# Garmin Explore™ — Explore with a Garmin device > Off-grid navigation, trip planning, and mapping for compatible Garmin devices. (iPhone/iPad app by Garmin.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-explore/id1276675721 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Garmin](https://appshunter.io/developer/411046952) - Category: Navigation - Price: Free - Rating: 4.10/5 from 1,015 App Store ratings · 544 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 18.4 · 449 MB - Languages: American English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French (France) and 26 more - Released: 2018-10-15 - Data updated: 2026-08-29 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-explore/id1276675721/reviews.md ## What is Garmin Explore™? OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license. ## Key features - Off-grid navigation - Trip planning - Offline map downloads - Pair and sync with Garmin device - Activity library - Cloud storage - LiveTrack location sharing ## Chart rankings - #77 in Top Free · Navigation (US App Store) ## What do users think of Garmin Explore™? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 👍 Easy to use - 🚀 Excellent for planning routes and activities - 💡 Great for offline navigation with downloaded maps - 👍 Seamless integration with Garmin devices - 👍 Useful for tracking and sharing adventures **Cons** - 🐛 Sync issues with Garmin devices - 🔍 Lacking detailed map options in some regions - 🔍 Confusing interface and terminology - 🐛 Crashes and performance issues - 🔒 Requires login and internet connection for full functionality **Commonly reported bugs** - Sync failures between app and Garmin devices - Disappearing or corrupted user data - Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions - Unreliable offline map downloads **Most requested features** - Ability to edit waypoint coordinates - More customization options for map layers and displays - Improved route planning and navigation features - Better syncing and data management between app and devices - Support for more Garmin device models ## Recent user reviews (10 of 544) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-explore/id1276675721/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great addition to my outdoor kit *2026-08-24* Had a spot messenger years ago, didn’t really like it much. The Garmin messages and explore apps paired with the inreach mini2 gives me the freedoms to go where I want and keep my family in the loop. Any adventure away from home should have this set up. Thank you Garmin for another amazing product and service. ### 4/5 — Endlich modernisiert ‼️ *2026-08-21* Endlich sind skalierbare 3D Karten integriert. Die App ist zwar immer noch etwas „fummelig“ aber in Verbindung mit meinem Garmin Montana 750i oder der Fenix 8 eine gute Kombi. Das TopoActive Kartenmaterial ist gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber dafür sehr informativ. Danke an die Entwickler für die Pflege der App. ### 4/5 — 使い心地 *2026-08-20* 使いやすいですよ。 ### 2/5 — Poor Concept *2026-08-15* Not sure if “concept” is the right word, but there is a massive issue with the way this app functions. Every single time I use this app in the backcountry without internet, it seems to lack some sort of feature and the app says: “a-ha! Told You so!!! You should have downloaded this (or that) BEFORE your trip!” Whether it logs you out during updates (and then you can’t log in without internet?!), or the maps somehow disappear and you loose your regional package (then you end up using Google Maps)…these are fundamental flaws making this app completely unreliable, which is unfortunate because the Garmin devices are so great. 1. Stop relying so much on internet for this app to function. 2. This app needs to be accessible without logging in. 3. The map needs to work completely or not at all. ### 1/5 — 同期できない *2026-08-02* デバイスがビジー状態です。と表示されて同期されない。アクテビティとか何もやってない状態なのに、、。アプリを入れ直したり、コネクトからもデバイス削除して入れ直してみたり、色々試したけど同じ表示がされて同期しない。 ### 5/5 — Good so far. *2026-07-31, version 4.14.1* Working good for me so far ### 5/5 — Harold 😎 *2026-07-31, version 4.14* Living and hunting Alaska the Gps map66i is a great tool . Thanks! ### 4/5 — Etwas Altmodische App *2026-07-21* Gute App die funktioniert, ein neueres Design und einfachere Bedienung wären hilfreich. ### 5/5 — Explorer is awesome *2026-07-17, version 4.14.1* Love it ### 1/5 — Buggy and crashes *2026-07-13, version 4.14.1* Buggy and crashes ## Frequently asked questions about Garmin Explore™ ### What does the Garmin Explore app do? The Garmin Explore app provides off-grid navigation, trip planning, and mapping capabilities when paired with a compatible Garmin device. It allows users to navigate, plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud, even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. ### What are the key features of Garmin Explore? Key features include off-grid navigation, the ability to stream and download maps for offline use, pairing and syncing with compatible Garmin devices, easy trip planning with automatic course creation, an activity library to review saved data, cloud storage for waypoints and activities, and LiveTrack for real-time location sharing. ### Is Garmin Explore free to use? Yes, the Garmin Explore app is free to download and use. It offers unlimited map downloads, aerial imagery, waypoints, tracking, route navigation, GPS trip logging, location sharing, and unlimited cloud storage for routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities. ### What devices is Garmin Explore compatible with? The app is designed to be used with compatible Garmin devices. A full list of compatible devices can be found on the Garmin Explore website at https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility. ### How can I plan a trip with Garmin Explore? You can plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses within the app. Specify your start and finish points, and the app will automatically create a course that can be synced with your compatible Garmin device for navigation. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.15.1 — 2026-08-28 Explore trails with new 3D Maps. Plan your courses and preview elevation changes in 3D. Review your activities with immersive 3D views. Bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 4.15 — 2026-08-20 Explore trails with new 3D Maps. Plan your courses and preview elevation changes in 3D. Review your activities with immersive 3D views. Bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 4.14.1 — 2026-06-02 Various bug fixes and improvements ### 4.14 — 2026-05-05 Various bug fixes and improvements ### 4.13 — 2026-04-01 Various bug fixes and improvements ## Apps similar to Garmin Explore™ | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Open GPX Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-gpx-tracker/id984503772) | 4.3 (131) | Free | Navigation | | [Footpath Route Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/footpath-route-planner/id634845718) | 4.8 (21,769) | Free | Navigation | | [GPS Tracks](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gps-tracks/id425589565) | 4.7 (17,491) | Free | Navigation | | [Polaris®](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polaris/id493558794) | 4.5 (2,933) | Free | Navigation | | [Topo Maps US](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/topo-maps-us/id1033846196) | 4.4 (206) | Free | Navigation | | [Natural Atlas: Topo Maps & GPS](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/natural-atlas-topo-maps-and-gps/id1144214110) | 4.5 (185) | Free | Navigation | ## More apps by Garmin - [Earthmate](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthmate/id519247758) - [Garmin Audio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-audio/id520377783) - [Easyhunt](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/easyhunt/id566838181) - [Garmin Smartphone Link](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-smartphone-link/id567725209) - [Garmin Connect™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-connect/id583446403) - [Garmin VIRB](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/garmin-virb/id723092894) All apps by Garmin: https://appshunter.io/developer/411046952 ## Related topics [explore](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/explore) · [trail maps lifetime](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/trail-maps-lifetime) · [garmin explore](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-explore) · [garmin basecamp](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-basecamp) · [gps navigation hiking](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gps-navigation-hiking) · [maprogress](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/maprogress) · [gibbon slacklines](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gibbon-slacklines) · [gps maps hiking](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gps-maps-hiking) · [garmin messenger app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-messenger-app) · [aleck connect](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/aleck-connect) · [garmin inreach](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-inreach) · [garmin inreach mini 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-inreach-mini-2) · [connect iq](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/connect-iq) · [exploration outdoor](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/exploration-outdoor) · [inreach messenger](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/inreach-messenger) · [inreach mini](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/inreach-mini) · [breadcrumbs trail](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/breadcrumbs-trail) · [garmin messenger](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-messenger) · [garmin earthmate](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/garmin-earthmate) · [inreach](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/inreach) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*