Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - inReach Messenger 1.08" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Average customer rating
4.3
(259 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 259 reviews
5 Stars
162
4 Stars
51
3 Stars
21
2 Stars
15
1 Star
10
Customer Reviews for Garmin - inReach Messenger 1.08" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Customer Rating
5
on August 27, 2026
Posted by: Jared F
I bought this for longer mountain outings, but now I found myself packing it for roadtrips, camping, and even keep it in my ski bag. Knowing I can text updates and even get a hold of search and rescue is an amazing piece of mind! Its the size of a small cell phone so you can pretty much store it anywhere.
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
3
on August 13, 2026
Posted by: Crig
When I went “Live” I invited my family via my phone’s text. This gave them a link to see my progress on the trail. After four days, the link expired. Since I had no phone service, I couldn’t renew it. As a result that feature became useless.
My same family members downloaded the app. We texted through it while I was on the trail. Each time I responded, they were able to see my location but it didn’t show a map of my progress.
Overall, it was very useful to communicate with my family, and have the SOS function.
Big knocks for not being able to see myself on a map (Download All Trails map to get around that) or let my family follow my progress.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Affordable Satellite Communication
on August 9, 2026
Posted by: Off Grid
We have remote property with no cell phone coverage, and up until now assumed satellite communication access was a luxury we could not afford. Due to to more frequent vehicle breakdowns and several emergency situations, I started looking at the satellite access now being offered by i-Phone and T-Mobile. Then I came across the availability of stand alone satellite communication devices. Garmin is the best option for our situation. Monthly subscription cost, ability to work without a cell phone app if necessary, and the Iridium satellite network were all pluses.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
This could be much better
on July 28, 2026
Posted by: Muhammad
The Garmin inReach Messenger is an excellent device with great potential, but it could be much better. The messaging interface is unnecessarily complicated and not intuitive. More importantly, the advertised battery life can be misleading. With 2-minute tracking enabled, my battery lasted only about a day or little over a day instead of the expected weeks. Once the battery died, tracking and even the SOS feature became unavailable, which could create a life-threatening situation if users aren’t aware of this limitation. These battery-life tradeoffs should be stated prominently. It’s a fantastic safety device but only if you also have a reliable way to keep it charged during extended trips and have no trouble using its complex messaging system, one must consider this as a last line of defense. Situations like phone out of battery and battery packs out of charge should be considered to make this device a must to have life line item in your backpack when you are out in the vast area full of dangers and no cellular coverage.
The five day trip to Isle Royale could have become a nightmare if iPhone 15 didn’t have the free satellite communication feature.
Unfortunately despite loving this device so much I had to return this since I found it unreliable in multiple ways.
You don’t need to consider my opinion if you are already in love with this device just like I was. Thanks.
The five day trip to Isle Royale could have become a nightmare if iPhone 15 didn’t have the free satellite communication feature.
Unfortunately despite loving this device so much I had to return this since I found it unreliable in multiple ways.
You don’t need to consider my opinion if you are already in love with this device just like I was. Thanks.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Perfect for off grid adventures
on July 27, 2026
Posted by: High country adventure
Picked this up for a 12 day backcountry trip so family could follow our progress and for emergency contact. Worked better than expected.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
3
Messaging worked, not GPS/location
on July 22, 2026
Posted by: Tim22
Messaging worked fine with my iPhone but I could never get the location/GPS feature to show my wife my location along the trip route.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Works perfectly!
on July 13, 2026
Posted by: outofcellrange75
Just used the inReach Messenger last weekend camping in a remote place in Colorado without cell service. The inReach worked perfectly connecting to family back home. Very portable and excellent battery life. Highly recommend the inReach for basic communication via my mobile device.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
1
Unpaired quickly from the app, not useful.
on July 8, 2026
Posted by: DrDC
Unpaired as soon as I needed it. I bought it for my daughter who was going on an expedition and wanted to be able to see her location. But by the time she went in the device was unpaired and didn't do what I needed it to do.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin