Suunto Software update Q2 (2.56.18) - July 14th, 2026 - Vertical 2 and Race 2

[sky-runner]

@mich-heller said:

it would be totally reasonable to wear contact lenses. seriously, if you have problem reading street names on the map, how on earth you see anything under your feet and don’t trip on every root? distance is greater than arms length so it makes everything even harder to see.
take care of your eyesight for your own safety rather than demand bigger fonts

As others said, it is a normal age related eyesight loss, which includes presbiobia - difficulty to focus on close-up objects due to natural lens inside eye becoming less flexible - and reduced contrast sensitivity, and increased sensitivity to glare from sapphire screen. I can see everything perfectly fine when running trails or driving.

The reduced contrast sensitivity is why I also often complained about the low contrast color choices on Suunto maps like trails rendered as green on green. What looks perfectly fine for younger people becomes increasingly difficult to read for people over 40 years old.

[HonzaS]

I just realized, that I can’t download/manage maps on watch, because download map item in Suunto app stuck on loading. Tried restart, turning bt on/off on both sides without success. V2 and Android app 6.11.8.

EDIT: Finally, after 100 attempts it loads it.

[sky-runner]

BUG: not sure if this is an old bug or new:

On the map screen I have a few metrics configured in the bottom field, including “distance to next”. When there are no waypoints, this field shows distance to the end of the route.

Yesterday I used “Track back” navigation feature because I wanted to see the remaining distance, but the configurable field I mentioned above didn’t work. It did show other metrics I configured such as HR, but “distance to next” was grayed out and didn’t work. What is interesting is that initially when I started track back navigation I did work, but then I changed the direction for a minute, then changed it again towards where I started, and this field stopped working even though I was on route.

[MarkG]

Yes, I get that and I hope the particular issues that affect your watch do get resolved. Personally I’ve had very few issues with my watch in the six months I have now had it (it’s a V2). However I had none at all with my original Ambit or Ambit Vertical, but a few with my Spartan Sport so I do understand your frustration.
My issues with the V2 have been with Bluetooth connection which I suspect my be more to do with my basic smartphone than with the update. I often have to reset the connection, switching the phone Bluetooth on and off usually does it and occasionally an activity fails to sync then randomly syncs maybe a day later. And it just recently crashed a couple of times while using a training programme . So yes - I’d like these fixed as well but tides is still something I appreciate and will be more use to me than a lot of the other features.

[MikeC30]

@MarkG

I too have the issue with the intermittent losing of Bluetooth connection to my iPhone. Like you say easy enough to fix by turning on and off the Bluetooth on my phone but a frustrating niggle nonetheless. I never had this issue with my previous Suunto watches.

[nseslija]

@GiPFELKiND Amen.

[HonzaS]

My watch suddenly restarted on its own. Just look at my hand and saw Suunto logo. I never noticed this before. Just sent logs from app @dimitrios-kanellopoulos.

[maszop]

The issue with Bluetooth sensors disconnecting is still there after the update. It’s been over half a year now, and still no fix.

Considering that actual real support – warranty and regular updates – lasts about two years with Suunto, that means over 25% of the product’s life has been affected by a serious issue. That’s hard to accept when you’re buying top‑end, most expensive Suunto watches.

[elbee]

@maszop said:

The issue with Bluetooth sensors disconnecting is still there after the update. It’s been over half a year now, and still no fix.

Considering that actual real support – warranty and regular updates – lasts about two years with Suunto, that means over 25% of the product’s life has been affected by a serious issue. That’s hard to accept when you’re buying top‑end, most expensive Suunto watches.

I have the same problem with my race s and reported it several times. From the conversation I had with Suunto support last week, they only started to look into in a few days ago and concluded it is not a watch firmware problem but a bluetooth firmware problem so they directed the problem to the bluetooh firmware team.

This worries me. For half a year they did nothing with the problem and at some point even denied knowing about the problem (although I reported it, with logs, months before that)

[makoc]

My Vertical 2 is for the last ± 5h since firmware update in a boot loop. Its either “The device is being restored to a safe state”, “Improving your watch for adventure”, or “This is taking longer than expected. Thank you for being patient”. It always ends at the attached error screen, which is hard to capture since it reboots again a few seconds later.
Not sure what to do now. no key combos change that, probably the battery will run out soon.

[Egika]

@brechtvb said:

To me this Tide widget is very debatable. It only benefits people who actually live near a beach and also people who do a sport related to it. And even they probably use better tools for more refined information.

There are bugs to be fixed and features to be made which target larger audiences.

To me altitude measurement is very debatable. It only benefits people who actually live in the mountains and also people who do a sport related to them.

…it seems you are not living near the sea. Others (like me) do. While I only need altitude information when I am travelling far into the mountains, I see that this function could benefit others. Maybe you can see what benefits others as well…

[Egika]

@makoc maybe it is a good idea to contact support about this.

[SuperFlo75]

@makoc there is a separate thread with the same problem… in this thread a possible workaround is described by @dimitrios-kanellopoulos
https://forum.suunto.com/topic/15551/suunto-race-2-device-is-being-restored-to-a-safe-state-bootloop

[BakxM]

@SuperFlo75 I think I solved my own problem. But indeed the solution seems to be keeping up. And watch is still operational after a 2,5h ‘move’.

@makoc ; seems to be the same error as yours, so give it a try. good luck. For me it took two days to have the bootloop drain all the power from the watch.

[Steven Hambleton]

@mich-heller Sorry but this is an incredibly out of touch response. I don’t need contact lenses, I only wear glasses to read smaller text which is why I always complain about tiny fonts on the watch.

I know Apple is Apple but their watch offers accessibility options which make everything very legible, even while on the run. I’d just like to see a bump in font size which would benefit people like me, but disadvantage no-one else.

It can be done because the menu list is very legible, I just want to see system messages and complications using a similar font size and weight.

[sky-runner]

@Steven-Hambleton

As I said above, the problem isn’t necessary with the font size. The problem is with an poor choice of colors, but probably also insufficient outlines and spacing between letters.

Let’s compare. Here is a screenshot of my Vertical 2 map on the Light map - can’t read this at all unless I enlarge the image a lot:

Now for comparison a couple of pictures of Fenix 8 map that I downloaded from Garmin Forum:

Garmin fonts aren’t necessarily much larger, but look how crisp the letters are compared to what we see on a Suunto map.

The differences that I.can see are the following:

1. Garmin renders letters as black on white with a relatively thick outlines so letters stand out.
2. The font is bolder, which makes better contrast
3. The spacing between letters seems to be a bit wider so that letters are more distinct.
4. Labels are offset from roads which makes it easier for them to stand out against the solid background.

It seems that Garmin labels have been specifically optimized for the best possible readability. Now look. At the Suunto screenshot.

1. Letters are rendered as white with thin black outlines - the worst possible contrast!
2. Letters are very close to each other which makes them sort of blend into each other. Even spacing between words is too tight. The legibility is just horrible in my opinion.
3. Labels are rendered directly on top of roads or trails, which makes the contrast even worse.

It seems like someone developed this on a computer looking at a large computer screen and called it done without trying to use it on a real watch. Was there a usability study or feedback collected from multiple field testers before this was released? I highly doubt it!

The worst thing is that now it will take forever to get this improved.

[Svenning]

@Steven-Hambleton No offense intended, this is a serious suggestion as I’ve been using something similar for a while now: Amazon

Maybe sports glasses with built-in reading zones/bifocals could be a helpful workaround for you in the meantime.

[Tami999]

@sky-runner
Huge difference here. Well probably Suunto will work with font in next update/future.
So far I find out Dark Mode good enough. In normal bright map mode sadly for me it’s unreadable.

[Speed Man]

@sky-runner Try switching the offline map to Dark Mode if you’re having trouble seeing it.

For me, city names aren’t really necessary—I actually turn them off because I already know where I am. What I want from my watch is a smooth, real-time map that shows my route without lag.

That’s one thing I really like about Suunto. The map rendering is fluid, even while moving, unlike Garmin, which can sometimes feel choppy. The color scheme is also well designed, especially in the forest, making trails much easier to distinguish and read at a glance.

Sometimes the issue isn’t the map itself—it might just come down to how it’s being used. A few small adjustments to the map settings can make a surprisingly big difference.

[sky-runner]

@Speed-Man said:

@sky-runner Try switching the offline map to Dark Mode if you’re having trouble seeing it.

Both Dark and Light maps are quite poor at rendering trails at 500 ft and 0.2 mi zoom levels - the contrast is just too poor due to choice of colors. The only acceptable option for me is High Contrast maps.

I shouldn’t have to use a workaround just to see labels. I think Suunto developers should improve this for everyone in all map styles. And I am not alone - here is a screenshot of a poll I did on Reddit: