Garmin Explore™

2.9
4.56K reviews
1M+
Downloads
Content rating
PEGI 3
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About this app

PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE
With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet1 with your compatible Garmin device2 to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere.
• Garmin Explore needs SMS permission to allow you to receive and send SMS text messages from your Garmin devices. We also need call log permission to display incoming calls on your devices.
• Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.


OFF-GRID NAVIGATION
When paired with your compatible Garmin device2, 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.


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 device2.


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 time3 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 See compatible devices at Garmin.com/BLE
2 See a full list of compatible devices at explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility
3 When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and when used with your compatible inReach-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.
Updated on
Sep 26, 2025

Data safety

Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age. The developer provided this information and may update it over time.
This app may share these data types with third parties
App activity and App info and performance
This app may collect these data types
Personal info
Data is encrypted in transit
You can request that data be deleted

Ratings and reviews

2.9
4.37K reviews
Ian Chapple
September 26, 2022
This piece of software is possibly the worst Android app I have ever used. It is illogical, counterintuitive, and genuinely confusing. If you try to use it with more than one device, you have no idea what is syncing with what, with apparently random activities being brought into the app from who knows where. Garmin Connect is a nice app, Garmin Explore is simply awful. If you can avoid it, I strongly suggest you do so. I would give it zero stars, but that is unfortunately not possible.
2 people found this review helpful
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Darryl Clarke
October 5, 2025
This app has issues. I use it with my inreach mini. I needed to log out of the Explore app, and when I attempted to log in again, the login flow has a 'Next' button that is hidden under the phone icons in the top right of the screen, and impossible to click. And all just as I was heading into the desert in my 4WD. Proper let down. fortunately I had a good old fashioned paper map.
1 person found this review helpful
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Domingo Ruiz
September 15, 2025
As an interface between your phone and GPS device to navigate, it is okay. That is the good stuff. The bad stuff is that it cannot calculate arrival time accurately. The last two times I have used this app to navigate it had me arriving in the past. Meaning it had me arriving an hour behind the current time while estimating I had about 2 hours left of walking. Thankfully, I am not dependent on that information. It shouldn't be difficult to fix this.
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What’s new

Download an offline map of Garmin Trails and head out to the back country where you can transfer a trail from Explore to your navigation device
Get online and share your experience in a trail review
We have improved the clarity between trail systems drawing and Garmin Trails drawing. Garmin Trails now render as dashed lines.
Share links to trails that can launch the Explore app bringing hikers directly to the shared trail