Messaging Overview
A field user can send from an inReach device on its own, or from the Companion App paired to that device. A Hub admin can send from the Hub, including straight from a track point on the map. Every message lands in the same conversation record, so the team can see what was said and when.
A complete guide to the ways you can send a message, what message status means, and how to fix messages that will not go through.
Start by asking yourself one question: are you sending the message from the field, or sending it from the Hub? Pick your path below.
I'm in the field and need to send a message
| Device Messaging | Send a text or a preset message from the inReach itself. Each device model has its own quick-reference guide with the exact button path. Read: EVERYWHERE Field User Guides for Garmin Devices → |
| App Messaging | Message from your phone with a full keyboard. Once the Companion App is paired to your inReach, Intelligent Routing picks the fastest path available at the moment you hit send. Read: How to Download the EVERYWHERE Companion Mobile App → |
| Pairing First | App messaging only works once the phone and the inReach are paired. Walk through it here before you head out. Watch: Bluetooth Pairing Tutorial → |
I manage a team and need to message from the Hub
| Message from a Track Point | On the Tracking page, click a device's location point on the map to open its info panel, then send a message to that device from there. This is the fastest way to reach one person when you are already looking at where they are. |
| Mass Notifications | Send one message to a whole team, a display group, or everyone inside a geofence. Use this when the same information needs to reach many people at once. Read: Mass Notifications Overview → |
| System Notifications | Set up who gets told, and how, when the Hub fires an event such as an SOS, a geofence breach, or a missed check-in. Read: How to Set-up System Notifications → |
My message will not send
| Send Troubleshooting | The two most common causes are a blocked view of the sky and a device that has not synced with the network yet. This article walks through both, plus what to send support if neither one fixes it. Read: Why Aren't my Messages Sending? → |
| Config Key Errors | If the app will not let you send at all and shows a configuration key error, the app is not tied to an active device record yet. Start here. Read: Why am I seeing the "Invalid Configuration Key" error? → |
The Five Ways to Send a Message at a Glance
| Method | Who Sends It | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| inReach on its own | The person in the field | Short text when the phone is dead, packed away, or out of coverage |
| Preset (check-in) message | The person in the field | A fast, predefined message to recipients set up in the Hub |
| Companion App paired to an inReach | The person in the field | Everyday messaging across cellular, Wi-Fi, and satellite |
| Hub message to a device or team | An admin in the Hub | Instructions, replies, and updates from the operations desk |
| Hub message from a track point | An admin in the Hub | Reaching one person you have already found on the map |
Common Send Problems and What They Usually Mean
| What You See | What It Usually Means | First Thing to Try |
|---|---|---|
| The message sits in a sending or queued state | The device cannot see enough open sky to reach an Iridium satellite | Step outside, away from tree cover, vehicles, and tall buildings, and point the device at the sky |
| Nothing sends at all on a new or newly activated device | The device has not finished its first sync with the network | Run Test Service from the device menu and wait for the confirmation message to come back |
| The message sent, but the reply is slow to arrive | Over satellite the device keeps its modem off between transmissions to save battery, so the reply waits for the next one | Wait for the next scheduled track point, or send another message to pull the reply down |
| The app will not send and shows a configuration key error | The app is not tied to an active device record in the Hub | Follow the configuration key article above, then have your Hub admin confirm the device is assigned to you |
| You have cell bars, but the message went over satellite | Intelligent Routing queued the message on both paths and used whichever one delivered first | Nothing. This is the system working as designed |
What to expect from satellite messaging
- Messages sent over Iridium are text only, and each one is capped at 160 characters. Longer messages are split.
- Delivery can take seconds, or it can take up to 30 minutes, depending on where the person is and what is overhead. It can take longer when tracking is turned off.
- Clouds and storms do not block Iridium messages. Roofs, canyon walls, and heavy canopy do.
- When the Companion App is paired and in cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, messages move at normal phone speed. The satellite path is the fallback, and it kicks in about 60 seconds after a message fails to deliver over data.