I travel a *lot* and we’re in some pretty crazy times. The cost of a Mini 2 and a monthly service fee seems pretty reasonable. Its initial setup and operation are intuitive to an adult. It’s reassuring to know I won’t be caught without the means to communicate if there is some sort of crisis. The backup navigational capability when away from home is huge to me. Also, as a pilot, it’s worth the cost for emergency backup NAV and COMM. Hopefully it will remain safely at the ready in arms reach in my suitcase, but I take it out periodically to make sure everything is working, I remember how to access the features I need, and to keep the battery charged. Would recommend.

We’ve been using the app to communicate with a family member who is rafting down the Grand Canyon. It’s generally been good, and I like that it allows for group messaging and some emoji reactions to messages. What’s frustrating though is that the notification options are extremely limited—in the app, the only thing you can set is a sound when messages are received. I’m on an iPhone 13, and I have the settings for the app set to allow notifications, with banners and badges. I’m not the kind of person who carries my phone on me everywhere when I’m at home, and I don’t typically check my personal phone when I’m at work. So I rely on badges to know when I have a message. But frequently, the badges don’t seem to work. I’ll check the app out of curiosity, and find I missed a handful of messages despite there being no badges. So that’s not great.

For those who do not know, if you have your Garmin watch linked to your InReach via the Messenger app, you will not be able to delete any messages from your watch. It does not matter if you delete them from your phone, the Explore website, or even the InReach itself, those messages are on your watch for good. It’s lazy design that is unacceptable for a paid subscription service. It’s also very inconvenient!! Anytime I use my InReach, in the back of my mind I’m thinking “well, there went some storage that could be used for maps”. It also makes searching for and responding to current conversations very difficult, because you have to sift through all the garbage you do not want and that you have already deleted off your phone. I know this was a rant, but the current user interface really takes away from any positive experience.

The InReach device and accompanying app are excellent in the case of an emergency, to call for help. App could be better designed where I can monitor my sons travels out in the open ocean. For example, receive text or email notices of his movement and locations from time to time.Currently, the inReach and website can show you a map of the person’s locations. However, one has to log into the website map in order to see the person’s location as opposed to… it would be nice having notices sent to me via text or email of his locations along his journey.