Garmin’s first 2026 smartwatch update is rolling out now across select Venu and Vivoactive watches

Garmin has started pushing out a new stable update to three of its recent smartwatch releases.

They are: the Venu 4, Venu X1 and Vivoactive 6.

The update comes in the form of software version 15.52, and while it’s the first stable release for these models in 2026, it’s not exactly the kind of update that people will get excited about. In fact, Garmin’s own release notes are so light on detail they’re almost comical.

The company says 15.52 is rolling out in phases (currently around 20% of users), so you might not see it on your watch right away. But if you’re the sort of person who checks for updates the second they’re mentioned on a forum, be sure that it's out there, somewhere.

What’s actually changed in 15.52?

The details are quite thin on the ground for what these updates will actually mean for these specific Vivoactive and Venu watch users. But Garmin lists just two items in the changelog: “changes to support manufacturing" and “various bug fixes and improvements". And that’s your lot.

The first line is the strangest one. “Support manufacturing” sounds like the kind of behind-the-scenes tweak designed for production batches rather than anything you’ll notice on your wrist. Garmin doesn’t explain what’s been adjusted, and it also suggests this update probably isn’t adding any new features you’ll be playing with.

The second line - “bug fixes and improvements” - is classic firmware-speak, but it’s still a bit annoying when you don’t know exactly what’s been fixed, or whether it applies to you.

So, if you were hoping this would be a “finally!” kind of update, early signs suggest it’s, err, not and instead is likely to be more of a quiet maintenance drop.

The update doesn’t appear to address reports from some Vivoactive 6 owners who say the display isn’t working as expected. And there are also users who’ve had issues connecting the Venu 4 to a Schwinn IC4 spin bike, which doesn’t seem to be resolved here either.

Nevertheless, if you want to check for it manually, you can do that directly on the watch by heading to: Menu > Settings > System > Software Update. Otherwise, it should arrive automatically through Garmin Connect Mobile or Garmin Express as the rollout expands.