Garmin Explore™

2.5
4.63K reviews
1M+
Downloads
Content rating
USK: All ages
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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

2.6
4.44K reviews
Holg Se
November 4, 2024
They quickly fixed the issue of not being able to launch the app on a custom rom, hence review edited (way to go, Garmin!). Finally being able to use it, I DO like the redesign of the UI and new handling of offline maps. Let's see if the remaining bugs (couple of crashes, constant nagging to turn on device location) can be fixed - updated to 3 stars.
3 people found this review helpful
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Garmin
November 1, 2024
Explore Update 4.0.6 is available now and will resolve the error message you reported. -Chip Noble, Product Manager, Garmin
Mohammadreza Bahadorian
March 30, 2021
In theory, it's cool that you can sync your activity and waypoints and explore them via your phone. However, it fails to download a detailed map (OpenStreetMap). It's extremely annoying. I've tried 20+ times to download that and every time it stops at some point without giving any error. So in practice it's useless.
21 people found this review helpful
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Aleksei N
November 30, 2024
Cannot navigate to location. I just want a simple thing with my Garmin bike computer: just choose the destination on the map to navigate to it. That's it! Didn't believe that a such expensive bike computer doesn't have even this the most basic and essential feature in its software. This is just insane!
5 people found this review helpful
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Garmin
February 10, 2025
Aleksei N, have you tried using the Garmin Connect Mobile app with your Garmin cycle computer? That app will let you connect and sync courses and is the intended app for use with Garmin cycle computers. Take a look at Connect Mobile on the app store for more information. -Chip Noble, Product Manager, Garmin

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