Garmin delivers new beta updates for older mid-range smartwatches

Garmin has released a new beta update for the Venu 3, Venu 3s and vivoactive 5 smartwatches. These models last received a stable release in November 2025, version 17.01, which resolved a Garmin Messenger app pairing issue and fixed the EasyCard icon.

Now, beta testers of the Garmin Venu 3 and vivoactive 5 smartwatches are invited to download the version 17.05 update. Confusingly, the change log for this update is identical to that of the stable version 17.01 release and the subsequent beta version 17.02 update from early December 2025.

However, a post in the Garmin forum suggests that beta version 17.05 tackles another problem. Users of the vivoactive 5 recently flagged a bug which was preventing them from downloading playlists on apps like Spotify and YouTube Music. The progress bar would remain fixed at 0%, and the watch could also freeze and crash. After installing the beta version 17.05 update, several users have reported that this issue has been fixed.

If you own a Garmin Venu 3 or vivoactive 5 smartwatch and are a member of the beta program, you can download this new update by going to the Main menu > Settings > System > Software Update. Users of the Venu 3 (curr. $418.00 at Amazon) should note that the ECG feature is disabled with this update, as is typical during beta testing.