August 26, 2025

Sending messages with the Garmin 66i

I just installed the Messenger app from Garmin. It can send messages -- which is at least 1000 times better than sending from the 66i itself. Go to messages, then use the little "pen" icon at the lower right.

I pay $12 per month for the "contract safety plan". This plan is no longer offered, but is more or less the same as what they call the Essential plan. It is surprising this did not move me to Essential.
Contract offers: 

unlimited SOS
unlimited checkin messages
10 text messages per month
tracking is 10 cents per point
basic weather counts as a text message
premium weather costs $1
Overlimit text messages cost you 50 cents.
Text messages are limited to 160 characters.

Changing to Essential bumps the price up to $15, but gives you 50 text messages instead of just 10. Also premium weather just gets the text message ding, but no dollar charge.

The new setup is month to month. They used to have tricky and confusing rules about suspending service or changing plans. They changed all the plans in 12-1-2024 and I need to learn how the new scheme works.

Nobody seems happy about it. You can deactivate your device, but you pay $40 for the reactivation.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's backpacking pages / tom@mmto.org