Garmin Explore 4.0 Update Offline Maps Functionality Only For Purchased Maps??

3992538 1 month ago

I just updated the iOS app to the new version. I tried downloading an offline map, but it looks like there are no free maps any more? It looks like I can only use offline maps if I purchase the Outdoor Maps+ subscription. Is this correct??

Top Replies

Arrrrgh 26 days ago +1

It actually allowed me to “Save” the Tokyo offline map, with 0 layers 0 bytes.

then when I went back to get screenshots the app crashed just afterwards
3992538 22 days ago in reply to Arrrrgh +1

After the last update Garmin support got in touch again and on their advice I reinstalled the app, and I can now download the topoactive and satellite layers for Japan maps, all happy now, problem solved…

All Replies

0 empe 1 month ago in reply to 8783228

the popular layer seems to work best with the topo map. Then you see purple lines. If you use it together with topo pro, the roads vanish or fade to gray

0 8783228 1 month ago in reply to empe

I’m not sure what you mean by topo pro. The only 3 map layers I have are labeled topo, satellite imagery, and basemap. I think in the old version the topo active map was labelled “topoactive” but now it appears to just be labeled as "topo”.

0 JungleJim 1 month ago in reply to 8783228

The Topo Pro layer is part of the Outdoor Maps+ subscription. It is (mostly) the same mapping as the TOPO Pro maps you can purchase for Garmin outdoor handhelds, smartwatches and other devices.

What was called "Topo Active" in the previous Explore version is indeed now called "Topo".

0 8783228 1 month ago in reply to JungleJim

Thank you!

0 Arrrrgh 29 days ago in reply to 8783228

Yes sat images has started working for me in Australia too now. Wasn’t before.

0 3992538 29 days ago in reply to JungleJim

I can actually download the topoactive maps if I choose a country other than Japan. So looks to be a system level restriction, not a bug, similar to how they’ve restricted the usgs from free use? Anyone’s guess if they intend to keep that setting, but it has been a week since they said they were looking into it, but they may just be overloaded with bug reports.

0 8783228 29 days ago

The "Hiking Guy" has a pretty good review of the Explore 4.0 update on YouTube. The comments are worth reading because people seem to be experiencing a lot of glitches and bugs in the update.
https://youtu.be/28ivQXg6bpY

0 3992538 29 days ago in reply to 3992538

Quick check shows that restrictions are in place for Japan, India and Myanmar, and there may be others, but I’m not going to zoom in and move around the whole globe. Can anyone else try and download an offline map for some part of Japan? Tokyo for example?

0 3992538 29 days ago in reply to 8783228

I watched that last night, I like his content, very helpful.

0 empe 29 days ago in reply to 3992538

Here are some examples of the topo map (formerly topoactiv). For Japan is no topo pro map available.