Garmin pushes security feature to another wearable in new update

Garmin’s Descent X50i premium dive computer is being updated again. Users of the wearable are currently receiving system software 5.09. It arrives around four months after the release of the last update, system software 4.05.

With system software 5.09, the Descent X50i becomes the latest Garmin wearable to gain the Passcode tool. This security feature started rolling out to users in early 2025. The company notes that it will not prevent a dive from starting. Another change is the addition of connection type information for paired devices. Plus, the pairing stability for the Descent S1 buoy (curr. $2,080 at Amazon Marketplace) is said to have been improved.

The Garmin Descent X50i gains support for Essential data fields on custom dive screens; these metrics include current depth, stop depth and NDL time. Users can set up a startup message to be displayed on the splash screen. You can now see the tank volume on the pre-dive check page. On top of this, there is a series of bug fixes, tackling issues linked to pool mode, SubWave messages and the Dive log. The complete release notes for system software 5.09 can be found below.

Garmin has suggested in a forum post that the Descent X50i system software 5.09 has been pushed to around 20% of users at the time of writing. It is unclear when the rollout of this update will be complete. You can check for updates on the watch by going to PREV > Settings > System > Check for Updates, or via the Garmin Dive App or Garmin Express Software.