Getting routes onto Garmin via phone

Let’s say I’ve got a link to a GPX file or I’ve downloaded one onto my phone. I’ve only got my phone and my Garmin Edge Explore 2. Is there any way I can get the route onto my Edge? I’ve been poking around the (Android) Garmin Connect app and if there’s a way to add them from there then I can’t see it.

I do have my Garmin synced to my Strava account but I can’t see a way to do it there either.

Strava syncs to your Garmin Connect account which in turn is the thing that talks to your Edge.

I’ve got the Edge Explore 2 as well and it’s spot on. Create route on Strava (laptop or phone), turn on Garmin and the route appears in a few moments.

Your Strava account needs to talk to the Connect one, there’s somewhere in the permissions for both where you just put in the “yes, I want to sync” and it’ll take care of it all. Then whatever you do on Strava will appear on Connect and then on Garmin. Same in reverse too – hit Save on the Garmin at the end of a ride, it’ll upload to Connect and then push it to Strava.

I hate Connect, the only purpose it serves it to push things to and from Strava which is where I create and save all my routes.

To upload an external GPX (on the website) go to Create Route and click the little upload button top left. Not sure on phone app – quite honestly the Strava website and app seem to have been written by two completely different teams, neither of whom have ever met!

I don’t know about Android, but on iPhone the steps to do it are as follows:

1. Download the GPX file
2. Open it from within downloads
3. It’ll open as a text file with a list of lattitude and longitudes
4. Press the share/export button (arrow going vertically put of the top of the square
5. Choose the Garmin Connect app from the pop up menu

I’m sure the Android process will be similar.

You can do it easily from the Connect website – just import the gpx file into the Courses section & send it to the Edge. Bizarrely the Import option is missing from the Courses section of the App but there’s a workaround here

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/how-do-i-import-gpx-a-garmin-using-the-app/

which I think is what Kramer’s post does.

Doesn’t the Strava route sharing require the relevant ConnectIQ app to be installed on the head unit (that’s what I use in my Edge 530)…??

Anyway, there are also Komoot and RideWithGPS ConnectIQ apps which make loading routes into a head unit easy without a laptop/PC…

If it’s on your phone then Files…. Open will ask what App you want to use. Choose Connect and it’ll appear there as a Course (under Training & Planning). If your Explorer is syncing to Connect then it should just pop up on that next time they are Synced.

Anyway, there are also Komoot and RideWithGPS ConnectIQ apps which make loading routes into a head unit easy without a laptop/PC…

For Komoot, you don’t need the ConnectIQ app on your Edge 530. Just have Komoot syncing routes to Connect.

If it’s on your phone then Files…. Open will ask what App you want to use. Choose Connect and it’ll appear there as a Course

Perfect, thanks to everyone who pointed this out!