Google Maps reached Garmin smartwatches on 8 July 2025, but through Garmin’s Connect IQ ecosystem rather than a Google-made watch platform. On compatible Garmin models, an Android phone supplies the destination and the watch delivers glanceable, turn-by-turn prompts, vibration alerts and a preview of the next three turns while continuing to record an activity.
What the Garmin Google Maps upgrade does
The Connect IQ Google Maps app extends directions from a paired Android phone to the watch. Enter a destination on the phone, then follow the route from your wrist. The watch can vibrate when a turn is approaching and display the next three turns, reducing the need to pull out a phone while walking, cycling or running.
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Workout recording continues in the background, so navigation does not replace the activity features Garmin users are already using. This is a companion experience: the phone remains part of the setup, while the watch provides the immediate prompts.
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Tom’s Guide’s 8 July 2025 report listed the following families and models as compatible at launch:
#1 Best Overall
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode (5 days display always-on)
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
| Garmin family | Models listed as compatible |
|---|---|
| Forerunner | 165, 165 Music, 265, 265S, 570, 955, 965 and 970 |
| Venu | Venu 3, Venu 3S and Venu X1 |
| vívoactive | vívoactive 5 and vívoactive 6 |
| fēnix | fēnix 7 and fēnix 8 lines |
| epix | epix Gen 2 and epix Pro lines |
| Enduro | Enduro 2 and Enduro 3 |
Garmin can add or remove Connect IQ compatibility as software changes. Treat this as the launch list reported on 8 July 2025 and check the current Google Maps listing in Connect IQ before buying or updating a watch.
The major limitation: Android is required
The launch rollout required an Android smartphone. The report specifically said iPhone users had to wait, so Google Maps directions were not available to iOS users in that release. Owning a listed Garmin model alone was not enough; the phone platform was also a requirement.
Rank #2
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
Because the feature depends on the phone connection, it should not be treated as an independent, phone-free navigation system. If the watch and Android phone are not connected, the handoff of a new destination may fail or stop updating.
The Tool Desk
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- Confirm the prerequisites. Use a Garmin model from the compatible list, an Android phone and a working Bluetooth connection between the phone and watch.
- Install the Connect IQ app. On the Android phone, open Garmin’s Connect IQ store, search for Google Maps and install the watch app if it is offered for your model.
- Complete the watch installation. Follow the Connect IQ prompts to send the app to the paired watch, then allow any connection or notification permissions requested by the phone and Garmin software.
- Choose a destination in Google Maps. Start directions on the connected Android phone. The watch should receive the route prompts through the integration.
- Start your activity if needed. Begin a walk, run or ride on the watch. Navigation prompts and workout recording can run together.
- Follow the wrist prompts. Use the vibration alert and the turn list to anticipate the next maneuver. Keep the phone available if you need the full Google Maps view or must change the destination.
Menu names and permissions can change with Garmin firmware, Android versions and Connect IQ updates. If Google Maps does not appear in the store, first verify the watch model, phone compatibility and software updates rather than assuming the feature is supported.
Rank #3
- Designed with a bright, colorful AMOLED display, get a more complete picture of your health, thanks to battery life of up to 11 days in smartwatch mode
- Body Battery energy monitoring helps you understand when you’re charged up or need to rest, with even more personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress levels, workouts and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Get a sleep score and personalized sleep coaching for how much sleep you need — and get tips on how to improve plus key metrics such as HRV status to better understand your health (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
- Find new ways to keep your body moving with more than 30 built-in indoor and GPS sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, HIIT, swimming, golf and more
- Wheelchair mode tracks pushes — rather than steps — and includes push and handcycle activities with preloaded workouts for strength, cardio, HIIT, Pilates and yoga, challenges specific to wheelchair users and more (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked)
What you see on the watch versus Garmin’s own navigation
The integration is aimed at street-level guidance. Its practical output is a vibration and a concise preview of upcoming turns, not a replacement for every mapping feature on higher-end Garmin devices.
| Navigation approach | Best suited to | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| Connect IQ Google Maps | City walks, runs and bike rides when an Android phone is connected | Real-time turn prompts, vibration alerts and the next three turns |
| Garmin built-in maps | Users with models that include full mapping hardware and software | On-device map views and broader route context, depending on model |
| Garmin breadcrumb tools | Following a prepared or recorded route | A course trace to follow rather than Google’s street-by-street destination guidance |
Garmin’s built-in maps and breadcrumb tools were already strong, but the cited report described pedestrian, street-level turn-by-turn guidance as less impressive. Google Maps addresses that particular gap for compatible Android users.
Rank #4
- Make a bold statement with this rugged GPS smartwatch, featuring a 0.9” display with solar charging lens and unlimited battery life with solar charging (assumes all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions)
- Engineered with a supertough 45 mm fiber-reinforced polymer case and metal-reinforced bezel
- Built-in LED flashlight with variable intensities and strobe modes gives you greater visibility in the outdoors and provides convenient illumination when you need it
- Know your body better with health monitoring features, including wrist-based heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, Pulse Ox and more (this is not a medical device, and data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked; Pulse Ox not available in all countries)
- Navigate confidently with a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter and multi-band GPS with SatIQ technology, which delivers superior positioning while also optimizing battery life
Who benefits most
- Urban walkers: Vibration cues and short turn lists are easier to check discreetly than a phone at every intersection.
- Runners: You can keep an activity recording while receiving route prompts.
- Cyclists: Wrist alerts can reduce how often you stop to inspect a phone, although traffic safety still requires attention to the road.
- Garmin owners without full maps: The feature adds street directions to models whose existing navigation may focus on courses or breadcrumbs.
Where it falls short
- No iPhone support at launch: The 8 July 2025 rollout did not support iOS users.
- Phone dependence: Destination entry and route updates begin on the connected Android phone.
- Limited watch presentation: Three upcoming turns and vibration are useful for glanceable guidance, but they are not the same as a full phone map.
- Changing compatibility: Connect IQ availability can vary by model and software version, so the launch list should not be treated as permanent.
Bottom line for Garmin buyers
This is a meaningful convenience upgrade, not a wholesale replacement for Garmin’s dedicated mapping features. If you walk, run or cycle in cities, use Android and own—or plan to buy—one of the listed watches, Google Maps can put timely prompts on your wrist while your workout continues. iPhone owners and anyone seeking phone-free navigation still need to rely on the watch’s existing Garmin tools or wait for a change in platform support.
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Best Value
- Easy-to-use running watch monitors heart rate (this is not a medical device) at the wrist and uses GPS to track how far, how fast and where you’ve run.Special Feature:Bluetooth.
- Battery life: up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode; up to 20 hours in GPS mode
- Plan your race day strategy with the PacePro feature (not compatible with on-device courses), which offers GPS-based pace guidance for a selected course or distance
- Run your best with helpful training tools, including race time predictions and finish time estimates
- Track all the ways you move with built-in activity profiles for running, cycling, track run, virtual run, pool swim, Pilates, HIIT, breathwork and more
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