Earthmate

Occasionally a message actually comes through 8 + hours later. Inconvenient and non-intuitive apps. Loses connection to the iPhone. Can’t give it a zero rating. Will be deactivated as soon as I get home from this hunting trip to Adak Island.

It astonishes me how Garmin has so many apps with overlapping features. Do I use messenger? This app (Earthmate)? Etc. None of these apps feel like they get any amount of dedicated developer resources; they all feel like half-baked, rushed out, clunky MVPs that never should have been submitted to the App Store. As a user, why can I not add or edit contacts with this app? It syncs with the website, but seemingly can only make that data call in one direction? As big of a brand that Garmin is, the way these apps function and are designed is nothing short of disappointing. Sure, they do work, but there’s SO much room for improvement. These apps feel like they ought to be paired with cheap knock-off devices, yet Garmin makes plenty of devices that costs hundreds of dollars, if not more. It’s clear that Garmin is not putting a priority ($$) on the software quality for the devices they make. That’s just sad considering the devices Garmin makes (and their intended use) and simply infuriating as a user.

New plans are too expensive. I’ll be switching when my plan comes due.

When I select my inReach Explorer’s ID to connect, the app just goes back a screen. I have to carry around an old Android device to be able to connect to this.

iPhone 15 pro max 2020 trd off road 4Runner factory head unit Issues: garmin has to be re-paired to app every time after a few weeks of no use. Really annoying and the pairing is brutal. CarPlay will say accessory not supported when running Earthmate and make it so the iPhone cant connect with CarPlay. Phone will disconnect and reconnect over and over again. Tried different cables and a separate iPhone without the Earthmate app and my CarPlay is perfectly fine. If isolated this to the app.

Latest version cannot use any of your PHONE CONTACTS unless the numbering format begins with “+1”. This prefix WAS NOT required prior to this update. If your contacts do not include this prefix, you will need to either ADD “+1” to all your contact numbers or manually type the number when you want to send a text vi inREACH. Some fool at Garmin did not properly test this.

I really want to know how Garmin can charge so much for something that only works half the time if your lucky. What’s the point of putting out an update if you can’t update the device itself. They have so many different apps you have to download just to see where your device falls. So I’m asking garmin WHAT AM I PAYING FOR IF THE THE DEVICE DOESNT DO WHAT ITS SUPPOSED TO?

Garmin Explore is a bit clunky sometimes to view and review tracks or other information you might have synced across platforms, but it does serve some purpose and function. It works well enough to use the message system when paired with an InReach. Would love to see smartwatch integration. For example, I often mount the device to my motorcycle to take advantage of the minimal info on it’s screen and give it a good clear view of the sky. I would like to have the option to send an SOS/message via Phone/InReach by a smartwatch app if it were hard to get closer to the motorcycle in an accident to access either my phone, also mounted to the mounted to the motorcycle, or InReach. There are always task specific apps that excel, but Garmin’s range of apps add function to their devices.

I spent the past hour trying to download maps and still at 0% progress. I tried turning off Wi-Fi, reinstalling the app, trying a different Wi-Fi, etc. nothing worked. Good thing I have GAIA for navigation.

As many others have noted, this once reliable app now constantly says it is disconnected from Bluetooth despite the fact that both my phone and the inreach report a connection. When this happens the app becomes useless. Only fix is to disconnect Bluetooth and then reconnect but that only works sometimes.