Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music heads to Verizon for 4G LTE connectivity

Garmin has announced that the Vivoactive 3 Music, which was first introduced back in June, is getting a new model with some improved connectivity options. The primary draw of this new Vivoactive 3 Music is compatibility with Verizon's 4G LTE network. This enables new functionality such as music downloads that don't require a phone and features aimed at keeping people safe while they're working out.

Those safety features are perhaps the most intriguing part of this new release. With constant internet connectivity, users who feel unsafe while out and about can now hold the Vivoactive 3's watch button for five seconds to send a message to a group of pre-determined emergency contacts. Doing this will also share real-time location information with those emergency contacts, letting them know where you're at should something happen.

The Verizon Vivoactive 3 Music also feature incident detection, which monitors for impacts while exercising. If an impact is detected, those emergency contacts will be alerted, again with location information, potentially cutting down on response time in the case of an emergency. You can also share your location information with anyone outside of these emergency features, so if you just want someone to know where you're at when you go on a run or bike ride, you can do that too.

4G LTE connectivity also means that you can download apps and songs to the Vivoactive 3 Music without pairing a smartphone to it first. Third-party music services that will be supported by Garmin's Connect IQ store include Deezer and Spotify, though it sounds like only Deezer will be supported at launch. You'll also be able to text from the watch without pairing a phone, which is another perk of that Verizon compatibility.

Other than 4G LTE support, it sounds like Verizon's Vivoactive 3 Music will be mostly the same as the one that launched back in June, which means you're getting support for things like Garmin Pay and Elevate. The Verizon Vivoactive 3 Music doesn't have a solid launch date or price yet, but Garmin says that pricing will be revealed when the device launches at some point in Q1 2019. We'll keep an eye out for those details, so stay tuned.