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

Right now the display is of steam gauges, but Garmin plans in the near future to roll out a synthetic-vision version that will closely approximate its panel-mount PFD products.
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From this sentence in the article, maybe they are going to add SVT? I guess all you need to do it is the nav data and the AHRS.

But I bet if they do, it won't be free.
 
txflyer said:
From this sentence in the article, maybe they are going to add SVT? I guess all you need to do it is the nav data and the AHRS.

But I bet if they do, it won't be free.
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Well, if it works as well as the vector maps in the article's screenshot on Android, then we might be waiting a while...
 
Anybody know how to get a Nexus 7 tablet out of landscape mode? I've rebooted and gone through the display settings, but no luck. My daughter was the last one on it, so I don't have any idea what she was doing when it happened.

I looked it up online, but nothing really seemed to be aimed at my problem.
 
ScottK said:
Anybody know how to get a Nexus 7 tablet out of landscape mode? I've rebooted and gone through the display settings, but no luck. My daughter was the last one on it, so I don't have any idea what she was doing when it happened.

I looked it up online, but nothing really seemed to be aimed at my problem.
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Get back on the home screen. Swipe down from the upper right to reveal a drop-down settings screen. Turn on auto-rotate. Roll the tablet and hesitate on desired orientation. The tablet screen should roll a second later. Hit auto-rotate again and it will toggle off.
 
MSPAviator said:
Get back on the home screen. Swipe down from the upper right to reveal a drop-down settings screen. Turn on auto-rotate. Roll the tablet and hesitate on desired orientation. The tablet screen should roll a second later. Hit auto-rotate again and it will toggle off.
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Hot damn! Thought I looked all through that, but must've missed it. Thanks.

Guess it's time to get my daughter set up on a user profile. Just the other day, she bought (2) 100 packs of exploding angry birds at 16.95 each. That was a $35 lesson in purchase permissions.

Thanks again.
 
OK - need to re-up my subscription to GP for Nexus. Looks like it's $75 (I thought it was a lot less last year when I first got it.)

Anybody know of any discounts out there?
 
Oops. Thanks for the correction.
 
kgruber said:
For the iPad version.
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And so the inferiority trend for Android GP continues. A side-by-side comparison with the iOS version's features would not be flattering for GP on Android. Yet Garmin markets it as the same product. And I pay the same price as the guy who gets the superior iPad version. Still no dynamic mapping on Android, and no option for synthetic vision (not that I'd necessarily do the upgrade in all fairness). Anyways... :mad:
 
This is probably my last post to this thread. My Garmin Pilot has expired and I'm not renewing it. I'll be signing up with iFly GPS when my trial/beta subscription runs out.

I went with GP a year ago thinking that they would quickly consolidate their position as the leader on the Android platform by updating their app to match the iThings GP. Instead they have given me nothing of value and appear to have no interest in doing anything but harvesting the revenue they now receive from Android users (and selling GDL-39s).


iFly, in contrast, is investing and improving. Yes, it may not match GP in all features but the direction is clearly to increase competitiveness and to lead where possible. That's worth supporting. The fact that I like the UI better and that iFly does not lock users into a proprietary ADS-B box are additional plusses.
 
Marauder said:
I've had a similar issue with the Nexus reporting that I don't have a valid SafeTaxi subscription but it comes up fine on my iPad 2.
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I was told that even though a Garmin Pilot subscription allows for 2 devices Safe Taxi and Geo Referenced Charts do not share two devices, they only work on the device they were ordered from.
 
GP for android is starting to come across like buying a knock-off and not getting the real Louis Vitton ... :(

Garmin is the benchmark for panels and portables, but their android app is struggling imo.
 
txflyer said:
GP for android is starting to come across like buying a knock-off and not getting the real Louis Vitton ... :(

Garmin is the benchmark for panels and portables, but their android app is struggling imo.
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I'm still open to something better on Android. WingX is a non-starter on that platform ( I hear it's great on an iPad ) and FF doesn't even have an offering. Suggestions?
 
Suggestions?
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I just switched from GP to iFly GPS. They've recently popped up with an Android beta that IMO has the potential to be the top Android EFB app.


  • The development is very active, with a new release every few weeks. Very unlike Garmin's somnolent approach to feature development.
  • The team is very responsive to questions and suggestions posted on their forums, including letting users know what features are in development.
  • The display of parameters (speed, ETE, ETA, etc.) is very innovative, allowing you to put what you want, at the size you want, wherever you want it on the screen. You can create and save custom layouts and switch easily among them. There is also an HSI and (with AHRS) an attitude indicator available.
  • You can get things done with fewer clicks than GP.
  • Shortcomings (like only one airplane profile, no on-line flight plan filing) are in the works and only a short time in the future.
  • iFly supports multiple ADS-B box vendors, doesn't lock you into one proprietary product.
  • Taxi diagrams can be set to pop up automatically and, where there is no full-page FAA diagram, a satellite shot of the airport pops up.
The app is a pleasure to use and it is the kind of development effort that I am very happy to support with my money. The money, incidentally, is $110/year for everything. Charts, plates, airport taxi diagrams, etc. and all georeferenced. 13 months for the price of 12 if you buy direct from the company.

(The Usual Disclaimer: I'm just an enthusiastic new user and have no connection to the company.)
 
Ghery said:
I'm still open to something better on Android. WingX is a non-starter on that platform ( I hear it's great on an iPad ) and FF doesn't even have an offering. Suggestions?
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There is a totally free app called 'Avare' that I have installed, and it's pretty good.

It's open source, and free ... so far.
 
txflyer said:
GP for android is starting to come across like buying a knock-off and not getting the real Louis Vitton ... :(

Garmin is the benchmark for panels and portables, but their android app is struggling imo.
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Watch for the next release...it brings it much closer to the iPad version....finally.
 
airdale said:
I just switched from GP to iFly GPS. They've recently popped up with an Android beta that IMO has the potential to be the top Android EFB app.


  • The development is very active, with a new release every few weeks. Very unlike Garmin's somnolent approach to feature development.
  • The team is very responsive to questions and suggestions posted on their forums, including letting users know what features are in development.
  • The display of parameters (speed, ETE, ETA, etc.) is very innovative, allowing you to put what you want, at the size you want, wherever you want it on the screen. You can create and save custom layouts and switch easily among them. There is also an HSI and (with AHRS) an attitude indicator available.
  • You can get things done with fewer clicks than GP.
  • Shortcomings (like only one airplane profile, no on-line flight plan filing) are in the works and only a short time in the future.
  • iFly supports multiple ADS-B box vendors, doesn't lock you into one proprietary product.
  • Taxi diagrams can be set to pop up automatically and, where there is no full-page FAA diagram, a satellite shot of the airport pops up.
The app is a pleasure to use and it is the kind of development effort that I am very happy to support with my money. The money, incidentally, is $110/year for everything. Charts, plates, airport taxi diagrams, etc. and all georeferenced. 13 months for the price of 12 if you buy direct from the company.

(The Usual Disclaimer: I'm just an enthusiastic new user and have no connection to the company.)
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But it's ugly as sin and doesn't "feel" right for some reason. I just took another look at it last week and remembered why I uninstalled it the first time.
 
Does anyone know where the "pilot controlled lighting" shows up in GP Android, especially the radio frequency?

Airports I see that I know have it just say "full time lighting."
 
kgruber said:
Does anyone know where the "pilot controlled lighting" shows up in GP Android, especially the radio frequency?

Airports I see that I know have it just say "full time lighting."
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The Android version doesn't yet have the A/FD. That said, usually the standard CTAF freq activates pilot-controlled lighting.
 
kgruber said:
Does anyone know where the "pilot controlled lighting" shows up in GP Android, especially the radio frequency?

Airports I see that I know have it just say "full time lighting."
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BTW, under the Airport information page, click on the Runways and it will tell you if lighting is full time or pilot controlled. That's true in either platform.
 
But it's ugly as sin
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I have been beta testing EFB software for close to ten years. I've come to the conclusion that the apps should have two display modes, "pretty" and "flight." The "pretty" display mode has the dancing bears, patriotic tunes, subtle icons, etc. and its purpose is to sell the product. It looks great to the customer in his easy chair at home. The "flight" display mode is ugly, with harsh and contrasty white on black lettering, brightly color coded function buttons, zero obscure icons, etc. It works well in a bright cockpit like most low-wings.

IMO iFly is sort of on the fence, with a bias towards the "flight" type functional but ugly display. That's one of the reasons I like it, but obviously YMMV.

and doesn't "feel" right for some reason.
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Another thing I have learned over the years is that the most obnoxious software is the stuff that functionally replaces something that I have become comfortable using. Like a new release of M$ Word. All the comfortable tricks and shortcuts are gone, I have to hunt around for things that I used to know how to find instantly, etc. I get angry. But I have not yet discovered all the cool new things that the replacement can do and I have not yet developed a new set of tricks. The Word "ribbon" is the poster child. I still hate the damned thing. So IMO that's the reason new software doesn't automatically "feel" right for me. Maybe for you too?
 
airdale said:
I have been beta testing EFB software for close to ten years. I've come to the conclusion that the apps should have two display modes, "pretty" and "flight." The "pretty" display mode has the dancing bears, patriotic tunes, subtle icons, etc. and its purpose is to sell the product. It looks great to the customer in his easy chair at home. The "flight" display mode is ugly, with harsh and contrasty white on black lettering, brightly color coded function buttons, zero obscure icons, etc. It works well in a bright cockpit like most low-wings.

IMO iFly is sort of on the fence, with a bias towards the "flight" type functional but ugly display. That's one of the reasons I like it, but obviously YMMV.

Another thing I have learned over the years is that the most obnoxious software is the stuff that functionally replaces something that I have become comfortable using. Like a new release of M$ Word. All the comfortable tricks and shortcuts are gone, I have to hunt around for things that I used to know how to find instantly, etc. I get angry. But I have not yet discovered all the cool new things that the replacement can do and I have not yet developed a new set of tricks. The Word "ribbon" is the poster child. I still hate the damned thing. So IMO that's the reason new software doesn't automatically "feel" right for me. Maybe for you too?
Click to expand...

Elegantly designed software can have great functionality and aesthetics. It should be intuitively obviously without having to learn all sorts of "tricks" to use it. To date, ForeFlight continues to be the one most closely fitting my definition above. They're not perfect and there are features I like better in GP and FlyQ, but overall it's still the best....in my opinion. I currently have IFR subscriptions to all three, but default to FF 90% of the time.
 
LDJones said:
ForeFlight ... overall it's still the best.
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Oh, I don't disagree. I liked it quite a bit during my short ownership of an iThing. But now on Android I don't have that option.

What I tell others is that if you're primarily interested in having a tablet for flying and you can stand the price, the iPad is the way to go. FF, WingX, GP are probably all superior to what you can get on Android. If you're not much of a computer guy and want to do other work as well, the iPad is probably still the choice. If you're a computer guy and want to do other work, the Apple "locked garden" approach to computing will drive you nuts. So buy Android.
 
LDJones said:
I'll have to defer to the Garmin folks on that. Their beta cycles aren't very long so I suspect you'll see it soon enough.
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Seeing as Sun n Fun is early April it sure would be a good time for a release. I'm hoping since the Android updates have been rare lately it's because they're putting all their time into features.
 
Our subscription is up in May, so hopefully they'll get up to speed before then.

GP is pretty, and I find it easy to use, but the constant lag behind the iOS boys gets old.

I'm not liking being locked into ADS-B proprietary equipment either. I'm going to have to think about that going forward ...
 
airdale said:
Oh, I don't disagree. I liked it quite a bit during my short ownership of an iThing. But now on Android I don't have that option.

What I tell others is that if you're primarily interested in having a tablet for flying and you can stand the price, the iPad is the way to go. FF, WingX, GP are probably all superior to what you can get on Android. If you're not much of a computer guy and want to do other work as well, the iPad is probably still the choice. If you're a computer guy and want to do other work, the Apple "locked garden" approach to computing will drive you nuts. So buy Android.
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I'm both. The Nexus 7 second gen is my backup, hence my need for GP. That way I don't have all my eggs in a single basket. I often have both running in flight...sometimes just for the entertainment of passengers.
 
I just saw that yesterday when I downloaded a bunch of updated charts. It's pretty nice.

Now - if I can just figure out why GP keeps turning itself off. Frequently, I'll be navigating around through the menus and the GP will simply minimize itself. It doesn't shut down or stop, it just minimizes and I end up at the desktop. Re-opening or going to the recently used programs screen and then clicking on it brings it right back up to where I was. This started a couple weeks ago after I renewed the subscription - I guess I got my money's worth on that one.
 
Just as I was about to complain about the lack of progress from Garmin, low and behold they drop an update, to 3.0.0 - not even showing on the Play Market exactly - lots of changes - played with it for about 30 minutes paired to FSX familiarizing myself with the Porterville CA area in preparation for a Red Star Pilots Association event next week - looks nice and I didn't really explore the features.

New Data driven vector basemaps
New all map options moved to map popover
New now showing map scale bottom left corner after zoom/pan
New added options to show items on the map only at specified scale
New Safe Taxi render on Main Map and stand alone or split screen
New extended runway centerline options
New added range rings with config options
New Added ownship track vector line
New Added night mode option for map
New Added auto-zoom feature to optionally control zoom level when takeoff/landing
New distance measure tool
New two finger tap to zoom out
New one finger zoom by double tap
Improved better handling of identifiers using airways
Improved XM weather show over rendered map
Changed active FPL renamed to Flight Plan
Changed file & brief renamed to Trip Planning

I have checked out the vector VFR and IFR basemaps, verrrrry nice. I'll try and get some more sim time in to evaluate the various features.

Check it out when you get a chance and post up your reviews.

'Gimp
 
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Sounds like they are getting more like Foreflight with many of those features
 
AcroGimp said:
Just as I was about to complain about the lack of progress from Garmin, low and behold they drop an update, to 3.0.0 - not even showing on the Play Market exactly - lots of changes - played with it for about 30 minutes paired to FSX familiarizing myself with the Porterville CA area in preparation for a Red Star Pilots Association event next week - looks nice and I didn't really explore the features.

New Data driven vector basemaps
New all map options moved to map popover
New now showing map scale bottom left corner after zoom/pan
New added options to show items on the map only at specified scale
New Safe Taxi render on Main Map and stand alone or split screen
New extended runway centerline options
New added range rings with config options
New Added ownship track vector line
New Added night mode option for map
New Added auto-zoom feature to optionally control zoom level when takeoff/landing
New distance measure tool
New two finger tap to zoom out
New one finger zoom by double tap
Improved better handling of identifiers using airways
Improved XM weather show over rendered map
Changed active FPL renamed to Flight Plan
Changed file & brief renamed to Trip Planning

I have checked out the vector VFR and IFR basemaps, verrrrry nice. I'll try and get some more sim time in to evaluate the various features.

Check it out when you get a chance and post up your reviews.

'Gimp
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How'd you get the update if it isn't showing in the market?
 
AcroGimp said:
Just as I was about to complain about the lack of progress from Garmin, low and behold they drop an update, to 3.0.0 - not even showing on the Play Market exactly - lots of changes - played with it for about 30 minutes paired to FSX familiarizing myself with the Porterville CA area in preparation for a Red Star Pilots Association event next week - looks nice and I didn't really explore the features.
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The new features are nice but one thing I noticed, at least for me (running on a Galaxy Note 10.1 2012 version) is that the charts - not the new vector maps, but the old sectionals / enroutes - look a lot worse in the new version. Here's an example with screen shots from both 2.8.1 and 3.0. I tried to zoom in on the same location, but all the charts look the same way. (Hopefully this website keeps both images at full 100% size, otherwise it'll be hard to compare!)

I'm about to send an email to Garmin tech support to see what they have to say. Has anyone else seen this or is it something specific to my installation or device?
 

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Groundpounder said:
How'd you get the update if it isn't showing in the market?
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Your subscription will cause your GP to auto-update. They roll it out a little at a time, it seems to take about a week for everyone to get their updates pushed to them. I haven't gotten my update notice yet, either.


Edit: just got my update notice about a minute ago.
 
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While I don't have any real world flight time on it yet, this appears to be a BIG update that brings a bit more parity to the iPad offering from Garmin - many if not most of the featureset we have been asking for Android for some time are finally in this version.

The vector basemaps are nice and highly customizable, I can see using them quite a bit.

Seems like a solid and overdue update so far.

'Gimp
 
AcroGimp said:
While I don't have any real world flight time on it yet, this appears to be a BIG update that brings a bit more parity to the iPad offering from Garmin - many if not most of the featureset we have been asking for Android for some time are finally in this version.

The vector basemaps are nice and highly customizable, I can see using them quite a bit.

Seems like a solid and overdue update so far.

'Gimp
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Absolutely. This is the mother of all updates. Looks like they were slow-rolling us and have finally given us (me at least) everything we wanted. The vector maps is really what I was waiting for. Thanks Garmin! I no longer feel like a second class GP citizen.

Also, the measuring tool is awesome, but essentially identical to ForeFlight. Guess FF never got it patented...?
 
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