Venu Software Version 6.90 Battery Drain

Yes. You cannot reject firmware update on it.

So just to clarify further, does this mean that - although you can "downgrade" to a previous version (e.g., beta firmware files) - your Venu will then automatically be upgraded to the latest version you were trying to avoid anyhow? If so, why even bother making those previous versions available since they're about to be overwritten again anyhow?

8749110 said:

So if I understand correctly, Garmin forces its Venu product to "upgrade" to a newer version of software - whether the bugs have been fixed or new ones introduced?

Exactly.... Sad but true :|

 Any workaround to disable automatic firmware updates?

8749110 said:

So just to clarify further, does this mean that - although you can "downgrade" to a previous version (e.g., beta firmware files) - your Venu will then automatically be upgraded to the latest version you were trying to avoid anyhow?

That's right. Probably the only workaround is to fill internal storage - see the link above.

I am not having this issue, at all.  I wonder what is different with my watch vs the watches that are draining drastically fast…. I have CIQ watch faces etc but no issues.  Seems like something gets caught in memory and causes the rapid drain.

Have any of you contacted support.garmin.com and started a chat? I am curious what their answer is.

I think filled memory is very bad idea. Your device can stuck at load at least. You cannot record activities properly. Device sill will try to download part of the firmware, then fail and continue indefinitely. Just accept the statement - no variants to stop update, except working standalone without any connections.

For me it's just "notification repeater" (so I don't have to carry the phone all the time) and device for contactless payments. OK, it's a watch of course too so there's AOD turned on on my watch.

That's all. I don't think is too much to ask from the device with MSRP $400 (Venu2).
I need these few functions to be 100% working. If any of them is broken - the watch is completely useless for me. 
10MB free space I left on the device should be enough for these simple functions.
The question is how often will the watch display the notification "not enough space available" once the new firmware will be pushed to it.... 

There's so many reported problems on the forum related to the firmware updates.... I feel really "uncomfortable" because I am, as a customer, at the mercy of, let's say, imperfect firmware testing prior to its release. Of course, it's a software - there's not a single piece of SW without a bug.

But no one gave me the watch as a test device for free. I payed for it. So I should have the right to choose if I want to be part of the test team or not - the right to decide if/when I want to update the firmware. To risk non-functional device because of the update.

Anyway, I have to admit it's my fault. I didn't expect something like forced automatic firmware updates exist. It's now added to my check list for future purchases.
Believe me - there's no chance I would bought Venu2 in the case I know it prior the purchase. And it's the first thing I tell every single person who asks me how I like the watch.

This is a really important perspective, one that no doubt many others share.

I guess the benefits of Garmin's "one-firmware-uber-alles" include ease of maintenance and bug chasing (for their programmers) but it comes at the cost of new bugs and interactions with 3rd party apps/widgets that go live all together... absent any user control over their own devices' behaviors.

Apple, Android and Linux communities have all figured out how to address this while granting their user bases meaningful control over their upgrading choices. It's a basic user courtesy that is lacking in Garmin's approach, and that certainly counts as a disadvantage of becoming part of Garmin's ecosystem. Whether the other benefits outweigh this cost is for each of us to decide based on how "broken" our devices get from forced firmware updates.

8749110 said:

the benefits of Garmin's "one-firmware-uber-alles" include ease of maintenance and bug chasing (for their programmers)

Garmin's support (as is usual for other manufacturers) can simply ask a user to update the firmware in the case there's a problem reported.
Simple rule like "we support the last available version only".

So there's no need to force the updates even from this point of view.

8749110 said:

is lacking in Garmin's approach

Not in the case of all Garmin products - Forerunner 55 (MSRP $200) as example - yes, the owner is able to disable automatic updates:

8749110 said:

Venu firmware practices are a disappointment.

It's the same on Vivo* series as well....