Garmin Explore iOS - Recent Threads

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

4109629 — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 05:58:28 GMT

I'm also very frustrated with this update. I hike off trail often and it was nice to see my current track along with past tracks in the area all on the map.

Sometimes when I try to find an exit out of a wash in the dark I could pull up the explore app and see where I had exited in the past. Same with routes that have difficult route fiding, on repeat attempts I could easily see my previous tracks.

Sorting through the hundreds of activities to find the one I want is cumbersome and difficult, and honestly I'm not always sure which track I may need once I'm out there. I don't want to be out in the fielf wasting time trying to add activities to the map.

Garmin needs to at least add the option to select all so to show on the map for those that want it.

I don't hold much hope for that so does anyone know of it's possible to revert to a previous version of the app?

Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

5781276 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:00:19 GMT

Hi all,

My only use case for Garmin Explore (because it's routing feature is far worse than others) is to use it as a history of where I have been. I really loved the way it showed the GPS tracks of all my activities on a single map. This allowed me to get a feel for how far different places are from each other, or the difficulty of one hike vs another.

However, in the latest update Explore 4.16 Garmin apparently changed this to only show GPS tracks for the last seven days instead of all time, and now my map is clogged by giant icons.

Has anyone else had this happen? is there a way to return my app to displaying the useful gps tracks all together? Or even a toggle to choose which tracks are displayed in full. These giant icons scale weirdly, block each other, and don't allow me to really view my map.

Hydrolayer hides lakes in some regions on Topo maps

empe — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:04:53 GMT

There appears to be a problem with the Hydrolayer on the standard Topo maps in some regions.

In Italy, lakes are not displayed at all when the Hydrolayer is enabled. In Spain, lakes are displayed significantly smaller than they should be. There may also be issues in other regions that I have not checked yet.

In Germany, the lakes appear to be displayed normally.

Interestingly, this does not seem to be a problem with the Topo Pro maps, where the lakes are displayed correctly.

This can be reproduced by switching the Hydrolayer on and off: the lakes appear/disappear or change size accordingly.

Could this be a problem with the Hydrolayer data or its rendering on the standard Topo maps?

RE: Hydrolayer hides lakes in some regions on Topo maps

Garmin - PW — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:34:18 GMT

Thank you. I will be sending you an email to collect some additional info from your Explore app.**

RE: Feature request: prompt before firmware download/install in Explore

bluefish — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:29:55 GMT

[quote userid="2448001" url="~/apps-software/mobile-apps-web/f/garmin-explore-ios/441327/feature-request-prompt-before-firmware-download-install-in-explore/2054947"]Done[/quote]

Feature request: prompt before firmware download/install in Explore

Albe — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:24:02 GMT

I would greatly appreciate it if Garmin could add a simple feature to the Explore app. Specifically, I would like the app to prompt me before downloading and installing a software update on my GPSMAP device. If I choose to cancel the operation, the app should do so.

Updating the software via Bluetooth with Explore honestly takes too long. I prefer to do it via USB with Garmin Express on my computer before syncing activities, collection and other data between Explore and the device. However, I might want to sync even when I don’t have a computer at hand, such as during a hike. If a new firmware version is released in the meantime (perhaps half an hour earlier), Explore will start downloading and transferring it to the device without prompting.

At the moment, the only way to interrupt the transfer (the most time-consuming phase of the entire operation) is to abruptly close Explore or disable Bluetooth. This would arguably be the third-best solution (after a preliminary prompt, as suggested above, and a Cancel button to safely abort an ongoing transfer) if I were confident that the system handles this incomplete state correctly. For instance, if I return home and switch to Express to update, will Express detect and delete the incompletely transferred file, and start the operation anew? Or will I encounter misleading error messages and strange behavior that prevent me from completing the update and force me to perform a master reset?

Explore 4.16: “Delete” and “Show on Map” are too close together

empe — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:00:29 GMT

There is another usability problem with the new activity view in Explore 4.16.

When tapping the three-dot menu for a selected activity, “Delete” and “Show on Map” are placed very close together, as shown in the screenshot.

These are two completely different actions, and Delete is a destructive action. With the current layout, it is too easy to accidentally tap “Delete” when intending to select “Show on Map”.

I think there should be a much clearer separation between these two options. At the very least, a destructive action such as Delete should not be placed immediately next to a frequently used non-destructive action.

This is a usability problem rather than just a visual design issue, because an accidental tap can result in an activity being deleted.

RE: Hydrolayer hides lakes in some regions on Topo maps

empe — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:36:08 GMT

Garmin - PW

here are two pictures of some lake in Spain.

the problem exists with deleted and redownloaded app.

RE: Hydrolayer hides lakes in some regions on Topo maps

Garmin - PW — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:28:08 GMT

Hi empe do you also have a screenshot showing a lake in Spain with the hydrolayer turned on? Does deleting and redownloading the app improve the map rendering at all?

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

9301276 — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:22:25 GMT

Same for me. Extremely annoying!

The idea of minimising clutter might be valid for some users. But personally I really dislike it. If they only would add the option to view all and five each user the option to choose what suits them best.

My main use for the app is to see “everywhere” I’ve been and to connect all my tracks into one consistent track through the entire country (weird life mission of mine). And with close to a thousand activities it’s not really an option to select each and everyone of them.

For me it’s an actual reason staying with Garmin for the convenience of this sync ability for all my devices into one ordered map.

Am also missing three old map which looked more like “other maps” when zoomed out. Nowadays it looks a bit morphed.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

7932411 — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:06:57 GMT

It is really poor that no one at Garmin thought through the impact of this change on app users. Those of us with hundreds of saved activities cannot seriously be expected to click each individual activity to undo this change.
A select-all option to allow routes to be show needs to be at the top of the list for the next update.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

5594920 — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:38:59 GMT

I too find this feature incredibly frustrating, as I enjoyed seeing the lines rather than a massive blob of dots. A mass-change feature is needed.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

empe — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:29:36 GMT

Another advantage of the new system is that you can actually see every individual activity start point.

With a dense heatmap, activities that were not started at the usual starting locations can easily disappear into the overall picture. For example, if the heatmap has a 30 km radius, activities close to the outer edge of that radius may not be visible at all, especially when there are many other activities in the area.

With the new system, every activity start point within the area is clearly visible. This gives you a much better overview of where activities actually took place, rather than just showing areas with a high concentration of tracks.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

empe — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:57:54 GMT

I actually like the new way of displaying activities in Explore 4.16.

For example, a single activity somewhere in the Bavarian Forest is simply not visible on a country or regional overview map. The track is just a tiny line that disappears at that zoom level. You only see the activity after zooming in much further.

With the new solution, you can immediately see that there is an activity in that area. And even better, the symbol tells you what type of activity it was.

When you want to see the actual tracks, you simply zoom into the area where the activity points are located and use the search function to select Saved. The activities in that region are then displayed as tracks, essentially giving you the "heatmap" view that some users are asking for.

Unfortunately, this feature is a little laggy at the moment, but the concept itself works very well.

So for me, the new solution is actually an improvement: at overview level you can see where activities exist, and by zooming in and searching for Saved, you get the detailed activity tracks for that region.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

7110705 — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 21:45:16 GMT

Could a feature request be made to have a select all option to restore the removed functionality? Or a user selection of how long a timeline of activity routes they choose to display on the map, such as a slider going from 7 days and increasing to All? That way the user could determine how they want their map displayed.

For a user with hundreds of activities, selecting each individually to add them back to the map is not a helpful option.

I tried doing so, but any location where someone regularly starts their activity will have many of the point circles representing the start of their activity. Selecting each individually and adding to the map, both takes time, but once scrolling down the list to add to the map, the list of activities resets itself back to the top. So the user must scroll down to then find the last activity they have not yet added to the map. Once added to the map, the activity list again resets to the top of the list.

Adding them individually does not work very well.

I’ll also note again that if the intent was to reduce visual clutter, this update just changes the clutter from activity tracks to activity start point circles. Any location where a user regularly starts an activity from will have a massive clump of these circles obscuring the map. The main difference was that the activity tracks were useful to see, whereas the activity start point circles just block view the map.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

Garmin - PW — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:25:15 GMT

There is no 'select all' option in the app. The other option is to select an activity icon on the map > tap the 3 dots next to its name > Show on Map.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

PWhite — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:20:44 GMT

I find this new update infuriating and is definitely a major step backwards unless you give us the option to click all, I used the feature for Fell Running where you navigate from check to check point any way you want and I would run different routes and compare them on the map to find the fastest/most efficient route which would give me a huge advantage come race day

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

7110705 — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 21:24:50 GMT

Thanks for your reply. Is there any way to 'select all' to show all of the tracks? Or an option that could be considered adding?

Selecting all of them individually is cumbersome, especially with a lot of activities and would mean waiting a week after the activity to then reenable the view track on the map..

I also find the start point circles of the activities older than 7 days is just a massive clump that obscures the map more than the many activity tracks did.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

Garmin - SP — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:00:11 GMT

This was done by design to help with visual clutter that can happen when you have a lot of tracks overlapping.

You should be able to go Saved, selecting Activities > View All, find an activity, then press the 3 dots. There's a Show on Map option there which will allow you to see the tracks.

RE: Latest Explore update 4.16 breaks the gps track look

7110705 — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 19:22:27 GMT

The same thing happened with mine and I have the exact same use case as you. It used to offer a great personal heat map as well as a way to explore new areas by seeing where I've already been.

I haven't figured out a way to view all of the tracks again in settings. The odd gpx import I did are still there, so a clunky option would be to export activities in Connect to gpx, then import onto Explore web. Not ideal and not something I think I would end up doing for all of my activities.

It would be great to have the option to display all of the activity tracks.

RE: Fenix 7X Pro + Garmin Explore - Constant updates and beep every 3-4 min during activities

Albe — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:01:21 GMT

Hi Marina, I guess the answer to both questions is yes, but I'll ask anyway, just to be sure.

Have you tried with both options (Prefer Device Location and Sync Current Activity) turned off?

Are Explore's location settings in iOS correct? You need While Using the App or Always selected, and Precise Location turned on.

A master reset might solve the problem, but of course it wipes all data and settings from the watch (I don't know whether the fēnix 7 has some backup option). If you'd rather avoid it, there's always the alternative of using a different app on your phone (there are plenty, with much better maps than Explore's) while the fēnix records the activity on its own, without Explore getting in the way. When I go hiking I use my H1 for tracking because it's more accurate, but if I'm unsure about the trail, I use Mapy or Gaia GPS on my phone, for example, not Explore.

Fenix 7X Pro + Garmin Explore - Constant updates and beep every 3-4 min during activities

MarinaMar — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:41:39 GMT

Hi all,

I'm getting continuous updates and an annoying beep every 3-4 minutes while using *Garmin Explore* with my *Fenix 7X Pro*.
It happens during *Hiking* and *Biking* activities.

The issue occurs both when I’m following a course/route and when I’m just walking or biking with no course loaded.
I haven’t changed any settings recently, but the watch still keeps updating and beeping even with no route.

Question:
How can I disable these constant updates/beeps?
Is there a setting in Garmin Explore sync, Activity Alerts, or Map settings that causes this?

Device: Fenix 7X Pro Solar Sapphire 26.09
App: Garmin Explore 4.14.1
Activities: Hiking, Biking

Thanks in advance for any help!

RE: Fenix 7X Pro + Garmin Explore - Constant updates and beep every 3-4 min during activities

MarinaMar — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 20:11:01 GMT

Hello, do you remember my question? I tried as you told me, but if I switch off “sync current activity” I can’t see it on the cell screen anymore. I’m sure that I could see it, it’s almost 10 years I use my Garmin app!!! Now it beeps.

RE: Lack of details on "Topo" map in iOS Explore vs. Explore Website

empe — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 21:03:52 GMT

the black trail on top of the service road comes from the Garmin Trails layer. Switching it on and off the black line comes and go. It’s black because its difficult. Easy trails are blue and medium trails are red. Just like skiing lines or trails in a bike park.

Lack of details on "Topo" map in iOS Explore vs. Explore Website

8259601 — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 18:39:37 GMT

Here's an example of the map detail I see in explore.garmin.com/Map - this location is Cuyamaca Peak in San Diego County:

Compared to the detail I see inside the Explore iOS app

There is just a ton more detail in the Web map vs. the iOS map.

Is this something that I can fix? Is this lack of detail something that https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/893561/ improves?