Introduction: Garmin inReach Messenger vs. Zoleo Satellite Communicator
The Garmin inReach Messenger and Garmin inReach Messenger Plus are 2-way global satellite messengers that offers location sharing and SOS capabilities. The Garmin inReach Messenger Plus also provides photo and voice memo sharing capability. Either can be used as a standalone device or paired with your smartphone via the Garmin Messenger app. The inReach Messenger weighs 4.0 ounces and has an MSRP of $300, and the inReach Messenger Plus weighs 4.1 ounce and has an MSRP of $500. This article focuses on the Garmin inReach Messenger. For more information about the Garmin inReach Messenger Plus, see this article.
This article was originally published on September 27, 2022 and updated with new information on September 30, 2022 and September 18, 2024.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents • Note: if this is a members-only article, some sections may only be available to Premium or Unlimited Members.
- Introduction: Garmin inReach Messenger vs. Zoleo Satellite Communicator
- Table of Contents
- Overview
- Learn More About Satellite Messaging Devices
- Garmin inReach Messenger features
- FAQs (Updated 30.Sep.2022)
- Does the Garmin inReach Messenger have a dedicated phone number?
- How will the inReach Mini 2 integrate with the Garmin Messenger (when that support is released) and Garmin Explore apps?
- How do people using the inReach Mini (or Mini 2) initiate contact with people using inReach Messengers in the backcountry? How about vice versa?
- Is the messenger app required for “friends and family” who don’t have an inReach or can they use their native phone texting app? Or does the messenger app provide added features/functions that one’s native SMS app won’t have?
- Final Comments
- Related
Overview
Like the Zoleo Satellite Communicator and the Somewear Global Hotspot, the Garmin inReach Messenger offers seamless messaging across different types of networks (cellular/WiFi and satellite) and selects the most readily-available network without interrupting message conversations.
Unlike the Zoleo or Somewear products, however, the Garmin inReach Messenger offers the following unique features:
- An on-device display allows the user to view incoming messages and send both preset and custom messages (via screen keyboard), along with other alerts and visual cues.
- Group messaging conversations are maintained for all sent and received messages.
- Weather forecasts can be requested and viewed without a paired smartphone.
- TracBack (Garmin’s breadcrumb tracking program) is usable with or without a paired smartphone.
- Reverse charging via USB-C to preserve the operation of a low-battery phone.
Learn More About Satellite Messaging Devices
See our updated Satellite Messenger Gear Guide to learn more about the Garmin inReach Messenger and its competitors.
Garmin inReach Messenger features
The unique features of the Garmin inReach Messenger include its on-device display, group messaging conversations, TracBack, and reverse charging.
On-device display
The Garmin inReach Messenger features a simple on-device display screen that offers notable feedback and functionality that can’t be accessed on the Zoleo Satellite Communicator or Somewear Global Hotspot without pairing them to a Smartphone:
- reading incoming messages;
- composing and reading outgoing messages (preset or custom) and monitoring their sending/sent status;
- battery capacity remaining and reverse charging status;
- time of day;
- SOS status and incoming message monitoring;
- the ability to select from and send from a variety of different (preset) Quick Text messages;
- requesting and reviewing weather forecasts.
Group messaging conversations
Most satellite messaging devices can send messages to groups (“broadcast” messaging), but when one group member replies, the reply is delivered only to the sender.
The Garmin inReach Messenger is the first satellite messaging device that can both send and receive messages among a group of people while maintaining the group during the entire conversation – similar to how group messaging works in most smartphone applications.
TracBack
TracBack is Garmin’s breadcrumb application. If you turn on TracBack on a TracBack-compatible inReach or GPS device, the unit tracks your route via waypoint breadcrumbs that it saves in its memory. Then, if you’d like to follow the exact route backward, you simply activate TracBack’s reversal, and the device will guide you back to your origination point following the same route.
TracBack can be a useful feature for not getting lost during nighttime bathroom forays into the dark woods, mushroom or berry or elk hunters following signs on the ground rather than paying attention to where they’re traveling, or negotiating through (and back) thick vegetation via game trails and brush-free corridors.
It’s not surprising that the Garmin inReach Messenger provides TracBack. That it allows it to be used without a paired smartphone is welcome.
Reverse charging
Even though the Garmin inReach Messenger is a capable device on its own when not paired to a smartphone, the smartphone is still required to access custom on-the-fly messaging. However, as many of us Garmin inReach Mini users will testify, the moment our smartphone dies is the moment that “typing” custom messages on the Mini becomes awkward enough to elicit enormous frustration. This is particularly problematic if you don’t have access to a portable battery charger, or in the case of an accident, your phone charger is inaccessible.
The Garmin inReach Messenger provides reverse-charging capability. That means if your phone dies or the battery is extremely low, you can use the Garmin inReach Messenger in reverse charging mode to keep your phone charged at a low level. This could be of great importance while communicating during an SOS event.
FAQs (Updated 30.Sep.2022)
Does the Garmin inReach Messenger have a dedicated phone number?
A dedicated phone number on a satellite device makes it easier for anyone with a cell phone and SMS capability to send a text message to the device.
The Garmin inReach Messenger does not have a dedicated phone number. Here’s why (response from Garmin):
The inReach Messenger does not have a dedicated phone number. We have found significant challenges with SMS messaging, things like sending a message with a map link or delivering to a country with a restrictive cell carrier. We’ve found that many of our international customers are using internet driven apps like Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger instead of SMS anyway. We chose to focus our efforts on our Garmin Messenger app and delivering a rich messaging experience where participants can see things like delivery confirmation, read/unread state, and even if a friend or family member has joined the Messenger app community. This gives us the freedom to do things like send a message location or create a group message and know that we control the experience from within our own app.
Keep in mind that we do still support the other methods of communicating with someone who doesn’t want to install the Messenger app, you can send them a message using their SMS number or their email address. You can also send them your MapShare link which has the ability for a visitor to send a message to the inReach device owner. We feel that the Garmin Messenger app is a good solution for close friends and family who want the rich messaging experience and we feel that the original SMS/email/MapShare solution is a reasonable solution for those who don’t want the app.
How will the inReach Mini 2 integrate with the Garmin Messenger (when that support is released) and Garmin Explore apps?
Response from Garmin:
Please note that the inReach Mini 2 will be compatible with the Garmin Messenger app when we release our firmware update, however the first generation inReach Mini will not be compatible. The first generation Mini was launched in 2018 and has some hardware limitations that prevent us from bringing it forward to new apps like the Explore app and the Messenger app. The inReach Mini still works as designed with the Earthmate app for messaging, tracking, safety, planning and navigating, it’s just not able to take advantage of the internet messaging features found in the Garmin Messenger app.
As you’ve seen, the inReach Messenger device does not support any planning or navigation features and is not compatible with the Explore app. Our inReach devices like the inReach Mini 2 will use both apps for their different specialties – the Messenger app for messaging, tracking, and safety, the Explore app for planning, navigating, and reviewing activities. The two apps will be seamlessly linked so that the user doesn’t have to exit one app to go to the other, they will just choose the Messages tab in the Explore app to have the Garmin Messenger app open with the Messages tab displayed. The same thing will happen if someone using the Garmin Messenger app views details on a message and chooses to view the location on the map, the Explore app will open to show that detail.
How do people using the inReach Mini (or Mini 2) initiate contact with people using inReach Messengers in the backcountry? How about vice versa?
Response from Garmin:
inReach users will be able to message back and forth between all inReach devices, the same way they can now. Users with an inReach Messenger and Garmin Messenger app will be able to enter the inReach address for an older inReach device owner like an inReach Explorer+ and have it routed correctly. That same user can send their own inReach message to the inReach Messenger user and it will route to that owner’s Garmin Messenger app automatically. We are working very hard to support our new inReach Messenger and Garmin Messenger app users, as well as our existing users who might have older inReach devices. We want to make sure that everyone can communicate with each other and that we are continuing to advance the inReach ecosystem with exciting new features like internet messaging and group messaging.
Is the messenger app required for “friends and family” who don’t have an inReach or can they use their native phone texting app? Or does the messenger app provide added features/functions that one’s native SMS app won’t have?
Response from Garmin:
Messenger app is not required for “friends and family” who don’t have an inReach. A benefit for non-inReach users to use the free Messenger app is participation in group messaging. If an individual (who isn’t using Messenger app) is put in a group chat by the inReach user in the Messenger app, they will only receive responses from the inReach user, not other participants of the group.
Final Comments
Until now, internet debaters have been drawn to the (mostly strawman) discussion of the Garmin inReach Mini vs. the Zoleo Satellite Communicator. However, these two devices have notably different use cases and purposes. One (the Zoleo) is primarily a network-independent messaging device requiring a paired smartphone, and the other (the inReach Mini) is a satellite-only messaging, tracking, and navigation device that doesn’t require a paired smartphone to access its complete feature set.
The Garmin inReach Messenger, however, changes the decision calculus for hikers who are primarily interested in messaging features. With network-independent seamless messaging, the inReach Messenger is a direct answer to the Zoleo Satellite Communicator. With its on-device display, the ability to send custom messages, group messaging conversations, TracBack, reverse charging, and increased battery life, the Garmin inReach Messenger may now be the feature-defining product within the category of seamless satellite/cellular/WiFi messaging devices.
If you are interested in photo and voice memo sharing, see the Garmin inReach Messenger Plus.
The Garmin inReach Messenger Plus is currently the only satellite messaging device on the market that can transmit photos and audio messages (voice memos) via satellite.
- can transmit photos and voice memos
- reverse-charging capability
- integrates with both Garmin Messenger (messaging) and Garmin Explore (navigation) smartphone apps
Related
- Member Q&A: How to manage electronics in the backcountry
- Online Course: How to use the Garmin inReach
- Commentary: Can the Apple iPhone 14 replace your Garmin inReach?
- Interview: Discussing the Garmin inReach Mini 2 with Garmin’s Chip Noble
- Skills: How to use the Garmin inReach Mini without a Smartphone
DISCLOSURE (Updated April 9, 2024)
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Discussion
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Companion forum thread to: Garmin inReach Messenger (Preview)
The Garmin inReach Messenger provides seamless messaging across cellular, WiFi, and satellite networks for only 4.0 ounces. It offers some compelling features over its closest competitor, the Zoleo Satellite Communicator, including an on-device display that makes it a viable standalone device when used without a smartphone.
This is interesting. Looking forward to your results using it. I’m curious how you like it compared to the Garmin Mini having used both of them..
Wow, just as I was about to pull the trigger on an inReach Mini 2. Seems very strange that the new one is (barely) heavier than that, but definitely looking forward to your experience with it.
Will the new inReach Messenger have a dedicated phone number? This is one of the key advantage of the Zoleo as a messaging device that the inReach Mini/Mini 2.0 is missing.
I am looking forward to reading more from Backpacking Light. Glad I waited before purchasing inReach Mini 2—still using my original inReach Mini.
Kind of disappointed that the new Messenger App has no support for the Mini 2.
Two months ago I tried to buy a Garmin Mini2–and found out that they have a software glitch on their website that wouldn’t allow me to register it. Further research showed that they had known about the problem, we working on it, but didn’t have a fix, and couldn’t tell me when they would have a fix.
I bought a Zoleo, which works just fine for what I need.
Just curious, what’s the advantage to the new app vs. the Explorer app that the Mini 2 uses?
One of the nice things about the original inReach is the ability to communicate with other inReach users in the backcountry via their inReach address. Would you still be able to communicate with other original inReach users this way if you had the inReach messenger and they have inReach mini’s? That would be an important consideration for me before upgrading. We often have leaders dispersed across the Adirondacks leading different groups, and having the ability to communicate via inReach minis among groups has helped coordination and safety immensely.
Just that it acts like the zoleo app. If your phone has internet connectivity messages can be sent and received that way instead of only thru the satellite device. That way people can use just the one messaging app instead of switching back and forth between app and regular phone texting and not worry about missing a message. That was biggest gripe people had when comparing the inreach with the zoleo. For some it was apparently a deal breaker. I assume the new messenger also comes with a fixed phone number so people can text to that instead of the kinda convoluted way the inreach works. Maybe they’ll add the feature to mini 2 users.
Yes, but can the messenger initiate a conversation with an InReach mini, which has no phone number. Previously that was only possible for InReach mini to InReach mini communications.
ACR Bivy Stick user here. It also includes seamless messaging across networks and a dedicated phone number like the Zoleo — and in a lighter package. The one distinctive feature that doesn’t get much attention is the ability to accumulate/rollover credits month-to-month, which, to my knowledge, isn’t available on competitors’ plans.
Interesting that this new unit costs $100 less than the Mini 2. Other than the tiny, tiny screen, I wonder what that cost differential is based on?
I’ve been using an inReach for the last eight years. Messaging is my third-priority function from a satellite device. SOS is number one, GPS tracking that my wife can follow is number two. This may be because the effectiveness of the messaging depends upon whether or not a satellite is close enough at the right time, and whether the local environment helps or hinders the communication. It took 4 hours for a response to get to me in a sub-alpine lake bowl last week. I’ve waited longer than that to actually transmit responses in a tree-covered canyon.
I would like to see side-by-side tests of all of the above devices, plus the mini-2. This means sending from all devices at the same time, scheduled inbound messages to all devices at the same time, and (obviously) all devices in the same location. Otherwise, the results will not be comparable.
DCRainmaker has a pretty full review as he has a prerelease review unit, and says “The new Messenger app will also become available via firmware update for the GPSMAP 66i, Montana 700i/750i, Alpha 200i, and the inReach Mini 2 units. The timelines on that aren’t solidified yet. Once enabled though, with the Messenger app, those devices will be able to utilize the cellular/WiFi connectivity options when in range.” So I won’t immediately sell my new inReach Mini 2.
All of the devices have pros and cons. I use the ACR BivyStick, 3 ½ oz. The data plan is probably the cheapest for folks using it mainly for checkins and suspending it at the end of the backpacking season. Also, the checkin message is good at the recipient end. It has lat and long in the text of the email or message, so can be read without following a link. Easy to read to or forward to a Forest Service dispatcher if the checkins stop coming.
My guess is it’s not about cost at all.
For many (most?) products input costs have little bearing on price. The further they are from a fungible commodity the more that’s true; put another way, the more direct-replacement competition a product has the more pressure there is to keep the price low and thus the closer it gets to input costs. This case seems to follow that logic well: the Messenger seems to have several direct competitors, whereas the Mini 2 has a set of features that pretty clearly sets it apart from anything else. My guess is the two devices cost very similar amounts for Garmin to build, but they feel they can charge more for the Mini 2 because there aren’t other ways to get that exact thing.
Adding group messaging features without increasing the currently stingy message allotments in the inReach plans, expect for the most expensive plan, will probably lead to many surprisingly high bills.
I just bought one of these. I was hoping it would have its own phone number, like my Zoleo, but it doesn’t. It’s basically the same as an InReach Mini – you have to initiate an SMS, the other party replies, and then you are good. You can’t hand out a phone number or email address in advance. After some initial disappointment with this, I am starting to think maybe it’s not so bad. I don’t think I ever did use my Zoleo phone number or email as much as I thought I would. It’s easier for most people just to reply to you, rather than trying to find that pre-trip email you sent out with all your contact info. Also, I had some issues with some Zoleo SMS messages not going out. It seems like Verizon was not accepting a lot of their messages for some reason. Zoleo couldn’t figure it out. In-app messages were fine, but I ended up not using the direct SMS option at all in case it didn’t go through. That was the big advantage of the Zoleo, having a real phone number, but now I am cooling off on that. This new Garmin Messenger is basically a Zoleo with a screen and smaller size. My initial feeling is that I prefer it to the Zoleo.
Does having a number cause the spam messages that most cell phones have?
Oh wow. That would be beyond annoying.
I had planned to purchase the mini-2- I have one being saved for me at a store. I’m wondering, with the messaging transition(cellular to satellite, etc.) coming with the new app, the two devices seem pretty similar, although the reverse charging is a bonus in an emergency. I can also see the group chat offered by the new device might be useful, but I’m not sure about that. It seems the mapping for the mini might be a plus, but I would need to see how it compares to a regular GPS unit in that regard.
I appreciate the detailed comparison chart provided above, but I’m also wondering if anyone would prefer this device over the mini-2, or vice versa, and your reasoning behind your preference. I’m a ranger in New Hampshire and so I often find myself in locations that have no cell service, and no access to one of our VHF repeaters. This can be a serious problem during a rescue, so I’m wondering if one of these devices would be better than the other.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
I assumed that the firmware update allowing current devices, including the Mini 2, to use the Messaging app would also enable the group chat feature.
It remains to be seen how well the messenger will connect with satellites (and how to carry it) since the surface needs to be flat facing up for best reception? The mini 2 has better antenna and attachment it seems.
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