inReach Mini 3 Plus - Recent Threads

How large is a large collection to sync

GEOTALIAN — Wed, 13 May 2026 02:34:45 GMT

I have Migrated from a GPS MAP 64ST.

I synced to Garmin Explore , I have 200 waypoints and 31 courses (GPX tracks)

In the sync setting it has a big triangle saying Sync large amounts of data is slow.

Whats is the limit of being considered large?

Sync seems to take a while and Im not sure how to manage my collection.

Swimming with the M3+

ninjod — Tue, 05 May 2026 22:32:26 GMT

Has anyone used the M3plus to track a open water swim? Either in swim hat or tow float?

Regards

Paul

inReach Mini 3 Plus software.5.04

geoffmurray — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:12:05 GMT

I saw a post about new software for the Mini 3 Plus. Has anyone been able to update yet as mine on 5.03 still says no updates.

InReach Mini 3 Plus Software v5.04

Garmin-Christopher — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:48:50 GMT

Change Log

Fixed potential issue with messages not being delivered

FYI, inReach Iridium vs iPhone Globalstar coverage

GreenSub — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 21:53:33 GMT

A friend is going on a photo safari in South Africa this November and stated he would use his iPhone’s satellite feature in an emergency. I suggested an inReach Mini 3 Plus. So I googled it and the iPhone is not a good option in that location of the world.

Iridium offers true global coverage (including poles) with 66 satellites and superior reliability for remote, worldwide use. Globalstar provides better voice quality and lower costs, but with limited coverage (+/-70° latitude) primarily in developed regions. Iridium is ideal for maritime/extreme environments, while Globalstar suits North American land users.

Key Comparisons

- Coverage: Iridium has 66 satellites providing 100% global coverage, including the poles, according to The Motley Fool. Globalstar coverage is limited to roughly +/-70 degrees latitude, with stronger performance in North America and Europe.

Reliability: Iridium uses inter-satellite links, meaning satellites talk to each other to maintain, say Fierce Network. Globalstar uses "bent-pipe" technology, requiring a direct line of sight to a ground station, explains this YouTube video.
Voice Quality: According to users in this HuntingBC.ca forum thread, Globalstar often provides clearer audio than Iridium.
Devices: Iridium uses rugged, military-standard handsets. Globalstar is known for SPOT emergency devices and powering the Apple iPhone 14+ SOS feature

Computerless updates?

Cargotourercommuter — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 15:20:19 GMT

Hi,

I am contemplating buying a mini 3 plus if my 850 turns out to be useable.

Can I update the firmware etc via the explore app or via wifi (phone hotspot) as with the 850?

I received the 850 yesterday and the updating and even map downloads work excellently on that - both on the home wifi and with the phone as a hotspot. But how about the mini 3?

I ask, because I don't want a computer when I travel, and with the 850 I I can finally have up to date maps at any time.

It would be nice if this other new product (mini 3) could do the same sort of thing, considering firmware updates are needed for resolving the various bugs.

M3+ Ultra Marathon Tracking

ausyonline — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:54:04 GMT

Has anyone used their M3+ to track an Ultra Marathon or equivalent so their crew can follow them in areas with no cell reception and see their location on a course? if so how well has it worked? I am looking to upgrade from an old M1 which really didn't work for this as the course would not show up on a mobile browser and it would only show a dot on a map and wondering if the updated software that I could not use on the M1 works any better?

Screenshot Capability Removed?

Dan.Boilermaker — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:38:50 GMT

I can't find the screenshot function. I'm pretty sure it was there prior to the 5.03 update. Am I wrong?

Messenger pairing problems

ristillu — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 03:04:45 GMT

I have a new Inreach Mini 3 Plus. I have a Pixel 10 XL. I can connect my phone in my phone's bluetooth menu. On my Mini 3+ it says the phone is connected. But in the Messenger app it says "Not Paired", and the behaviour verifies that (e.g. I can't activate or reactivate (after resetting) my Mini 3+ through the Messenger app except by satellite signal on the Mini 3+ itself).

Multiple times I have tried to start from a clean slate:
- factory reset the Mini 3+

- remove the Mini 3+ from my phone's bluetooth connections

- remove my phone number from my Messenger account

- clear data and cache from Messenger app, force stop and uninstall the app

- reboot both the phone and Mini 3+

And then reinstalled both the Messenger app and start the Inreach from fresh.

Interestingly when I reinstall each time the Messenger app already knows about the Mini 3+, even though I clear the cache, data and remove my phone number from my Messenger account. Maybe this is because despite (supposedly) my local phone's Messenger storage being cleaned, Garmin's central information about my account has associated the device with my account (e.g. at explore.garmin.com). This means that when I set up Messenger from the supposed fresh state I don't have opportunity to add a new device - it thinks it's interacting with the device that was already in a failed-paired state.

I can't add a "new" device and try to re-add the Mini 3+ while it already exists in the Messenger interface. I tried that multiple times, initiated from both the app and the Mini 3+ from clean state.

I've used Garmin Express to ensure the Mini 3+ software is up to date. I can connect my device through Garmin Explore. It's just Messenger that refuses to pair with my device. This effectively renders Messenger useless with my Mini 3+, which is one of the major selling points of the device.

So far I've wasted at least 3 hours trying to get the pairing to work. It's very frustrating.

Better maps

geoffmurray — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 19:49:26 GMT

Has anyone tried to load a map image (Garmin .img)into the Inreach Mini 3 Plus Garmin folder in Explorer. The internal folders of the Mini 3 look much the same as other Garmin GPSs and it would be great to have better maps. (And yes I am aware it's a satellite communicator, not a navigating device as such :) )

BUG burning through battery.

2572376 — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 09:50:36 GMT

purchase new mini 3 plus yesterday, charge to 100%, update firmware, all ok.
place it in a location with clear view of the sky and it burns through the battery in 48 hours and it keeps saying "trouble sending"

The bug is that without an active subscription it should not be trying to send or receive anything and as its doing this continually its depleting the battery at 50% a day.
Once you get a subscription, this does not happen. !!!

This is a logic bug, it should NOT be trying to contact satellites when there isnt an active subscription, why would you ?.

The IR mini 2, does not suffer from this bug, it works as expected and has around 14 days battery life without an active subscription.

Garmin, please fix this, the device is meant to work properly without an active subscription.

display location coordindates on main screen

2572376 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:53:18 GMT

Hi,

Just got my in reach mini 3 plus.
Am I missing something because I cant find any way to display my location coordinates as primary data on the main screen. ??.

this is one of the most important features for me as I cross check my OS grid references with my map.

Is there a way to do this seemingly trivial thing

thanks

Onscreen keyboard in QWERTY-mode gets misaligned when switching to inputing symbols

2196454 — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:22:44 GMT

When I select the QWERTY-mode on my Mini 3 Plus to input massages, I noticed a strange bug.

Changing from inputting letters to inputing symbols and back again shinks the top two rows of keyboard considerably. This seems to be cumulative. The more often I switch from letters to symbols and back again, the smaller the top two rows of the keyboard get.

Strangly this does not happen with every "keyboad language". It does not occure with using english or frensh for example. But it happens with german (my selected keyboard language) and most other aviable keyboard languages. Some other languages do show the button to swtich to symbols, but it does nothing.

This is the firmware info of my unit:
Firmware: 5.03 (48P)
Mulit-GNSS: 9.01
CPE: current
Touchscreen: 1.02
BLE/ANT: 1.03
Primary Iridium-Version: 1.4.5
Fallback Iridium-Version: 1.4.5

The only way to reset the layout to normal proportions is to change to "Grid-mode" and back to "QWERTZ-mode".

Normal layout:

Switched to symbols:

Back to letters (keyboard already getting smaller):

Switched to symbols and back a few more times (keyboard unuseable):

"Quick Texts" only accessible via touchscreen.

9925647 — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:07:12 GMT

Hi,

I use the InReach Mini 3+ as a backup comms device on RHIBs (small fast boats) for when we are out of VHF reach of the mothership.
We are operational in cold waters in high latitudes (Antarctica, Patagonia, North Atlantic), so need to wear thick gloves (and still have cold fingers).
No chance of typing messages on a tiny screen with stiff frozen fingers and waves breaking over the bow.
For this reason we wanted to use the Quick Texts feature for most common comms cases.
But unfortunately: You can not access this feature by using just the buttons. You need to take the gloves of, and use the touchscreen. And this only for one single click: at the point where you have the message composing screen open, it is not possible to select "Quick Texts" with the buttons, but only by clicking on the screen. Before and after this, everything works fine without the need of using the touchscreen.

As I imagine this feature has many use cases like ours, people having limited time, operating in cold and/or wet climates, or with gloves on (eg. climbers, anyone involved in water or snow sports), it would make a lot of sense to me, to reprogram it to be accessible through use of the buttons only. Iliminate this single one touchscreen click from the workflow,

I hope this can be enabled in a future update, to make operations more safe for InReach Mini users wearing gloves.

Thanks and fair winds!
Cat

Can we get release notes for Firmware 5.03?

grr — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 23:01:29 GMT

I think I just accidentally updated to some new firmware, I was expecting to get 4.03 and it seems that I'm at 5.03. Are there release notes on what changed?

Thanks

Does Mini 3 / Plus support Chinese input?

RavenS — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:27:05 GMT

I've updated my Mini 3 Plus to the latest firmware (4.x). The device support Traditional Chinese system language, but input keyboard language does not show any Chinese input options.

However I found there's Chinese Pinyin keyboard and Chinese Zhuyin keyboard in Mini 3 Plus's internal storage (as show). I've restarted the device multiple times, and system settings still does not show Chinese keyboard options. Any help? Thanks a lot.

Garmin Messenger does not always show the same battery percentage as shown on device

JasonPursell — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:29:21 GMT

[UPDATE 1/11/26]: I've figured out what is happening and have updated the steps to reproduce below. This is a cosmetic/temporary bug only, but should probably be fixed because it could be encountered after charging the battery]

Note that this is probably an issue with the Garmin Messenger app itself, but it's related to the InReach Mini 3 plus, so I'm posting here.

I also posted in the Garmin Messenger for iOS forum:
https://forums.garmin.com/apps-software/mobile-apps-web/f/garmin-messenger-ios/429055/garmin-messenger-does-not-always-show-the-same-battery-percentage-as-shown-on-inreach-mini-3-device

Issue: The battery percentage shown in Garmin Messenger device status page is not always consistent with what is shown on the InReach Mini 3 device itself if the app is opened after the device's battery was recently charged to more than what it was the last time Messenger connected.

Environment:

InReach Mini 3 Plus
iPhone (17 pro, iOS 26.2)
Garmin Messenger app 2.6 (1423752)

Prerequisites: The InReach is registered and paired with the Garmin Messenger app.

Step to Reproduce:

Close the Garmin Messenger app. It should not be open or connected to the InReach for the next step. Important step
Let the InReach Mini 3 discharge to a lower battery level. I chose 90%.
Now open Garmin Messenger app let it connect to the InReach. View the battery level on the status page. It should match the level of the InReach (e.g. 90%).
Close the Garmin Messenger app so that is no longer connected to the InReach. Leave it closed for the next step. Important step
Plug in and recharge the InReach battery to 100%.
Once the InReach is fully charged unplug and start it if it's not already. Wait for it to boot up fully.
Now open the Garmin Messenger app on the phone and view the InReach status page.

Observed: The battery percentage is lower in the Messenger app than it is on the InReach device. In my case the Messenger app read 94% while the InReach read 100%.

Expected: Battery level in the Messenger app is the same as on the InReach device.

Workaround/Mitigation:

Simply waiting for the InReach battery to naturally drain one percentage point on the device causes the app to "resync" and display the correct value again. In the example I used for the steps to reproduce both Messenger and the InReach would now show 99%.

NOTE: You can speed up this workaround in a couple of ways. 1. by setting your phone to airplane mode with no wifi and checking for new messages on the InReach while inside a building (to force faster battery drain). Or 2. you can close the Messenger app so that the InReach will be forced to use sattelite. After the InReach reaches 99%, reopen the app and it will show 99% too.

This is really just a cosmetic issue only. It is some kind of initialization/optimization bug where the messenger app is not setting the battery level to the new value after the InReach has been recharged while the app was closed. One interesting thing is that the Messenger app chose to display 94%, not 90% that it showed in step 3 of the Steps to Reproduce. Maybe that's a clue as to what or where the bug is?

These two images show the results after Steps to Reproduce:

These two images are after the "workaround" where InReach device's battery drained from 100% to 99%. Now Messenger shows correct value. I actually watched Messenger update in real time:

Garmin Express on MacOS - Update failures expected?

JasonPursell — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 23:00:16 GMT

Hi,

Trying to update my Mini 3 Plus, but encountering a failure. It's basically the same as the issue in this thread, but that was locked.

Why is my inReach Mini 3 Plus getting an error when trying to update via both Messenger and Garmin Express?

The issue is not totally resolved. Like in the thread above, there were initially two updates. One for blocked keywords and another one called etyl (not sure of the spelling).

These would not install from within Garmin Express on my MacBook macOS 26.2.

They did install by using Garmin Messenger on iPhone.

However, there is now an update for Time Zone Map (41.00) that will not install from Express or Messenger.

The thread was locked with the offered solution: Error Received When Installing Device Software on a Mac

However, it doesn't seem to apply, since the Mini 3 Plus never shows up as removable device in Finder even though Garmin Express does see it attached and presumably does some kind of syncing. Is this expected? There is a NOTE in the troubleshooting steps about devices that support MTP, but the InReach is not in the list of devices.

1. Is Garmin Express on MacOS not fully supported? In other words, do we really need Windows machine?

2. Why isn't the Time Zone Map 41.00 update installing from Express or Messenger

Why is my inReach Mini 3 Plus getting an error when trying to update via both Messenger and Garmin Express?

TheHardWay — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 13:58:40 GMT

Trying to update my inReach Mini 3 Plus. The device connects to my phone no problem via the Messenger App, but when I go to update, I get a message saying "Failed to transfer software update to inReach Mini 3 Plus. Try again." Well I've tried several time and it continues to happen.

After a web search, I found that it is suggested to try the update via Garmin Express and a computer. I tried that option as well. Mini 3 Plus connects to Garmin Express no problem and recognizes there are a two updates available. However, when I select to do the "update all", I get an error.

Out of curiosity, I tried to do the updates individually. One update, I believe, was some sort of language update, Portuguese something or other I think? I selected that individual update in Garmin Express and it did so successfully. The other update is for a Time Zone Map, Version 41.00. If I try to do this update, I continue to get the error message. How do I fix this?

Billing Cycle Days Not Syncing

schneeleopard — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 13:26:02 GMT

I’ve just noticed that the number of days remaining in my current billing cycle isn’t synchronised between my inReach Mini 3+ and what I see in my Garmin account. I’ve refreshed it several times, but it hasn’t made any difference. Are you experiencing the same issue?

Dcr M3+ review

Volker — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 07:00:37 GMT

www.dcrainmaker.com/.../garmin-inreach-mini-3-3-plus-in-depth-review-upgrade.html

Transmit power table of different iR devices

Volker — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 09:38:15 GMT

I found this interesting table at a short first impressions report about the M3+ on the hikingguy homepage:

hikingguy.com/.../

Device	Transmit Power (Watts)
inReach Mini	1.48 W
inReach Mini 2	1.51 W
inReach Mini 3	2.63 W
inReach Mini 3 Plus	4.68 W
inReach Messenger Plus	9.33 W
GPSMAP H1 Plus	1.99 W

So no doubts regarding this table, the Messenger + has the best transmitting power, but M3+ seems even to be better as H1+. Based on these values and in reality, the Messenger Plus is way superior to all other iR devices and is the absolute reference (antenna/ transmit power), this are my personal experiences, too. The Messenger Plus is the benchmark, but are the 9.3 watts really accurate? Has anybody found a source for the above mention “transmit power” of Messenger + and M3+ except hikingguy? I haven’t found.

Picture send directly to email or SMS

1710479 — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 01:08:26 GMT

The requirement that recipients have the Garmin app installed is ridiculous.

This is a huge limiting factor what otherwise seems like a great feature. The people I want to be able to send to are multiple family members or friends who are not technical.

Now forcing them to install ANOTHER app just to receive messages from me is a huge pain in the rear.

So far having buyers remorse with something I just unboxed and paid extra for which now seems like a feature I will never be able to effectively use without INCONVENIENCING the recipients.

This needs to be addressed.

Mini 3 or Mini 3 +: which one should I choose? Or perhaps a Mini 2?

Volker — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:14:12 GMT

What does the Mini 3 (non +) have that the Mini 2 doesn’t?

Larger screen,
touchscreen (can be disabled, also operable via buttons only),
color display,
base map,
text input via touch possible,
various keyboards for text input,
satellite setting for “all + multiband”,
Garmin Share
IPX 67

What does the Mini 3+ have that the Mini 3 doesn’t?

send (via mess app)/receive photos/forward received pics via M3+
voice messages
voice notes
siren
text messages up to 1600 characters (Mini 3 (and Mini 2) only up to 160)
more free memory

As an aside: 3 out of 4 consumer plans already include a number of photos/voice messages (10/25/50 per month), which you can’t use on a Mini 3 non plus (or a Mini 2).

Of course the current Mini 2 sale price ($/€ 249) is a really good offer. But for a more up to date device, I would go for a Mini 3+, especially because the price difference M3+ ($/€ 499) : M3 ($/€ 449) is only 50$/€ (side note: the M3+ comes within carabiner loop ($/€ 15), which even makes the difference less).

I have chosen the M3+, but that’s only my opinion. I have upgraded my Mini 2 and for me it is really a big step forward (but the Mini 2 is still a good device!). Perhaps this post helps someone. But people may see it different. This is only intended to be a possible aid in the decision-making process.

I haven’t mentioned Messenger/Messenger+ because the display is too small (my opinion) and for a comfortable use you will need the Messenger app/phone (also my opinion). Mini 2 and M3/M3+ are more useful for standalone use, M3+ even more than the Mini 2.

M3+ + bike mount + loop carabiner + spine mount adapter

Volker — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:08:48 GMT

I bought the new, necessary bike mount (€ 17,99 including shipping costs), and the new spine mount adapter (€ 22,99 including shipping costs). I don't know if I'll use the M3+ mounted on my handlebars very often, but I was curious to see what it looks like. The spine adapter attaches to the M3+ with a screw, and you can then attach the loop carabiner to it if needed. The spine mount adapter itself weighs 12 grams, and the loop carabiner weighs 14,5 grams, the M3+ weights 126 gramms, so the total weight of the three components is 152,5 grams. I think I'm too lazy to unscrew the adapter and it will stay permanently at the device.Here are a few pictures:

A nice little detail on the bike mount: when you slide the device onto the bike mount, the movable part marked 1 locks and secures the device. To remove it, you have to press the lever (marked 2).