Amazfit shipped two software moves in a single week, and together they wrap up the company's biggest software year yet.
First, a training-focused update landed across eight of its current watches. Then, on August 16, Zepp OS 6 reached the Amazfit Active Max, right on the schedule Zepp Health published back in June. That completes the rollout across the current lineup.
Here's everything that changed, and which watch gets what.
Eight watches get the training update
The update covers:
- Balance Ultra and Balance 3
- T-Rex Ultra 2, both sizes of the T-Rex 3 Pro, and the T-Rex 3
- Cheetah 2 Ultra and Cheetah 2 Pro
- Active 3 Premium
Feature availability varies between models, so not every watch gets every addition. Here's the full breakdown.
Manual Rest for pool swimmers
Pool swimmers get a Manual Rest button that marks exactly when you stop swimming and your recovery begins. The watch then separates swimming and rest periods in your results, and it still breaks swim segments down by stroke.
Automatic rest detection has always struggled with structured pool sessions, especially when recovery intervals are short. Manual control removes that guesswork.
Always Locked touchscreen
The new Always Locked option keeps the touchscreen locked for the entire workout while the physical buttons stay active. No more accidental swipes from water, sweat, or a jacket sleeve mid-session. One exception: the standard T-Rex 3 doesn't get this mode.
FTMS rowing with real machine data
This one matters for indoor rowers. Compatible FTMS rowing machines can now send workout data directly to the watch, including power and distance. Zepp Health specifically lists support for the Concept2 RowErg.
That means your watch records what the rowing machine actually reports instead of estimating from wrist motion. For structured rowing workouts, that's a genuine accuracy upgrade.
Athlete Defaults
The Balance 3, Balance Ultra, Cheetah 2 Ultra, and Cheetah 2 Pro gain Athlete Defaults. Enable it and the watch automatically turns on Workout Do Not Disturb, switches off workout alerts, and sets GPS to maximum precision every time you train.
It's a small thing, but it's aimed at exactly the kind of athlete who uses the same settings every session and never wants to touch them again.
The smaller additions
- Route Preview now supports panning and zooming before and during workouts
- Map zooming has been refined
- Alarm creation and management is simpler
Zepp OS 6 completes its rollout
The Active Max got Zepp OS 6 on August 16, completing the schedule Zepp Health laid out earlier this year: Balance 3 and Balance Ultra first, then the Cheetah 2 Ultra and Bip Max in June, a larger group in July, and the Active Max in August.
The update brings the Active Max the Zepp OS 6 training toolkit, including Multi-Device Activity Sync, an expanded Daily Briefing, and more structured training tools. The interface itself stays largely unchanged, and not every Zepp OS 6 feature reaches every watch. Newer devices that shipped with the OS get the full package.
The Active Max has already received a steady stream of additions since launch, including lactate threshold tracking. Pair that with its 1.5-inch AMOLED display, offline maps, and strong battery life, and the software support is becoming a genuine selling point. We found the same pattern in our Amazfit Balance 3 Ultra review: the hardware is competitive, and the software keeps getting better.
Why this matters
None of these additions is dramatic on its own. Together, they show exactly where Amazfit is focusing: closing the software gap with Garmin.
The hardware has been competitive for a while now. GPS accuracy, heart rate tracking, battery life. Amazfit matches or beats watches that cost twice as much. The training software around that hardware was always the weaker side. Manual Rest, FTMS rowing, Athlete Defaults. These are the kinds of details Garmin owners take for granted, and they're now arriving across Amazfit's range.
If you own one of the eight updated watches, look for the update over the air in the Zepp app. If it hasn't appeared yet, these rollouts typically move in waves over a few days.
Bottom line
Amazfit just made eight of its best watches meaningfully better at training, and it finished the Zepp OS 6 rollout on schedule. The hardware was never the problem. The software is catching up fast, and for anyone comparing an Amazfit against a Garmin at half the price, that's the trend worth watching.