This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Navigating to a destination feature

How can the “navigating to a destination” not be a feature in a $299 awesome device? Why can’t Garmin add that feature on the Garmin Connect app? So we can type the address on phone app then we can send the route to the device like you CAN with courses created manually? Is there a work around? I’m testing several bike computers before deciding which I’ll keep and the cheap ones have that feature available. Isn’t it a basic GPS feature? We already can send routes to the device after creating a course... how come we cannot choose a destination to go to from our current location and get that route on the device? This must be key feature that’ll make me make up my mind about the device I’ll keep.

  • The POI image that contains addresses is part of the 830 and not the 530. That and the touch screen are really the 2 differences between the 530 and 830.

  • You can use 3rd party apps like komoot or ridewithgps. There you create the route to a new destination and then import the new route in the Garmin IQ app on the edge device.

  • Is there a possibility to send a route from smartphone to the Edge 530 during an activity? Because Connect IQ doesn't work during an activity...

  • You can try out the GRouteLoader Widget from the Connect IQ Store.

  • As a hack if you know the lat/long location of your destination you can create a saved location. Edit the location to use the lat/long values of the destination and then use the navigation to saved location feature.

  • Very good point, I just purchased this 530 computer and am considering returning it just for that lack of a feature, it kills the navigation to me, which is the selling point of Garmin

  • Entering data like this using buttons is going to be slow and frustrating for most people.

    There are IQ apps that provide this feature.

    https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/6b770e92-2cc6-437e-8de2-0efae208a455

    • You can use sendpoints.us to look up an address/location and get a 4 digit number to enter into the app. The downside is needing access to the internet.
    • You can get the "plus code" and enter that. Plus codes are a short way of expressing coordinates. The downside is not many things provide the longer version of the code (the Guru smartphone app does). Plus codes are something Google is promoting but they only provide the short code.

  • You can also scroll the map to select a specific destination, and the 530 will then navigate to this point.

  • Yes - that works. Provided you have perfect 20/20 eyes (pilot eyes). There'll be a lot of scrolling and zooming with the buttons though. If you're gonna muck around with a screen that small - the 830's touch screen would make it 10x easier. 

    Ideally the 530's mapping/navigation is to load the course from the PC. And ride the course. You don't want to do too much reviewing or checking the course/map in the 530 because it's really a very small screen. 

  • I tried it yesterday, it's a somehow tedious gymnastic to add one location but it's working, thanks for the pointer (and the developer of the widget).

    As others pointed out, getting the Garmin connect to have the ability to send a location directly via bluetooth would be so much easier, all connections are made it's just a question of connecting APIs / leveraging the bluetooth. I really was expecting this to be available and didn't think of verifying when I got the unit.