Garmin launches new Star Wars, Marvel & Porsche watch faces plus a GoPro control app… at a price

Finally, you can have Baby Yoda (Grogu to his mates), Mickey Mouse or Porsche’s classic 917 Salzburg livery design on your Garmin watch face, or control your GoPro via your Garmin thanks to a new app.

Because in a major new venture, Garmin has announced the addition of paid-for apps and watch faces that you can download from its Garmin Connect IQ store.

But if you've already shelled out for one of the best Garmin watches out there, the bad news is, you're going to have to reach into your pocket again.

Previously, Garmin Connect  offered exclusively free content, although some software required payments through third-party platforms to unlock certain features.

The move into paid-for “premium” content allows Garmin to partner with brands such as Disney , Porsche and GoPro.

Which, since Disney owns Marvel and Star Wars now too, means it can offer not just Mickey and Minnie Mouse watch faces, but Iron Man and Grogu ones too (with, we’re sure, many more on the way).

There’s also a golf ball-themed watch face courtesy of TaylorMade and space-themed watch faces including Moonwalker, Ad Astra and All-Day Astronaut designs.

All the premium watch faces cost $5.

And for a dollar more ($6 for those of you mathematically challenged) you can now buy a new app that allows you to control your GoGro camera using your Garmin (there have been independent apps offering the same capability before now but this is the first official one).

The new GoPro camera control app lets you start and stop recording and change modes (as in video, photo, and time lapse). You can also create and use various presets, and save multiple GoPro cameras to a pairings menu.

All these are available in the US Connect IQ store now, though nothing’s showing up in the UK store yet.

Dan Bartel, Garmin Vice President of Global Consumer Sales, said: “For years, our customers have turned to the Connect IQ Store for fun and informative watch faces and apps to support their endeavors and now, we are excited to advance our Connect IQ marketplace even more.

"Enabling premium apps allows third-party developers to be rewarded for their hard work. We are thrilled that some of the largest brands in the world have joined us to launch new watch faces and apps, and we look forward to the future of our Connect IQ platform."

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