Select your product to confirm this information applies to you
Frequently Asked Questions About the Garmin Explore App
The Garmin Explore™ app is a robust mobile application designed to add to your outdoor experience. Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions about the Garmin Explore app. Additional information about the application can also be found in the related articles at the bottom of the page.
Overview
The Garmin Explore app can be used by itself or as a companion app for compatible Garmin GPS-enabled devices and outdoor adventurers. For more information on that, see - Garmin Explore App Overview.
Setup and Limits
How Do I Begin Using the Garmin Explore App?
Certain features like navigation or recording a track of where you have been require a compatible Garmin device. It is not required to have a compatible Garmin device to log in to the mobile app, download maps to the app, create waypoints or courses, or sync data between the website and app. For a list of compatible devices, see - Devices Compatible With the Garmin Explore App.
Download and install the Garmin Explore app from Google Play or the App Store. Once installed, sign in with your Garmin account, or create a Garmin account if you do not already have one.
You can then pair a compatible device. For more details, see Pairing below.
How Many Phones or Devices Can I Use the Garmin Explore App On?
Multiple phones or tablets can be used to access and view your data. The Garmin accounts just need to match.
Example: You can use the large screen of a tablet to plan a trip and view larger maps, sync that data to the web, sync to your phone, and be off on the trail with the more compact, lightweight phone that is syncing data to a watch and/or handheld device.
Garmin devices are limited to pairing and connecting with one mobile device at a time, so be sure you are paired and synced with the mobile device you will have with you prior to hitting the trail so you have all the data you need.
How Many Waypoints, Courses, Routes, and Tracklogs Can the Garmin Explore App Store and Display?
There is no limit for the number of waypoints, courses, routes, or tracklogs the Garmin Explore app can store or display.
Pairing
For pairing instructions, refer to the FAQ that applies to the device you have:
Mapping and Downloads
What Is the Difference Between Digital Atlas of the Earth, Topo North America, and TopoActive?
The Digital Atlas of the Earth (DAE) is a medium-detailed, complete, seamless, global dataset, and includes all of the world's continents and countries. It provides a consistent level of detail and reliable horizontal accuracy for features worldwide. The DAE includes major transportation layers, inland and shoreline hydrography, agreed and disputed jurisdiction boundaries, place names, and major topographic features including contours with elevation, and land-use or land-cover detail. This data is topographical, routable, and GPS navigable. DAE medium-detailed data is also available for the United States, Canada, and Mexico, if available memory is limited. Scale detail is equivalent to data seen on a 1:125,000 map.
Topo North America is a high detail topographic dataset with these features: contours with elevation; geographic locations, place names, landmarks, including public lands, such as state and national parks, forests, wildernesses and wildlife management areas; points of interest; hydrographic features; and land-use or land-cover detail. Map detail is consistent and coverage in rural areas is unparalleled. Coverage is available in the US and Canada. Scale detail is equivalent to 1:24,000 data, what would be seen on a USGS Topo Quad.
TopoActive is a Garmin OpenStreetMap product. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a community-developed mapping dataset, developed and added to by community mappers with local knowledge from around the world. In many rural areas of the world, OSM has medium to low-detailed data. Coverage of features may vary and includes geographic locations, place names, landmarks, points of interest, hydrographic features, and land-use/land-cover. OSM also includes an open data source elevation dataset. Because the OpenStreetMap data is Volunteered Geographic Information, scale detail is not consistent and can vary from 1:24,000 or better in major urban areas to 1:1,000,000 in more rural areas.
What Is Outdoor Maps+?
- With the purchase of an Outdoor Maps+ annual subscription, you gain access to a wide variety of premium global mapping content that gets updated regularly. The yearly renewal allows for the continued use of any of the downloaded maps. One subscription can be activated and downloaded directly in the Garmin Explore app as well as to any of your registered compatible Garmin devices via Wi-Fi. For more details, see - Outdoor Maps Plus Premium Mapping Types.
How Many Maps Can I Download?
There is no limit set by the application to the number of maps that can be downloaded. However, maps do take up space in your phone's memory. The only limit is the amount of free space your phone has available. If you do not have enough memory to download mapping on your phone, try clearing some space on your phone.
Saved Data & Collections
What Is the Saved Section?
The
Saved section of the Garmin Explore app contains waypoints and courses that have been created in the app as well as recorded GPS data from a connected Garmin device. This data is automatically synchronized between Garmin Explore app and Garmin Explore website. If you add, update, or delete an item in the app, it will automatically be added, updated, or deleted on the website, and any relevant collections and devices.
What Are Collections?
Collections are groups of data that you create. Saved items can be added to more than one collection.
NOTE: Large collections that may not sync to your device are marked with
. Large collections usually contain over 100 waypoints, 20 courses or routes, 5 tracks, or a track with over 10,000 points.
Collections can be used to:
Organize saved data
Control what displays on the map:
Touch the Map Layer icon on the map then Collections and toggle which collections you would like to view on the map page
Control sync using collections for each device:
For new users, the default setting will be to sync everything when you pair a new device. On the devices tab, you can set a primary collection (new data from your device syncs to your primary collection). You can also select specific collections to control what data gets synced to your device. When you update a collection, the data will automatically be updated on any device that collection is synced with.
What Data Can Be Saved and Also Organized Into Collections?
Waypoints (called Locations on some Garmin devices)
Tracks (called Courses on some Garmin devices)
Routes (also called Courses on some Garmin devices)
Activities
Syncing Data
How Does Sync Work With Garmin Explore?
Device sync: A Bluetooth connection is used to automatically sync data between your Garmin device(s) and the Garmin Explore app.
Web sync: Garmin Explore uses an Internet connection to automatically sync data between the Garmin Explore app and the Garmin Explore website. You can see the time of the last successful sync for each in the app. You can also manually start a web or device sync by selecting
.
What Information Gets Synced Between the Garmin Explore App and My Garmin Device(s)?
Waypoints, tracks, courses, routes, and activities from your Garmin devices are synced to the Garmin Explore app. Waypoints, tracks, courses, and routes are synced from the app to your Garmin device (but not activities).
inReach Contacts created in either the Garmin Explore app or on the Garmin Explore website sync to a compatible inReach handheld with an active subscription. Contacts created on the device sync to the Garmin Explore app.
System Contacts from the contact list on the smartphone can sync to a device after they have been created as a Contact in the Garmin Explore app.
What Information Gets Synced Between the Garmin Explore App and the Garmin Explore Website?
Saved data in Garmin Explore is synced between the Garmin Explore app and the Garmin Explore website automatically when the smartphone is connected to the Internet. This includes waypoints, tracks, courses, routes, and activities.
inReach Contacts created on the Garmin Explore website are synced to the Garmin Explore app when a web sync is performed. Contacts created in the Garmin Explore app are synced to the Garmin Explore website.
What Happens if I Edit Something in the Garmin Explore App at the Same Time I Edit It on the Garmin Explore Website, or on My Garmin Device?
If a saved item is edited in multiple places, whichever changes were made last will be reflected after the sync has completed.
Power Usage
How Much of an Impact Will the Garmin Explore App Have on the Battery Life of My Phone?
The Garmin Explore app uses location services of your phone. Impact to the battery life of your phone should be the same as any other application that uses location services.
Location
How Does the Garmin Explore App Determine Location?
The Garmin Explore app uses your mobile device's location services (GPS, cellular triangulation, etc.) for providing location in the app. The app can also receive location information from the paired watch, handheld, or inReach device when the Prefer Device Location setting is enabled. For more information, see - Using Current Activity on the Garmin Explore App.