Uh-oh: Garmin is killing off Inreach preset messages

[Old Crow]

Well this isn't good....

If I understand what I'm seeing on the Garmin Forum, preset messages as we know them are going away. They being replaced by "Check Ins".

Presets are the 3 'preset messages' we can create in our account to send a fixed-content message (like "I'm OK") to a list of contacts or phone numbers. The content is decided by the account owner and can be changed whenever the account owner wants. And the recipient list can be different for each of the three messages. Check-Ins, though, are different. They are still free but the content is only (1) "I'm checking in, everything is OK", (2) "I'm starting my trip" and (3) "I'm ending my trip". And according to what I'm reading in the Mini 2 forum, the Check Ins all go to the same recipients. Reportedly you can edit the recipient lists for each of the three messages separately but the changes are propagated to all.

There is some good news. As Garmin explains in this support article, many of us are grandfathered in.... at least for now.....

"NOTE: Check-in messages have replaced preset messages as of September 27th, 2022. inReach accounts set up prior to this date will still have preset messages available, but any new accounts created after this date will use check-in messages."

HOWEVER-- there are also reports that during firmware updates, we will be prompted to allow Presets to be converted to Check-Ins. And once converted, there's no going back.

Now I don't know if that's true but it would make sense. In any case, if presets are important to you and you see a prompt come up during a firmware update don't agree to convert to Check Ins....

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Certainly something to follow… I don’t like the sound of it.

 

[craig333]

Thanks. Glad I'm grandfathered in.

 

[smlobx]

I’ll be checking for updates prior to our South American trip in February and will keep an eye out for the change in preset messages. Thanks for the warning/update.

 

[Atlin]

I despise Garmin across a lot of platforms. They seem to be the proverbial 900 pound gorilla and clearly don't care about anything but profit. If anyone knows of an alternative that is reasonably priced, please post.

 

[WanderingBison]

I despise Garmin across a lot of platforms. They seem to be the proverbial 900 pound gorilla and clearly don't care about anything but profit. If anyone knows of an alternative that is reasonably priced, please post.

If you are looking for an alternative to the InReach units, it’s going to be tough.

Two companies/products that seem to be making inroads in that space are Zoleo and Bivy Stick.

Both solutions are staying in the very basic device space, without a screen, instead using an app on your phone to give you the functionality that you would be use to with most InReach devices through a screen.

All the alternative players (except Spot devices), including Bivy and Zoleo, are using the same satellite network (Iridium).

I’m currently testing Zoleo and there is a lot to like (unlimited free check-ins, free weather forecasts, “free” messages when using wifi or cell data through your phone), but I’m not quite sure I’m ready to say that I would leave the InReach as my primary device.

One last note - the three preset messages (that are/were customizable) are not available on Zoleo or Bivy, so if that’s a reason to consider leaving InReach, there are no alternatives.

At least, that’s my take … I’d love to hear from others who are exploring alternatives.