September 18, 2024

One thing remains constant at Garmin: technological evolution. The introduction of inReach® Messenger Plus is no exception.

Chip Noble, Garmin inReach product manager, has worked toward this day since 2011 when, on a media trip showcasing the first generation inReach satellite communicator, an editor asked a simple question: “Texting is great, but can it send a picture?”

It could not.

Noble jokes, “No product manager wants to be asked about a feature that isn’t there, so I hung my head and I cried, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.”

Over the last 10 years, Noble and countless other Garmin associates have worked to answer that question. Now Chip has his chance at redemption.

So, can inReach Messenger Plus send a picture?

It absolutely can. Not only can inReach Messenger Plus pair with your smartphone to share photos, but it can also exchange 30-second voice messages, and we’ve increased texting capabilities from 160 to 1,600 characters¹. This is in addition to other new features such as mapping through the Garmin Explore™ app, Garmin product compatibility and more.

inReach Messenger Plus is a milestone for Garmin and a giant leap for individuals who take adventures outside of cell service². It means friends and family can be more involved in the adventure, even when they’re thousands of miles away.

How will these features change people’s outdoor adventures?  

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Now you can show the incredible view instead of trying to describe it, and share photos days or even weeks after you’ve returned from your trip. In a voice message, loved ones can hear your level of excitement as you reach the end of the day or a long journey. They can hear the ocean or the forest in the background, further immersing them in the experience.

Notably, these features also have real implications in emergency situations. If an individual triggers an SOS message on inReach Messenger Plus, they can not only send their GPS coordinates, but also a photo to show the nature of the emergency, or they can quickly describe the situation using voice messages and send them to Garmin Response^SM, our 24/7-staffed international response coordination center. This information can help emergency services allocate the appropriate resources to assist.  

How does this new technology work?

Traditional inReach devices use Short Burst Data (SBD) packets to transmit text data. However, inReach Messenger Plus uses Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT) to exchange photo and voice messages. It’s an entirely different system and requires different hardware, so while inReach Messenger and inReach Messenger Plus look similar and have the same rugged, temperature-resistant design, they offer different capabilities.

Additionally, with IMT technology, we can support photo and voice messages approximately 300 times larger than our SBD text messages, so we had to create new messaging protocols for delivering these larger data files. We created a streamlined operation that allows users to record a voice message or take a photo on their phone through the Garmin Messenger™ app, and then have inReach Messenger Plus send the data. Our team worked hard on this, and we’re proud that we accomplished it while keeping the same lightweight and compact size as the previous generation.

Who do you expect to use inReach Messenger Plus?

It’s easy to think this device is intended for hikers or backpackers, but as we’ve seen from our annual inReach reports, inReach serves anyone engaged in activities that take them outside of cell service.  

Mariners can send a picture of themselves on the water, aviators can send a voice message from the sky, and off-roaders can let people follow along during their adventure. Even if you don’t plan to use it often, with its robust battery life when stored, inReach Messenger Plus makes a fantastic tool to add to your emergency driving safety kit.     

Recently, I took a 150-mile bike ride over three days, and I had inReach Messenger Plus in my pocket the whole time. I connected it to my Garmin Edge® cycling computer, so I could read messages directly from the Edge device. Whenever I stopped, I turned on my phone, snapped a photo and shared it through inReach Messenger Plus.

When we look at data and functionality, inReach is for everyone.

What’s it like knowing your loved one has inReach Messenger Plus?

My daughter recently climbed Mount Katahdin. I couldn’t be there, but I followed her live tracking, so I could see her cross the Knife Edge Trail. The next day, right when she summited, she sent me a selfie photo in real time. The complete game-changer was when she sent me a voice message, and I could hear her excitement to be sitting down to eat macaroni and cheese for dinner.

It was such an incredible thing to share the experience with her thanks to technology made possible by inReach Messenger Plus. It provided such…