Garmin Explore Android - Recent Threads

Can I limit the data values available in LiveTrack

TERP1234 — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:56:55 GMT

Can I somehow limit the data values shown in LiveTrack? I.e. I want to hide heart rate and power for privacy reasons, while other values are ok to show.

Garmin Explore app not working, not showing the map at all.

2717385 — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:33:51 GMT

Garmin explore app was working well in th US. When I arrived in Nepall and inserted a local sim card to my phone it stopped showing the map at all. I tried everything. Please help me it is kind of urgent. I very rely on this service here

Can't purchase Outdoor Maps+

8201770 — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:13:35 GMT

I'm trying to purchase Outdoor Maps+ in Explorer app on android but after entering billing details and payment method, I got an error "We can't complete your activation. Please contact support". How can I fix it?

Is there a bug creating a route on Garmin explore?

Sundrojan — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:15:56 GMT

I was still able to create my own hiking route on Garmin explore until monday. Today, I want to make another path. I click a first time to create the startpoint, a second time to mark the next turn, but instead it creates the endpoint and the way in between doesn't follow the road it randomly goes somewhere even not following an existing track. You can see on the picture.

I noticed it does that only when I'm around my house. If I create a way far from it, it works perfectly.

I didn't change anything in the settings.

Loading map layer freeze

RaRoos — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:57:39 GMT

I have a subscription for Outdoor maps.

When I try to download a off-line map, nothing happens

Only a spinning wheel and a message saying: loading data layers.

Anyone any idea how to resolve this issue?

Explorer App does not download the map layers

9869592 — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:49:57 GMT

Hello,

I have installed the explore app on three devices. But only on one of them I can download offline maps. On both other devices the process hangs when it tries to download che map layers. So I am not even able to selecht the map that I would like ro get. I have installed and reinstalled the app but it doesn't help

Is this a limit from the software that prevents offline maps on multiple devices? Or is it a matter of app permissions or a bug?

Best regards

Martin

How can I connect Gpsmap 66sr to more than one devices?

9869592 — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:45:01 GMT

Hello,

I use the explore app on Android devices. I want to use the app on a tablet and a smartphone to connect them with the same gpsmap.

Each time when I change the Android device, I have to delete the device pairing with the other Android in the gpsmap settings and reconnect to the actual device.

Is it possible to pair the gpsmap with two android devices and use them alternating without deleting and reconnecting them?

Best regards

Martin

Why does Garmin remove parking areas from the maps? Extra distance/busy roads as a consequence in routing..

spinnekopje — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 08:20:07 GMT

It took me a while to figure out the problem, but it is clear that Garmin filters out parking areas from the map in the Garmin Explore app.

This is very annoying because certainly here in Belgium lots of those places are used for walking/cycling. The result is that you get lots of extra distance and the use of major roads although there is a much better alternative available!

When I know the area I can switch to a direct route for those pieces, but when the area is unknown you just can't guess..

Where does garmin get their observances?

mghens — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:52:44 GMT

On my Fenix 8 Pro, the calendar glance shows today as the first day of Ramadan.

As a Catholic, today is Lent. I would prefer my watch to cater to me.

Garmin Edge devices in Explore App

THM543 — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 07:25:41 GMT

Would it be possible for Garmin to integrate the Edge devices into the Explore app? So far, only the smartwatches are integrated.

Garmin Explore stürzt bei Android Handy ständig ab

Eggi — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 20:05:52 GMT

Ich habe seit längerer Zeit das Problem, dass die Garmin Explore App ständig abstürzt.

In der Regel dauert das rund 10 Sekunden, dann schaltet sie sich selbst ab.

Neuinstallieren hat nix gebracht.

Was kann ich tun?

Alle Software ist aktuell.

Remove Fenix 8 from Explore?

Stephan — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:26:20 GMT

I played around with Explore (web/android) but didn't like it too much.. Among other reasons because it seems to be seperate from normal "Connect courses" and thus i removed my fenix from Explore Android settings and deinstalled the app.

Now i have noticed that the Fenix Backup settings (Menu/System/Restore and Reset/Content) for Courses and Favorites is forced to off and it says something to to effect of "not available. Use Explore to manage courses"

How do i remove my Fenix from Explore? Or the otherway round? Do i have to change something on my Fenix?

Garmin Explore app v 4.8 on Google Pixel 9 Pro continually crashing

4268803 — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 10:11:18 GMT

Garmin Explore in recent versions has got worse and worse - functionality, ease of use and now really unstable. It is unusable for a while after opening as it syncs. But it crashes so often during use even if I have only opened it and not interacted with it! Love my Garmin Fenix but the poor explore app could be reason to switch to another brand if you don't sort these issues and give it the reliability it requires.

Garmin Connec+ Subscription Expired

MoHaX — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 20:27:49 GMT

I'm not sure, but I think that after update to version 4.8 I have a "scary" pop-up asking me to either:

Get Outdoor Maps+
Delete Content

First of all I never subscribed to anything related to maps nor I have used "Outdoor Maps+"

So I'm not able to use Garmin Explore as I should choose to "Delete Content" without knowing what will be deleted and why.

If I select "Delete Content" are my waypoints, tracks, routes, courses, and activities will be deleted?

Here is the screenshot with described pop-up:

Offline Maps - Maps+ with Inreach Mini2 and android phone

5721316 — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:35:25 GMT

Regarding using Maps+ in the Ineach Mini 2 paired with android phone...Once you download an offline map; will this map automatically be on screen when you are on location?

Synch between GEW and mobiles

marcossaad_ — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 18:01:51 GMT

Hi,

Just for clarification, Is GEW not being a direct sync bridge between mobiles the intent way of working?

I have an iOS but also bought an Android mobile just for outdoor activities.

My Fenix 7x pro watch and my iOS mobile were synched to GEM and to GEW with data for an upcoming trip.

Then I went for checking GEM data on my new Android and it was not there. I had to synch it to the watch itself in order to get the same data that was already being synched to GEW.

I found this behavior odd because changes made on GEW do synch with GEM and then to the watch.

I had always thought the GEW being a "cloud" that could bridge/synch all to any mobile/device through a proper signed account.

Any thoughts?

Tks,

Garmin Explore App

3292401 — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 18:28:33 GMT

It sounds like it is quarterly known that the Explore App update is very buggy. Just adding in my two cents.

66i

Apple iPhone 12 mini

I work in a lot of remote locations. Often no wifi and no cell. I've been using this combination since 2021 or so.

I hope that Garmin can fix these issues as the current ESRI approach is completely unworkable for me because it relies on wifi connectivity. I'm saying this to let you know that I'm rooting for you, Garmin. I've been writing support for your system into my research grants for years and would like to continue doing so. I will also say that the new waypoint icon and color scheme is an improvement as it allows us to mix icon type and color. Very smart. With that said...

App problems that were not issues with previous versions:

1) the icon that shows me where I am hadls disappeared. This happens both when I use the device while paired with my 66i and when I'm using the phone on it's own. It reappears briefly then vanishes again.

2) Along with that, the waypoint icons just randomly disappear, then reappear for a moment after I create a new waypoint, before disappearing again

3) the map resolution is really poor compared to the previous offering, which was already borderline. For example, the satellite map layer is essentially useless at this point. I get it if you want a low resolution option, but there should also be a high resolution option.

streetcross maps

tufan kalkan — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 05:32:39 GMT

I use the Garmin Street Cross app on my motorcycle. However, I'd like to report that it doesn't display the streets and street names correctly in my country. What should I do about this? I live in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Elevation gain/loss not diaplayed for area around Milan and North

Marco — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:21:47 GMT

Drawing a route in Itali, Milan area and alps north of Milan, does not show any elevation gain/lost at all. Just a minus is displayed.

Moving to any different area, also est of Milano like Brescia, everything works.

I already delete dall offline maps to be sure that no corrupted data was present.

Any suggestion on how to soove or it is a bug?

POIs Automatically Reassigned to Primary Collection on GPSMAP 66r After Restart

Thom — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 14:19:38 GMT

Hi all,

I’m using a GPSMAP 66sr and managing hundreds of POIs across dozens of collections via Garmin Explore. After almost every shutdown and restart, of the app and device around 90% of my POIs are automatically reassigned to the Primary Collection—even though they were previously sorted into specific collections. The tracks however are not affected. They stay in their collection.

This makes it nearly impossible to maintain any meaningful organization. Manually reassigning hundreds of POIs is not feasible, and Garmin Explore doesn’t offer bulk tools or a way to lock collections.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a workaround or fix? I’ve already tried:

Assigning another primary collection
reconnecting bluetooth

Updating firmware
importing GPX files again and again (which don’t preserve collection structure)

Would love to hear if others have found a solution—or if we can push Garmin to address this in a future update.

Thanks, Thom

[BUG] "Offline Maps Only" setting not retained & app defaults to online maps

CABAL_DAN — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 11:29:42 GMT

Hello Garmin Support Team,

I’m reaching out to report a bug in the Garmin Explore mobile app involving the “Offline Maps Only” setting.

1. Description of the issue
- In **earlier versions** of Garmin Explore (on both Android and iOS), I could enable "Offline Maps Only" and the app would remember this setting, even after closing and reopening the app.
- With **recent updates**, the app no longer retains this setting. After a restart, it **automatically switches back to online mode**, even if offline maps are already downloaded.
- If I disable mobile data (e.g., airplane mode), the app fails to display any map at all until I manually re-enable "Offline Maps Only". That means **the app tries to download maps online**, regardless of offline data cached locally. This behavior is strongly undesirable, especially when traveling abroad—it's wasting mobile data and contradicts the explicit offline preference.

2. Steps to reproduce
1. Download offline maps for your area.
2. In settings, toggle **"Offline Maps Only" ON**.
3. Close the app completely.
4. Disable mobile data / airplane mode.
5. Reopen Garmin Explore.
6. The app shows no map (because it’s trying to fetch online data) and the setting is now OFF.
7. Manually toggle "Offline Maps Only" ON again to regain offline map visibility.

3. Expected behavior
- The **"Offline Maps Only" setting should be persistent** across app restarts.
- When offline (no mobile data), the app **should default to offline maps automatically**, if downloaded.
- Even when online and offline maps are downloaded, the app **should prioritize cached tiles over downloading them again**. Online data should only be used if no cached offline tile is available. This would greatly reduce unnecessary data usage.
- The behavior that earlier versions of the app had is how this should work by default.

4. Additional information
- Device: [e.g., Android 11
- Explorer app version: 4.7.1
- Region: Czech Republic
- This issue leads to unnecessary data consumption and makes the "Offline Maps Only" feature basically unusable in real-world offline scenarios.

Please let me know if you'd like logs, screenshots, or further details.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I really appreciate any fix you can provide.

Best regards,
Dan Němec

Is it possible to create a course and get turn notifications?

skopek — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:21:03 GMT

When I create a hiking course with Explore I don't get turn notifications on my Fenix 8.

Is this not available in Explore?

Explore - Is it worth a try?

9e910c9073ce4fefb3a4080ddeb4fe3d — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 07:12:11 GMT

Some time ago, I tried Explore and was very frustrated by its strange and erratic behavior.
Now I see that many questions are being asked in this forum, but there are hardly any helpful discussions.
So is it worth trying the Explore app again? And if so, WHY?

How do I transfer directly from an Android device to a Garmin device?

MONTANA650T — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:03:13 GMT

Hello everyone,
I'd like to transfer directly from my S23 Ultra to a Garmin device like Oregon, GPSmap, etc., without using Connect or Explore. You need to be connected, and I'd like to be able to do a "direct" transfer.
Does anyone have a solution and/or an app to recommend?
Just by trying it with my Drivecam 76 or my Tactix, the S23U recognizes them fine and they switch to "computer" mode, but none of the apps I've tried want to read the Garmin's internal memory or micro SD card.
Thanks for your feedback.

Hide base layer map on Android Explore maps?

RichardB — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 05:41:27 GMT

On the android app the base layer has some huge glaring errors (does not show on web or GPSMAP 67i versions) such as roads that don't exist. (already reported).

There doesn't seem to be a way to turn off the base layer though.

Can it be done?