Garmin Explore™

4.0
4.56K reviews
10L+
Downloads
Content rating
Everyone
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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
26 Sept 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

4.0
4.37K reviews
Domingo Ruiz
15 September 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.
2 people found this review helpful
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Patrick
2 September 2025
Garmin Instinct 3 Solar user. This app seems to work okay. It adds 10 to 20% drain on my phone battery when permission is set to always running in background. Add Garmin Connect also at the same setting and even some more battery drain daily. The app features can be a little confusing even with garmin videos on how to utilize. overall it works for my basic needs.
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Aaron Bauer
29 November 2024
Garmin makes great hardware, but their software is absolute hot garbage. This latest update is no exception. The ONE feature I was hoping to find in the latest version was the ability to disable its running in the background, but that's not here. They've also apparently removed all of the POI data that was in the previous app and want to charge you $50/year to get it back...data which is included on my $1200 watch. Unbelievable.
33 people found this review helpful
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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