Garmin's hands-free voice controls cut watch battery life in half

Users report that enabling the 'OK Garmin' hands-free voice feature after a recent update cuts battery life by roughly 35–50%. The Fenix 8 is among the worst affected, dropping to about seven days of use instead of two weeks. Turning the optional feature off restores normal battery life.

• Hands-free voice activation cuts Garmin battery life by 35–50%
• Fenix 8 drops to about 7 days of use instead of 14
• Disabling 'OK Garmin' restores normal battery life
• The update also added all-day fall detection