Tracking Function

No, it does not. However, if you do not enter credentials, the logged points will not sync with the web site OTA.

Offhand, I do not know whether or not logged points appear in the Earthmate app if it is not logged in. There is no logical reason why they should not - but that doesn't mean it works that way.

Hi, I have setup my InReach Mini to log every second and upload every ten minutes.

This sentence isn’t quite right. Your 1-sec setting tells the mini to internally log coordinates once per second. Your 10-minute setting tells the mini to transmit a single coordinate (current location). If it gets behind in transmitting these 10-minute track points it might send multiple of the 10-minute track points in a single message. It never uploads any of the “log” points over the Iridium network.

Yesterday, I did the same, except, I did not enter the credentials into Earthmate for it to Sync. The walk was similar, 30 minutes but at the end of the walk, InReach mini had only sent four points to the inreach web site and had not logged any intermediate points.

So the question is: Does the Garmin InReach need the Earthmate app to log detailed tracks?

Yes and no. If the app is logged in the app can upload the detailed log points over the cellular network, if available and enabled; otherwise it can upload them over WiFi when that becomes available. If you don’t allow the app to upload your log points, the only other way to get them to the inReach web site is to connect a USB cable to the mini and do a wired-sync. If you power-off the mini before you upload the detailed log points you might lose them (not positive about that).

If you power off the mini with unsent "sent points", those are lost. Like Bob, I don't know about unsync-d logged points. However, I doubt that they are lost. Most people would power down after a session but before doing a wired sync. But I really don't know. Also don't know the capacity of the mini before it wraps.

I ran into a similar issue this weekend with my Mini, connected via BT to my iPhone, and ANT to my Fenix 5XP.

This was my first hike since upgrading firmware on the 5XP and I wanted to see if some of the ANT issues I had experienced were resolved between the Mini and the Fenix 5XP.

I started a track via Earthmate(iPhone). I started NAVIGATION activity of a course on the 5XP. I sent a message via my 5XP thru the MINI, and it was received. I later received(about 30 minutes into the hike) a reply to my message.

When I finished the hike, I turned off tracking via the 5XP. I turned off my MINI, and I never received any message that points had not been sent.

Later that evening I opened Earthmate an it showed it was still connected and tracking was enabled. I had to force-close the app. When I opened the app, there were NO track points seen on InReach from the MINI device. On my Mac, I logged into InReach. It showed only a message icon of my sent message. Yet no track points were ever logged to InReach from the MINI.

The next day I turned on my MINI and connected via iPhone. All the internal points were immediately transmitted to InReach via Data.

The MINI is jacked up!!! It is not as remotely as reliable as my InReach Explorer+

Can't account for the lack of sent points. Nor can I account for why the Earthmate app thought it was still connected when the Mini was powered off.

However, the Earthmate app behavior with regard to logged points is consistent with an occasional loss of login credentials in the app itself. Even when not logged into your account, the app can start/stop tracking, send and receive messages, etc. Unless it is logged in, the app cannot sync with the web site OTA. Most of the time, the app remembers your credentials. However, there are cases where the credentials are absent when you start the app. You can either re-enter them OR swipe the app closed and reopen. Most of the time, that causes the credentials to magically reappear. The moral of the story is that you should check for credentials every time you open the app if you expect to use OTA sync.

Also, if tracking is still in progress, you will sometimes notice that after an OTA sync, the web site is missing a few recently logged points. Somewhere in the path, somebody is sending the logged points in "groups" - and sends a group only when a predetermined point count is reached or when you terminate tracking. You don't say how long your hike was, or your logging interval. I doubt that it was short enough that all your logged points were in the partial, unsent group though.

In my experience, the Mini is reliable about warning with regard to unsent points on power down. Doesn't mean it always works, but I have not personally seen a failure.