Garmin Speak and Garmin Speak Plus Unable to Acquire Satellites

If your Garmin Speak or Garmin Speak Plus is no longer acquiring satellites or is otherwise having trouble locating your position, see below for troubleshooting steps.

As GPS-enabled devices are used, data is gathered which helps them acquire satellites quickly at the start of each use. If the device is used daily, it should be able to acquire satellites within a minute or less.

If the Garmin Speak or Garmin Speak Plus is encountering difficulty determining your location, first ensure that the problem is not being caused by something in the device's environment. The device should be used in the vehicle with a clear view of the sky.

There can be several different environmental factors that may cause a GPS device to be unable to acquire satellites:

• If the device is trying to acquire satellites for the first time, it may take longer than normal to establish an initial position.  If the device is powered on and outdoors with a clear view of the sky, this should not take longer than 5 minutes.

• If the device does not have full view of the sky while placed in the car, it may not acquire satellites properly. For best satellite acquisition, mount the device on the windshield.

• If your device has not been used in more than a month, it may take up to 5 minutes to acquire satellites.

• If your device is indoors, it may not acquire satellites. Even standing next to a window indoors will block a majority of the sky, which is needed for a device to locate and lock onto a satellite signal.

• If your device has traveled over 500 miles while turned off or not tracking your travel, it may take up to 5 minutes to acquire satellites even in ideal conditions.

• If your vehicle has a protective coating on its windshield or electronic devices which interfere with the device receiving signal, your device may not be able to acquire satellites in this environment. 

• Some vehicles are equipped with special windshields that may contain metal in the glass (metal oxide) that prevents the device from having a clear line of sight to the satellites. Windshields with solar ray glass, solar tint, heated, or heat-reflective windshields, and insulated or Insta-Clear glass may also affect satellite acquisition. 
  • If you suspect this to be an issue, try taking the device outside of the vehicle with a clear view of the sky for 3-5 minutes so that the device can acquire satellites. If your device loses the satellite signal once moved back into your vehicle, this is most likely the reason.

If your device is still having trouble acquiring satellites, reboot it to search for firmware updates. Once your device is updated, allow the device to acquire satellites outdoors in a stationary position with a clear view of the sky.

If this is ineffective, it may be necessary to perform a master reset, which will clear all saved satellite data. Note that a master reset will also remove the Garmin Speak's pairing with the phone and reset its volume setting. Data saved in the Garmin Drive app will not be erased.

To perform a master reset on the Garmin Speak or Garmin Speak Plus device:

1. Unplug the Garmin Speak device. It should automatically turn off
2. Plug in the device
3. When the Garmin logo becomes visible, hold down the Mute button
4. The Garmin logo will flash and the LED ring will turn a solid magenta. When this happens, release the mute button
5. Hold down the  Action button
6. The LED ring will turn off and the word "loading" will flash. When this happens, let go of the action button
7. Go to Bluetooth settings on the phone and "Forget"/"Remove" device from the Bluetooth connections
8. Open the Garmin Drive App and re-pair the device
• For steps to do so, refer to the owner's manual

The device will now reset.