MapShare without InReach?

You need an account at Explore.Garmin.com. I don’t think you can create one without an iR device. 

This article outlines how to setup MapShare for a Garmin Instinct watch and should apply to other non-inReach devices that are compatible with Garmin Explore. Setting Up MapShare for Instinct

Hi, I too noticed the text within the Garmin Explore app (iOS) that suggested non-InReach devices would work so long as connected via the Garmin Explore app and the app having a data connection.

The link you provided details how to setup an Explore account and how to turn on the MapShare, however it doesn't give any indication as to how to actually use it (either with a non-InReach device or otherwise!).

For starters, to set expectations: can non-InReach devices transmit their current position on MapShare in the same way as InReach devices (albeit with the data sync going via the Explore app on the connected phone rather than satellite)? If so, how? How do I tell Garmin Explore / MapShare which of my compatible Garmin devices is the one I want to use for my position? And how do I start this position transmitting?

Secondly, assuming the above is possible, presumably this is also true for compatible InReach devices (eg. GPSMAP 66i) without a live InReach subscription?

Or are we misinterpreting poorly worded text and the only thing that is possible is to display recorded and synced tracks (and waypoints etc), not a current position?

FYI. something must be possible - I currently have a "me" on my MapShare map from a week ago at a location around half an hour away from where I am now, presumably from when I first started playing around with Garmin Explorer app and web site, then using my fenix 5 Plus that's compatible but obviously no InReach. I've since connected a GPSMAP 66i to my account but without a live InReach subscription yet.

It is set up in the Explore app. Go the Devices tab, click on the device you want to setup (aka Fenix 5 plus), and then enable Sync Current Activity. In the Account tab, click on App Settings and enable Background Behavior.

Thanks for the reply. So having checked, the "Sync Current Activity" option is on (and I've toggled it off/on again), and I can see this updating the map within the app (my location, green line showing my current track). What does not seem to be happening however is this making difference to the MapShare website - here I still have an icon representing me stationary some distance away from my location.

It's certainly a very in-cohesive ecosystem - hopefully Garmin can start to pull things together more!

Maybe it's my misunderstanding of what should be happening, I've just done a test:

I have a default collection set for my fenix 5 plus ("Watch") and I have both this one and the default "Sent to MapShare" collection enabled/visible for MapShare. Looking at these collections, "Sent to MapShare" is empty and "Watch" contains a handful of tracks previously saved on my watch.

With the Explore app open on my phone I started recording an activity on the fenix and went for a walk around my local area. On the app I can see it recognising the activity as having started (on the devices tab it changes from "Connected" to "Walking") and on the map tab I can see my in-progress track being drawn in green. I also marked a couple of waypoints from the watch - these appeared on the map and listed on the library tab under the "Watch" collection. All as expected so far.

I see on the account tab it shows when the Explore app last synced to the cloud - this does seem to happen periodically and you can manually initiated a sync, either way I can tell this sync has happened by looking at the timestamp. I also forced the sync a few times for good measure.

Looking at my MapShare web page from the computer I can see the watch collection now has the additional couple of waypoints and shown on the map. But what I don't see, on the map or anywhere else, is either my current position and/or my in-progress track. Should I expect to see this? Or is it only once I've finalised my activity and saved it will it then appear as a completed track, the same as my other saved tracks?

I don't know the answer to your last question. Logically, I would expect that anything that shows on the map in the app would show on the web site after you sync the app to the web. But logic doesn't necessarily enter into it.

One thing you might try is forcing a refresh when you are looking at the web site. Might be that it's actually on the Garmin servers but the visible map just has not been refreshed.

Hi, I do expect it to show the position during an activity. I'm pretty sure last Fall I had it working and checked the share page during an activity to see myself. I did write down for myself the settings, see below. I just tried it right now and I don't even get as far as you - my Explore App is failing to sync the account, I can reboot my phone but not explore site! Anyhow, it seems have done these steps but I share anyhow as the settings I recorded that worked at one time. In the meantime it does seem that based on the instructions above from Garmin that they do explicitly support enabling MapShare without inreach. Note that LiveTrack from the Garmin Connect app works great for live tracking when you know the recipients in advance, rathern than just public sharing which is allowed in MapShare.

Using MapShare to for Tracking with Watch without InReach 

Your Explore-compatible watch can be used with MapShare even without an InReach as long as you are in cell service area. What I don’t know is if you don’t have an InReach if Mapshare is available. 

Watch 

Bluetooth enabled and paired to phone 

Phone 

Bluetooth on and paired to watch. Phone location services do not need to be on for the tracking, but if you want a marker on the map in Explore app then you will need location services on.  

Explore app 

Devices tab, select your watch. In the Sync Settings > Primary collection choose which collection you want the activity to go to and remember it. Enable the slider for Sync Current Activity. Make sure phone-watch connection works by syncing from the ‘refresh’ icon at the top. 

Account tab, Sync account to web. 

Explore web 

Go to your account on http://explore.garmin.com. 

Social tab, MapShare ON. 

Click on the Filter MapShare Data button. Make sure the Date after data is what you want to share. In the list of Collections, make sure at least the Primary collection from Explore app is selected. There is a warning that active devices are actively receiving data and your watch should be listed. Enable this since it’s what you want.  

Disabling 

To turn off tracking to MapShare, interrupt the data flow such as disabling the collection being shared. 

9/1/2020 

With all that said with above settings to do MapShare w/o InReach, I can't get it to work any more. By that, I mean I can't get my live tracking from Fenix 5 to Explore app to my Mapshare page to show my live position. There are some newer settings in the Explore app, so I enabled an App Permission for "Files & Media" > on, since the explanation text under it reads "Some app features may not function without this permission". I was having trouble with account syncing but that cleared up once I signed out on the app and then signed back in. There was trouble with device syncing but restarting the phone got that going again. I also tried manually activating the device and account syncs from the app, which complete successfully now. While testing, I found that looking at the mapshare page on a phone doesn't show ANY tracks, just waypoints but if I switch it to with the Mapshare page option (under the big 'i') for View Desktop Version then I can see also the tracks - but still not the current track. In addtiton to the settings above, I've also had open the Garmin Connect app in case that was needed.  My conclusion is that something at Garmin needs to be rebooted, or that they broke this feature in one of the versions since last Fall. Mapshare w/o InReach is supposed to work as long as Garmin Explore Mobile app has a data connection" (their words, in the in app under Account>MapShare).