Garmin Pilot for Android -- Tech Support, Tips, Tricks

My wife upgraded to 5.0.1 on her 2012 Nexus, and reports that it is still somewhat inferior to Kit Kat in terms of speed and stability. That's a huge improvement over 5.0.

I talked to Garmin Tech last week about my experiments with finding a cure to the NEXRAD bug, and they mentioned that there were still problems with GP and Lollipop and recommended not upgrading for a while. I'll probably hold off until at least 5.0.2.

I had a similar Coke experience. I lost ten pounds almost immediately.
 
Paul Hamilton said:
My wife upgraded to 5.0.1 on her 2012 Nexus, and reports that it is still somewhat inferior to Kit Kat in terms of speed and stability. That's a huge improvement over 5.0.

I talked to Garmin Tech last week about my experiments with finding a cure to the NEXRAD bug, and they mentioned that there were still problems with GP and Lollipop and recommended not upgrading for a while. I'll probably hold off until at least 5.0.2.

I had a similar Coke experience. I lost ten pounds almost immediately.
Click to expand...

I wonder if that's a 2012/2013 issue, because as I said I haven't spotted any huge differences. I did convert from Dalvik to ART while still on KitKat, and was pretty sure I saw speed improvements in GP at that point, so switching to Lollipop didn't make any noticeable speed difference for me. BTW the current Lollipop is 5.0.2, and I understand 5.1 is on its way to be distributed OTA.
And yes, I lost the same 10 lbs, I think. :)
 
jsstevens said:
Yes! That's a pet peeve of mine too! Assuming the network is there doesn't just happen on mobile apps, although that's probably the worst. I travel with a laptop and usually don't want to pay $10-$15 dollars for internet for one night. (Higher end hotels charge, mid grade brands typically don't. What's up with that?) I can use my phone as a hot spot and I will if I need to but sometimes I'm just working. That shouldn't require the network. Sigh.

John
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Hotels that charge extra for Internet do not deserve your business. They never get mine.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Hotels that charge extra for Internet do not deserve your business. They never get mine.
Click to expand...

Given constraints of business travel and conference attendance, I don't always have that option.

But I don't like it and I've often wondered why higher end properties are usually the ones where everything is ala carte.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
jsstevens said:
But I don't like it and I've often wondered why higher end properties are usually the ones where everything is ala carte.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...

We discussed that in our ap economics class. Basically it boils down to "because they can". They are going to get a customer base just on the name alone. Unlike the 'average' hotel which needs to offer the best additions at a competitive price.
 
jsstevens said:
Given constraints of business travel and conference attendance, I don't always have that option.

But I don't like it and I've often wondered why higher end properties are usually the ones where everything is ala carte.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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This goes back to the big chain's business philosophy, which is "fleece them!"

When we bought our first hotel, we knew nothing, so we made lists of everything we hate about them. #4 on that list was the practice of keeping your account open throughout your stay, and larding on charges for every little thing. You would check in to a $99/night room, and leave with a $150 bill. WTH?

We vowed to find a better way, and did. To this day, 13 years later, at our hotel you pay up front, at check in. From that point on, everything is free, including wifi, parking, movies, and our delivered breakfast. The price is the price.

Oh, and no "resort fee", whatever the hell THAT is... lol
 
Anyone else getting notifications of "New Downloads available", when none, in fact, are?

I just got another one. Opened GP, went to Downloads, and everything is up to date... WTH?
 
Jay Honeck said:
Anyone else getting notifications of "New Downloads available", when none, in fact, are?

I just got another one. Opened GP, went to Downloads, and everything is up to date... WTH?
Click to expand...

I got that too, and in my case it was sectionals and wacs pending.
(CF-19 wac and Detroit sectional, plus others.)
 
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Jay Honeck said:
This goes back to the big chain's business philosophy, which is "fleece them!"

When we bought our first hotel, we knew nothing, so we made lists of everything we hate about them. #4 on that list was the practice of keeping your account open throughout your stay, and larding on charges for every little thing. You would check in to a $99/night room, and leave with a $150 bill. WTH?

We vowed to find a better way, and did. To this day, 13 years later, at our hotel you pay up front, at check in. From that point on, everything is free, including wifi, parking, movies, and our delivered breakfast. The price is the price.

Oh, and no "resort fee", whatever the hell THAT is... lol
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Interestingly enough, mid-priced hotel chains like Hampton Inn, Hilton Gardens, etc. don't do that. Only the higher end Westin, Hilton etc.

And let me know if you ever host a major technical conference. :wink2: That's what most of my travel is these days. It's worth the time/hassle savings to stay at the host hotel even when they act like this.

At any rate, I've always liked your concept and maybe someday I'll get to try it out.

John
 
RotorDude said:
I wonder if that's a 2012/2013 issue, because as I said I haven't spotted any huge differences. I did convert from Dalvik to ART while still on KitKat, and was pretty sure I saw speed improvements in GP at that point, so switching to Lollipop didn't make any noticeable speed difference for me. BTW the current Lollipop is 5.0.2, and I understand 5.1 is on its way to be distributed OTA.
And yes, I lost the same 10 lbs, I think. :)
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5.1 has been out for at least a week for Nexus 2012.
Factory reset and clean install didn't make it any better for me than pervious versions of Lollipop which rendered my tablet all but useless.
I went back to KitKat.
 
JoeSelch said:
5.1 has been out for at least a week for Nexus 2012.
Factory reset and clean install didn't make it any better for me than pervious versions of Lollipop which rendered my tablet all but useless.
I went back to KitKat.
Click to expand...


Sorry to hear.
5.1 is still not out (OTA) for 2013 N7 afaik.
 
I've got 5.1 on my older Nexus 7. I hate it. More and more apps hang, including major ones. And GP is about toast for me, and that's Garmin's fault. It can't access my subscriptions because they've changed their system. I need to log on with my old account and password. Hell, I can't remember those. They were saved with the app on my tablet and I promptly forgot them. So, I clicked on the link to get them restored and by the time I had a chance to look the link had expired. Get a clue, Garmin. Make it easy for your customers, not your IT idiots. I doubt I'll renew when the time comes. I like the tool, but I will NOT play 20 questions with vendors. I'm the customer, not you!
 
One datapoint: My new, latest/greatest tablet, the Samsung Galaxy S 8.4", came preloaded with KitKat, not Lollipop. Thankfully.

That says it all, right there, IMHO.
 
Jay Honeck said:
This goes back to the big chain's business philosophy, which is "fleece them!"

When we bought our first hotel, we knew nothing, so we made lists of everything we hate about them. #4 on that list was the practice of keeping your account open throughout your stay, and larding on charges for every little thing. You would check in to a $99/night room, and leave with a $150 bill. WTH?

We vowed to find a better way, and did. To this day, 13 years later, at our hotel you pay up front, at check in. From that point on, everything is free, including wifi, parking, movies, and our delivered breakfast. The price is the price.

Oh, and no "resort fee", whatever the hell THAT is... lol
Click to expand...
I can attest to this. Just spent 3 nights at JW Marriott Marquis in Miami for a conference. $450/night, $38/night for parking, then they have the audacity to demand $15/night for WiFi. I about came unglued. Then this morning I call down to have the valet pull the rental out so I can get to airport on time and it takes them 30 minutes AFTER I check out to bring me my damn car, not a happy camper and I do Marriott alot. They are gonna hear about this one.

'Gimp
 
AcroGimp said:
I can attest to this. Just spent 3 nights at JW Marriott Marquis in Miami for a conference. $450/night, $38/night for parking, then they have the audacity to demand $15/night for WiFi. I about came unglued. Then this morning I call down to have the valet pull the rental out so I can get to airport on time and it takes them 30 minutes AFTER I check out to bring me my damn car, not a happy camper and I do Marriott alot. They are gonna hear about this one.

'Gimp
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$450/night! For a MARRIOTT?

Dude...
 
4.2.2 update just released. It claims to fix the log-in problem.

I install the update, start the app....and it immediately asks me to log in. Argh.

This had BETTER be for the very last time, Garmin!
 
Jay Honeck said:
4.2.2 update just released. It claims to fix the log-in problem.

I install the update, start the app....and it immediately asks me to log in. Argh.

This had BETTER be for the very last time, Garmin!
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Funny.

I sent an e-mail last week complaining about how GP generates a login error when you start it and aren't connected to a network.

Service guy emails back and says, "OK, I just recreated it using your instructions. It's only an inconvenience, it doesn't affect any of the operation. I'll pass it along." I got that e-mail back from him either yesterday or the day before. Now I see there is an update, and it probably doesn't fix the problem that people are complaining about.

I'll install it in a few minutes, then maybe throw them another e-mail to add to their pile. I kind of feel sorry for the first line service people that have to get the e-mails. Whenever there is a release, even a minor one, new problems always show up within minutes. I just know those guys are thinking, "Well, fire up another pot of coffee, the development group just released another version. Here we go..."
 
Matthew said:
Funny.

I sent an e-mail last week complaining about how GP generates a login error when you start it and aren't connected to a network.

Service guy emails back and says, "OK, I just recreated it using your instructions. It's only an inconvenience, it doesn't affect any of the operation. I'll pass it along." I got that e-mail back from him either yesterday or the day before. Now I see there is an update, and it probably doesn't fix the problem that people are complaining about.

I'll install it in a few minutes, then maybe throw them another e-mail to add to their pile. I kind of feel sorry for the first line service people that have to get the e-mails. Whenever there is a release, even a minor one, new problems always show up within minutes. I just know those guys are thinking, "Well, fire up another pot of coffee, the development group just released another version. Here we go..."
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What irks me is that this is GARMIN.

I understand when Joe Blow has stupid problems with his app -- it's a complicated business, and ol' Joe is a one-man show. But this is GARMIN, dammit, and I think we should be able to expect better from the predominant avionics company.

Asking us to log in on a stand-alone aviation app illustrates ignorance of how the app is used at a very basic level.
 
YEah - they really are making themselves look bad with the way they do this kind of stuff.

By the way: I just installed the update and the login problem DOES seem to be fixed on mine.

Here's how I tested:

1) Exit GP, and make sure it's gone by clicking on the little square box on the lower right of the desktop screen. "X" on the GP app if it shows up in the list.

2) Turn off WiFi, or go into airplane mode.

3) Start GP.

What it did for me, until the update, was pop up an error message that I had to cancel "Account Error: Unexpected Error". Now, it does NOT do that.

Is that what you are seeing?

(GP v.4.2.2)
 
Jay Honeck said:
... Asking us to log in on a stand-alone aviation app illustrates ignorance of how the app is used at a very basic level.
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I read a while back that the GP developers were learning to fly. I wonder how that is going.
 
Installed 4.2.2 or whatever it is, and the first thing it said is "login to your account" :lol:
 
txflyer said:
Installed 4.2.2 or whatever it is, and the first thing it said is "login to your account" :lol:
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Didn't do that to me.

I installed the update, turned off wifi, started GP, and got no error messages or any other popups.

Dunno what's happening.
 
I'm willing to give 4.2.2 the benefit of the doubt on the Groundhog Day (repeated requests to sign in) issue. It asked me to give my Junior Woodchuck Secret Code and Password right after installing the update, but I assume that updating that section wiped out that data. It did not prompt me to login this morning.

The release notes say that the update addresses Grounhog Day and Dead NEXRAD, and that's good news for me. GP appears to be working as well as it did a month ago, which is all I asked for.
 
Matthew said:
Didn't do that to me.

I installed the update, turned off wifi, started GP, and got no error messages or any other popups.

Dunno what's happening.
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I'm flying at my desk, but I exited GP and turned off wi-fi and entered airplane mode and started GP back up.

Confirm Account
"Your Garmin account information
on this device has either expired or
you haven't entered it yet. Please
sign in to your Garmin account"

I just hit sign in and it went to GP and looks like it's operating. I guess the first sign in after the install set a cookie or something...:dunno: it could NOT have logged in over wi-fi or 4G. But it appears to be working sans weather or anything else of coarse, because it has no wi-fi or data from an antenna or 4G. It has GPS from the onboard G5 data, location is turned on. :confused:
 
txflyer said:
I'm flying at my desk, but I exited GP and turned off wi-fi and entered airplane mode and started GP back up.

Confirm Account
"Your Garmin account information
on this device has either expired or
you haven't entered it yet. Please
sign in to your Garmin account"

I just hit sign in and it went to GP and looks like it's operating. I guess the first sign in after the install set a cookie or something...:dunno: it could NOT have logged in over wi-fi or 4G. But it appears to be working sans weather or anything else of coarse, because it has no wi-fi or data from an antenna or 4G. It has GPS from the onboard G5 data, location is turned on. :confused:
Click to expand...


I'm desk flying too, and turning off the wifi. But I didn't/don't get that message. Maybe I DID have the wifi turned on the first time I ran it after the update and that let it get happy. But I thought I tried it first time without the wifi.

Until this update, I could get an error message every time it started with wifi turned off. Now I don't.
 
Matthew said:
I'm desk flying too, and turning off the wifi. But I didn't/don't get that message. Maybe I DID have the wifi turned on the first time I ran it after the update and that let it get happy. But I thought I tried it first time without the wifi.

Until this update, I could get an error message every time it started with wifi turned off. Now I don't.
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Next test is to see if it works at the airfield with no wifi, 4G, or anything ... :dunno:
 
Im having trouble with my Garmin GDL 39 3D staying connected via Bluetooth. Im using a Galaxy Tab 4 and already had Garmin send me a replacement GDL.
 
Woosh said:
Im having trouble with my Garmin GDL 39 3D staying connected via Bluetooth. Im using a Galaxy Tab 4 and already had Garmin send me a replacement GDL.
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Something's up. My original GDL-39 stays Bluetooth connected flawlessly, and has for over 2 years.

It also reconnects flawlessly, every time I get in the plane.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Something's up. My original GDL-39 stays Bluetooth connected flawlessly, and has for over 2 years.

It also reconnects flawlessly, every time I get in the plane.
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What device are you using to run the Garmin pilot app? Also are there any other applications for android that can communicate with the GDL?
 
Woosh said:
What device are you using to run the Garmin pilot app? Also are there any other applications for android that can communicate with the GDL?
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I've used Nexus 7 (2012) and Nexus 7 (2013) tablets, as well as my Samsung Galaxy S3 and S5 phones. Currently, my primary Garmin Pilot platform is a new Samsung Galaxy S 8.4" tablet.

All work(ed) fine.

Edit: I don't know of any other apps that can use the GDL-39. Garmin is just that way.
 
Finally figured it out. I cant connect to the GDL as "External GPS" in the Garmin Pilot app. I have to use the Connext method.
 
Woosh said:
Finally figured it out. I cant connect to the GDL as "External GPS" in the Garmin Pilot app. I have to use the Connext method.
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Interesting.

I've been using GP since before the Connext thing, and I now seem to recall having some difficulty with Bluetooth right after the update that added that feature. I fiddled around with it till I got it to work again, so I must have done whatever you did.

It is a wonderful app, and I've used it since Version 1.1, way back in 2012, but it sure would be nice if Garmin would settle on what it wants to do with it. I keep hoping that the app has reached maturity, but then Garmin does something that effs it up again.

Oh, well. Whenever I get frustrated, I try to remember what flying cross country was like with VORs, an ADF, and a sectional was like.
:)
 
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Jay Honeck said:
Interesting.

I've been using GP since before the Connext thing, and I now seem to recall having some difficulty with Bluetooth right after the update that added that feature. I fiddled around with it till I got it to work again, so I must have done whatever you did.

It is a wonderful app, and I've used it since Version 1.1, way back in 2012, but it sure would be nice if Garmin would settle on what it wants to do with it. I keep hoping that the app has reached maturity, but then Garmin does something that effs it up again.

Oh, well. Whenever I get frustrated, I try to remember what flying cross country was like with VORs, an ADF, and a sectional was like.
:)
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Well im still a student. Check ride is actually in two week so im very green when it comes to alternative navigation means.
 
Woosh said:
Well im still a student. Check ride is actually in two week so im very green when it comes to alternative navigation means.
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Be glad, my son. All the rosy recollections of ded reckoning and cross-referencing VORs are mostly hogwash. It was hard work.

GPS is God's gift to aviators. Enjoy it!
 
Never saw this before! The charts just....went away, midflight.

Everything else kept working -- even traffic. But no sectionals -- not even the base map!

I rebooted the tablet, and all is well. Weird.

Edit: Sorry for the ginormous pic. It's a link to Facebook, where it appears as a MUCH smaller picture.

11122266_828946990474530_1259963201_o.jpg
 
Jay Honeck said:
Never saw this before! The charts just....went away, midflight.

Everything else kept working -- even traffic. But no sectionals -- not even the base map!

I rebooted the tablet, and all is well. Weird.

Edit: Sorry for the ginormous pic. It's a link to Facebook, where it appears as a MUCH smaller picture.
Click to expand...

I just got back from a ~6 hr trip with the latest Android 5.0.2, GP 4.2.2, running on my dual 2013 N7 setup, and all was well. Traffic, weather, charting and overall stability and response all seemed fine.
If I had to guess, based on my experience, that glitch that you encountered may be related to the Android OS itself. I have had some cases in the past where the map refused to refresh for prolonged periods, but that was a few revs back (of both Android OS and GP), and since that time the "frozen refresh" issue seems to have been fixed.
 
So, ADSB IN to Garmin pilot... what weather information does it give you?
Does it give you local METARs? Winds? Radar summary of precipitation?

Never used it. Curious. Thanks.
 
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