Garmin Explore™

What Garmin Explore is for

Garmin Explore is a companion app for compatible Garmin devices. You pair it with a phone or tablet, and it moves data between the two so you can plan and navigate trips in places with weak or no signal.

It suits people who already carry a compatible Garmin device on outdoor trips and want their phone to handle maps, route planning and searching for points of interest alongside it. Most of its features depend on that pairing.

Off-grid navigation and offline maps

The app lets you use your phone for outdoor navigation, trip planning and mapping, with or without Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. Maps you download ahead of time work when you leave cellular range.

Before a trip, you can stream maps while you have Wi-Fi or cellular. This avoids using storage on the phone for maps you only need to look at. The listing warns that running GPS continuously in the background can drain the battery quickly.

Finding trailheads and summits

A search tool locates geographic points tied to your outing, such as trailheads and mountain summits. You can use the results to build a route or to check where a point sits relative to where you plan to go.

Texts, calls and data sync with your device

Once paired, the app can send and receive text messages through your Garmin device. It also shows incoming calls on the device, so you can see who is calling without reaching for your phone.

Trip data is synced between the phone and the Garmin device. The listing describes this as the way the two share information during an adventure.