Adding apps to the Garmin 66i

I am not the only one who thinks it is ridiculous that the device doesn't have something like this built in, but that is how it is.

You can see the battery level on the "charging screen", which you can access only when the device is actively charging, and when you turn the 66i off.

This works in a simple way when you plug the 66i into a charger. You connect it, wait for the device to power up, then hold the power button until it transitions to the charging screen, which shows battery level.

It does not work when you plug the 66i into your computer to charge it. Doing that establishes a USB data connection and all the rules change.

The moral of the story: Don't plug your 66i into a computer USB port to charge it.

ConnectIQ

The Garmin "app store" is called Connect IQ.

• Apps for the 66i

But how does one install this? One uses the Connect IQ app on their phone.

We start the game by powering on the 66i. We set it and the phone nearby each other on the same table. We go into setup in the 66i and verify that Bluetooth is enabled. It in fact is, and shows "connected". Now we start "Connect" on the phone. We get rid of some annoying notifications. I use "More" at the bottom right to get a menu, and the bottom item is "IQ" the Connect IQ store. It tells me that I want another app confusingly called "Connect IQ" and to go to the Google Play store to get it. This means I may have to go through some crazy exercise pairing my 66i with that app, but what choice do I have.

Off we go to the Play Store. We find Connect IQ and install it. We launch it and click the blue "Welcome" button. I agree to a variety of things. It finds both of my 66i devices and after a short wait it shows them both as connected. I tap on one of the devices and it takes me to browsing for apps. I search on SHN Battery, and there it is. I tap on SHN Battery, then the blue "Install" button. It says "Queued" but nothing is happening. I go back, use "Device" at the lower right and it tells me that 1 app is installed, and 15 are remaining. Space available 7.82 MB. I tap the sync circle up at the top right. It is busy for a while, but nothing seems to change.

Maybe it is "just installed" and I don't need to do anything else? I go to the 66i now. I go to the main menu and there is a Connect IQ option. I go to it and I see "Wikiloc" as an installed app. What the heck? I try another app called "Simple Battery" I click the install button on it, and now it also says "Queued". I get a phone message "congratulations on installing your data field". Sounds great, but where the heck is it?

I power the 66i off and on again. This confirms that I am talking to the unit I think I am. And when it powers up, the screen on my phone for "Manage Device" now shows 3 installed apps. Simple Battery is called a Data field. SHN Battery is a widget. The mysterious Wikiloc is the only app. That does make 3.

Since simple battery is a data field, I can add it to some page. I pick "Compass" since I never use it. I type menu, then select "Change data fields", then select the top right field (time to dest or some such). At the bottom is an option to use "Connect IQ" and when I select that, it offers simple battery, and there I go, I have battery status in the top right of the Compass page.

I wonder where the SHN battery widget is? Apparently you get to widgets by using the power button. This is almost the least useful and most annoying thing I can imagine. The trick is to press the power button only briefly (to avoid shutting the 66i down altogether). Then you use a left or right arrow move to get to the widget. Simple battery wins over this big time.

I could but the "simple battery" field into the trip computer screen, but I am already using that for many things, so grabbing a field in the compass page that I almost never use suits me much better.

Now lets put simple battery on my old 66i

I replace "distance to next" on the compass with simple battery, and I am in business.