Both versions do have the same features but following is different:
| Requirements | V1 | V2 |
|---|---|---|
| Background permission | YES | NO |
| Internet permission | YES | NO |
| OpenWeatherMap Key | YES | NO |
With the so called CIQ3.2 garmin added the support to watchfaces to access the weather data from garmin - this was not able before. This simple change allows the V2 to work without a third party weather service and without all the above mentioned extra permissions.
Sadly, not all devices that are supported by V1 got (or will get) the CIQ3.2 update so I decided to make a new V2 for those devices that can use CIQ3.2 which are most of the newer devices… For all others V1 will stay there as it is - V1 is working stable currently and I will support it in the future as well but new functions are only be added to V2 as this version does have more room (more free memory) for further features.
An important side note is that even devices running CIQ3.2 or higher do not all support weather - following shows which devices do support weather: Weather and CIQ3.2 devices - simply open the link and expand the View devices on top.
If your device supports CIQ3.2 use V2 otherwise V1. V2 does not need internet permissions and does not use background processes to check the weather. This means V2 is better for battery life and watchface speed.
Side Note: not all devices that do support CIQ3.2 do support garmin weather as well - currently the Fenix 5 devices e.g. do not support it. If you want to use weather on such a device, you must use V1. Maybe garmin does add weather to those devices in the future though.