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| Garmin’s Venu 3 (pictured) and vivoactive 5 smartwatches are receiving beta version 17.05 |
Garmin is pushing a fresh beta software update to its popular Garmin Venu 3 and vivoactive 5 smartwatches, aiming to squash a pesky bug that has been frustrating users. The update, labeled beta version 17.05, follows a period of stability for the devices and seems to address a critical issue not listed in its official changes.
For owners of the Garmin Venu 3, Venu 3s, and vivoactive 5, the last stable update arrived in November 2025 as version 17.01. That release was notable for resolving a Garmin Messenger app pairing problem and fixing a visual glitch with the EasyCard icon. Since then, beta testers have seen incremental builds, with the new 17.05 now available for download.
A Familiar Changelog Masks a Key Fix
Interestingly—and somewhat confusingly—the official change log for this new beta version 17.05 is identical to the one for the stable 17.01 release and the subsequent beta 17.02 from early December. This repetition often indicates under-the-hood stability improvements or minor tweaks. However, a deeper look into the Garmin Beta Program forums tells a different story.
According to user reports and forum discussions, the vivoactive 5 has been grappling with a significant bug preventing the download of playlists from major music services like Spotify and YouTube Music. Affected users saw the download progress bar stuck at 0%, followed by watch freezes and crashes, rendering the offline music feature unusable.
The new 17.05 beta update appears to be the remedy. In forum threads, several testers have confirmed that after installing the latest beta, playlist downloads are now proceeding normally, resolving the persistent freezing issue.
How to Get the Update & Important Beta Notes
If you are a member of the Garmin Beta Program and own a compatible device, you can download beta version 17.05 by navigating to:
Main Menu > Settings > System > Software Update on your watch.
Garmin forum administrators have posted the official announcements for the update, which you can find here for the Venu 3 & 3s and for the vivoactive 5.