Turn by turn directions to an address

Use can use the "Navigate" activity and scroll down to "Use Map".  Tap on where you want it to take you.  Otherwise use the Garmin Express app to either add a waypoint or make a course. 

I recommend you use this ConnectIQ app: https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/56f97bdb-0faf-43d8-9b0f-98081ec9a648

Shaner41 said:

Garmin Express app

I think you mean the Garmin Explore App

Yes, thanks! The Explore App.  Good catch.  And the above-mentioned IQ App works well too.

It's been a while since I've used Explore to search a location.  I looked today and was pleasantly surprised with the capability that has been added.

Unfortunately, Explore needs a background connection, which – in addition to Connect – will drain your battery even more than it already is. And it's not optional. Hence, Explore went off the phone quickly after trying it out.

I really don't understand what the problem here is. The edge devices (or at least those with 32GB storage) can do it, why not the (much more expensive) Fenix?

And at least the top models of the series (including mine) do have 32GB storage as well, so they should be able to store the additional data? And if that's not possible, at least let us send simple coordinates to the watch via Connect. That would be totally sufficient. Like you can share a location from osmand, google maps etc. with another app like whatsapp, threema. Why not share that location with connect and it gets automatically synced with your Fenix? IMO, that's a must-have feature for such a device, without(!) any additional app.

By now, I have tried all options, sendpoints (won't work, although I'm in my configured home wifi), IQMapReceiver (won't work either, spent almost 3h now trying to get it configured) and Explore (see above). Come on Garmin, it can't be that hard!

BS said:

Unfortunately, Explore needs a background connection,

This is not quite right.

For an address search explore needs an internet connection.

Once you have started the navigation via the Explore app and the navigation is running on the watch, you can close the explore app.

Then the navigation runs completely automatically on the watch. So there is NO extra power consumption here.
Explore only needs an internet connection for an address search via the search mask. All other functions require neither internet nor mobile network.

If you install the Explore app, there will be a notification that it'll run in the background (just like Connect). If it does that it'll consume CPU time and power. You can decide to hide that notification in the android settings, but it'll still be there. But yeah, background connection wasn't correct, the word "connection" somehow slipped in there where it shouldn't have. Sorry for that.

Anyway, the point is that this *really* should not be necessary at all. Explore is a nice app if you want to use that to plan your routes with it, but just to share a location or address with your watch, it should not be necessary. Connect should be able to handle that. As I said: if the Fenix isn't capable of performing address search on its own for whatever reason, they should at least make Connect accept and forward location info that you can share from other apps. Like it is the case with whatsapp, threema and many more. It's a standard procedure, really.

Connect requires an Internet connection. Explore does not. You can send any location to the watch with Explore. Without internet. I find explore extremely helpful. I send waypoints etc to the watch, and close explore afterwards. It is absolutely easy and there is no extra battery consumption.

BS said:

just to share a location or address with your watch, it should not be necessary. Connect should be able to handle that.

No, connect is the training evaluation portal. Connect does not have OFFLINE maps. The maps in Explore are physically located on the phone. This is a huge advantage.