Garmin has a new off-the-grid gadget for texting photos and audio

When
you’re
going
out
on
an
adventure
in
the
wilderness,
staying
connected
with
the
outside
world
can
sometimes
mean
the
difference
between
life
and
death.

Garmin’s
satellite-connected
devices
in
the
inReach
family
are
designed
to
keep
you
safe
and,
most
importantly,
keep
your
loved
ones
at
ease
while
you
are
out
in
the
wild.
Now,
the
inReach
family
has
a
new
member:
the
Garmin
inReach
Messenger
Plus.

As
its
name
suggests,
the
inReach
Messenger
Plus
is
an
upgraded
version
of
the
inReach
Messenger
($299.99
at
Garmin),
which
launched
in
2022.
Both
devices
connect
to
the
Iridium
satellite
network,
allowing
you
to
communicate
with
the
world
anywhere
in
which
you
have
a
direct
view
of
the
sky.
The
2022
Messenger,
though,
could
only
send
text
messages.
The
Messenger
Plus
is
the
first
device
in
the
inReach
family
that
supports
both
photo
and
audio
messages,
too.

Obviously,
the
biggest
appeal
to
this
new
feature
is
the
ability
to
send
photos
and
audio
clips
to
your
loved
ones
describing
all
the
gorgeous
things
you
spot
on
your
adventure,
regardless
of
if
you
have
cell
service
or
not.
However,
this
is
a
safety
feature
as
well.
If
you
were
to
be
stuck
in
some
sort
of
peril,
for
example,
being
able
to
send
out
photo
evidence
of
your
location
and
your
predicament
could
allow
emergency
responders
to
better
assist
in
your
rescue.
Similarly,
if
you
are
able
to
speak
but
unable
to
type,
the
ability
to
send
an
audio
message
could
be
a
huge
boon
to
your
safety
and
security.

As
with
all
other
inReach
devices,
the
Messenger
Plus
has
an
SOS
button.
Hitting
that
will
put
you
in
touch
with
emergency
services,
giving
you
peace
of
mind
that
your
current
adventure
won’t
be
your
last.
Additionally,
it
has
the
same
weeks-long
battery
life,
GPS
location
sharing,
weather
alert,
and
off-grid
navigation
capabilities
as
its
non-Plus
sibling.

The
Garmin
inReach
Messenger
Plus
is
available
now
for
$499.
To
use
all
the
messaging
and
SOS
features,
though,
you’ll
need
a
no-commitment
subscription
that
could
cost
you
anywhere
from
$14.95
to
$64.95
each
month,
depending
on
how
many
messages
you
want
to
send.