Any workaround to disable automatic firmware updates?

Filling the available internal storage does work.  It has to download the update before it can run it on the watch and if there isn’t any available space it won’t be able to do that.  I ran into this with my SQ but it is the non music edition so a lot less internal storage.  It will probably keep trying to do it though and not sure how often you might get notifications of a SW update.

Not any good ones. You can use a computer to delete the install file from the watch but you have to catch it. So when you get the message that an update is available you can say wait to install and then deleted it. But it will get automatically recreated there at some point in the near future so you would be doing that a lot.

Also I have seen a fair number of people complaining, as have you, but my (unscientific) opinion is that actually breaking the watch is rare. I have had 3 Garmin watches and have installed all betas and never had an issue. Don't get me wrong I HAVE had some bugs that eventually got fixed but never anything catastrophic.

CindiL said:

Filling the available internal storage does work

Thanks a lot.

Free space on the internal storage of my V2 is 10MB now - less than size of the firmware but I suppose there should be some free space left to keep the watch "working".

Let's see what happens once the new firmware will be rolled out....

1. Go to Profile > Click on the Profile Name for the one you want to modify > Select Modify Policy
2. Select Samsung Knox
3. Select System
4. Navigate to OTA upgrade
5. Select Disallow in the drop-down menu
6. Select Save & Assign

CindiL said:

Filling the available internal storage does work

Unfortunately it (probably) doesn't :|

Because of the new firmware announcement I verified free space on the watch yesterday evening (9.5MB). 
Despite of firmware file is bigger (GUPDATE.GCD ~25MB), the update was successful.... :/

There's 8.9MB space available on the watch after the update.
The whole /GARMIN folder occupies just 5.2MB. 

OK... time to check if the update didn't broke those 2 basic functions I use the watch for... 
I'm going to leave ~1MB free space on the watch now - let's hope it will stop the next forced update.

I have f6p so I can switch off autoupdate.

In my watch updating is only when I allow it

- only then I use express

- if express has new version it ask me to install update

So check express settings maybe there is an option 'auto installm update'.

On watch I can update firmware only when I start wifi synchronisation - so don't use it.

It's not good to fill all space on device and there is another space hidden when express is connected to watch.

make a file GUPDATE.GCD and  add attributes hidden/system maybe system won't delete/overwrite such file

Yes, as noted in the initial post, it's possible to disable firmware auto update on Fenix (as well as on Forerunner) devices but not on Venu/Vivo models.

In the case of Venu/Vivo devices you can only postpone firmware installation (see pic on the left in my previous post) - but the update starts automatically once you miss this prompt (you didn't tap on "Install Later"). So obviously, it will be installed during the night.

_psx_ said:

there is another space hidden when express is connected to watch.

It's not necessary to use Garmin Express to update firmware (connect the watch to PC) - firmware is send to the watch via BT from Garmin Connect Mobile application. Maybe it can use the hidden space you mention too...

_psx_ said:

make a file GUPDATE.GCD and  add attributes hidden/system maybe system won't delete/overwrite such file

It's not possible to change attributes of the files. Anyway thanks for this idea.

Maybe for venu GC sends update. For f6p it doesn't (I know it because a few days ago I could see in web connect info about update and only after connecting watch to express it was updated).

maybe try  from command line (attrib)

but check it