Newbie questions: Best way to transfer pois+tracks? Do Garmin Connect + Explore interfere?

As a long time Pebble Steel user I finally found a worthy replacement: the Instinct

But I'm a little confused regarding required apps on Android 10.

Garmin Explore seems to be dedicated to track and waypoint management but it also seems to be able to sync everything else. Do Connect and Explore keep their own database or do they sync into the storage location?

When I got my watch, I installed both apps and somehow the sync state got messed up - it did not sync HR and sleep properly. Following the great guide here I got it working again: https://forums.garmin.com/apps-software/mobile-apps-web/f/garmin-connect-mobile-andriod/220202/sync-connection-troubleshooting-guide

But Explore is uninstalled now and what confuses me is that Explore seems to be able to sync everything else because it is requesting all the permissions (contacts, calendar, etc.).

Are these apps really meant to run in parallel?

I need a reliable solution to sync all that fitness stuff (sleep, activities, etc.) and I need a quick, convenient way to transfer tracks and pois back and forth between my phone and the watch. What would you suggest here?

Connect has mediocre poi/track management. I didn't even notice until I discovered that Training Course is actually referring to tracks instead of training lessons :D

And Explore.... track creation is crap. With Locus I can use (offline!) routing data so the created track will follow smoothly the trails between waypoints.

But the worst thing about Connect and Explore is: I can't import locations or tracks from my favorite Locus app - it's not shown in share menu and when I save GPX files to storage and open these, neither Connect nor Explore are able to import them ("unsupported format error").

I know that there is a Locus Widget for ConnectIQ but I preferred the shiny display of the Instinct over the Fenix, Vivoxxx & friends.

0 trux over 4 years ago

Explore keeps records on the phone, Connect stores it on Garmin's servers. If Connect does not sync all data to the server, then it means you inadvertently associated the watch with multiple accounts. Follow the instructions from the support document Data is Missing from My Garmin Account After Syncing to resolve the issue.

Explore is a bit outdated app. For creating courses comfortably, you may also use external tools capable to export the files in GPX or FIT file format. The FIT fie format is definitely preferable - you can place it directly on the watch (without improting through Connect or Explore), and it works better for the turn by turn navigation. For example plotaroute.com offers FIT format exports.

0 Andi over 4 years ago in reply to trux

Ok, thank's for clarifying that! I also learned that sleep tracking will only work if I allow upload of all data to the servers - something I had disabled in the first place and I guess that was the reason for missing sleep data. I hate that. Been using MiBand+SleepAsAndroid for years which worked perfectly offline. But I guess that's Garmin's way of protecting their fancy sleep tracking intellectual property....

By "place it directly on the watch" you mean transfer via USB I guess.... but I'd prefer a smartphone app here with bluetooth transfer...

0 trux over 4 years ago in reply to Andi

Andi said:
But I guess that's Garmin's way of protecting their fancy sleep tracking intellectual property....

It has little to do with the intelectual property protection (it is not less protected online than offline). It is rather the way, their system is designed. The data is processed centrally on the server. Only some selected newest models like for example the Fenix 6, have the sleep analysis built-in directly on the watch. So if you need an offline sleep analysis, then you have selected the wrong watch.

BTW, by disabling the upload to the server, you disable also plenty of other features, that are otherwise available in Garmin Connect.

Andi said:
but I'd prefer a smartphone app here with bluetooth transfer...

You can still import the GPX or FIT files with the Garmin Connect Mobiile or Garmin Explore apps. I have no idea what is wrong with the files from Locus, but you can try another app. The previously mentioned service from plotaroute.com works on a phone, and they have apps too. And there are countless of other similar services, so you will find one that is compatible with Garmin and convenient enough for you to use.

0 Andi over 4 years ago in reply to trux

trux said:
it is not less protected online than offline

They could do all processing right on the Smartphone. Offline. But this would expose their algorithms because - at least on Android - it is pretty easy to de-compile apps - opposed to the cloud / Garmin's servers, where only authorized people have access to the code.

But you're right - it may just be a design decision to have all processing in the cloud. As a plus, this also gives them access to all the valuable data which can be monetized further.

GPX is a simple XML format which has existed for decades now. Not being able to reliably parse that would be pretty embarrassing for a company like Garmin. Locus is able to export GPX v1.0 and v1.1 format - none of them are working with Garmin apps.

Fun fact: if i export from Garmin Explore to GPX file, it seems to be GPX v1.1. When I then try to re-open that file with Garmin Explore or Connect, it also fails with the very same error "Unrecognized. Update required?"

So maybe this is not related to the contents of the GPX file at all, but more of an error specific to Android OS and app interaction...