Garmin’s third-party smartwatch apps are about to get a lot more useful

Garmin can be a bit pricey with its smartwatch technology when third-party app developers want to access the devices. Developers have recently called out the company for things like not previously giving third-party apps access to the Forerunner 170’s gyroscope. This reluctance to provide support can prevent developers from adding features that users might find useful. However, it seems like Garmin has been getting more generous lately, as a new update will finally allow third-party apps to take advantage of two additional features.

It was released by Garmin Link IQ 9.3The premium update allows third-party apps to access the microphone and speaker on supported smartwatches. Supported watches include the Fenix ​​8 and 9 series, Forerunner 570 and 970, Venu 4 and X1, Approach S72, and a few others. Previously, access to these features was primarily available to Garmin’s own software. We’ve recently seen the company embrace this technology further by introducing “OK Garmin” audio features.

With this access, it opens the door to new possibilities for third-party applications. Developers can use it to add features like note recording, custom audio alerts, or spoken exercise coaching. There can be more possibilities when it comes to online services, such as capturing a conversation and sending the recording to a service for transcription.

There are some limitations to be aware of, such as not recording when a third-party app is running in the background. So these apps will only be able to record while they are active. The other reason is that the app will need permission to access your microphone or speaker. Both decisions make sense, because you don’t want to register the app when you’re not aware of it.