the free inReach SOS capability mentioned earlier will require an active satellite subscription after an introductory period, but having the hardware baked in at no extra cost is a game-changer for backcountry adventurers.
A Quiet but Meaningful Update
Three bug fixes might not sound like much, but battery drain issues are notorious for souring the experience on otherwise excellent hardware. Tactix 8 owners, in particular, have been vocal on Garmin’s forums about overnight battery drops of 10–15% with no obvious culprit. If Beta 22.37 delivers on its promise, that alone could make the update worth jumping for.
Golfers will also appreciate the crash fix—nothing ruins a back-nine rhythm like a frozen watch mid-swing. And the dive-depth correction, while niche, shows Garmin’s commitment to refining every corner of the Fenix 8’s feature set.
What’s Next? Stable Release Imminent
Because the beta is already at 100% enrollment and no major regressions have been reported, we expect Garmin to promote v22.37 to stable within 3–5 days. As always, beta participants can revert to stable firmware via Garmin Express, but most will likely stay on this build given its targeted improvements.
For complete release notes and the official discussion thread, head over to Garmin’s beta forum post here. Keep an eye on your Garmin Connect app for the stable OTA notification later this week.
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