Message threads disappeared from handheld unit and from smartphone

After syncing a couple of days ago, all message threads on my GPSMAP 66i disappeared. The message record still exists on explore.garmin.com. But the Explore smartphone app does not update the threads. I have the current iPhone app. Other things like contacts, waypoints and tracks download. But not the message threads. This is the first time the threads disappeared. In previous syncing, the threads did not disappear. When I activate sync on the smartphone app, the circle arrow start rotating, but the messages never appear in either the handheld 66i or in the smartphone app. Thoughts?

0 twolpert over 6 years ago

I’ve never actually given this much thought. Best guess would be that messages do not sync between the device and the web site. There is no reason to do so. Messages that originate on the device are sent by satellite and pass through the web site on their way to the recipient. Messages addressed to the device pass through the web site on the way to the satellite network and the device.

The single exception might be messages which you manually delete on one end or the other. That change would have to sync since it’s not sent via satellite. The mobile app would have to handle that. Also, of course, the app has to keep itself updated for messages that do not originate in the app itself. But that updates only the app, not the device or the web site.

But I’m just guessing.

0 Former Member over 6 years ago

Messages don't sync. When they vanished off the 66i, did your unit happen to have any issues like lock up or other odd behavior? I was on a backpacking trip, my unit locked up. Once I got it restarted, all the messages on the unit were gone.

Chris

0 jlg2 over 6 years ago in reply to Former Member

Thanks, Chris. No, my 66i did not lock up. The only unusual thing that preceeded the disappearance was that Garmin Express said the 66i needed to be updated to 4.20 even though it was already at 4.20.

Did your message threads also disappear from the Explore smartphone app?

By the way, a couple of people say messages do not sync in the Explore smartphone app. But there is a sync button under the messages tab, and when it's activated it indicates that it is syncing. However it never completes.

0 twolpert over 6 years ago in reply to jlg2

I don’t see a sync button on the Messages tab.

There is one for each device on the Devices tab. That one syncs the individual device with the app.

There is one on the Account tab. That one syncs the app with the web site.

That said, it is usually unnecessary to tap any of these buttons. Syncs in all directions usually happen automatically.

If any of the syncs are failing consistently, call tech support. It is not unusual to see an occasional failed sync. Although it may be coincidence, it seems to me that this happens more when I have a GPS activity with a lot of points - several thousand. But it always succeeds eventually. Syncs that never complete are a cause for a support call.

0 Former Member over 6 years ago in reply to jlg2

Messages were still in Explorer. I was on 4.10 if I recall. I sent support files to tech support and it turns out I was running into some known issues that were fixed in 4.20 and some new ones that should be fixed in future firmware. Mine was really buggy in the field, glad I didn't need it in an emergency as it wouldn't have worked part of the time. They did mention some calculation errors, so suspect it might have been influenced by where I was (lat/long/alt) at the time.