Connecting Etrex to an Android phone

[Steve Orchard]

Does anyone know if it is possible to connect an Etrex to an Android phone? I am going to be away for 4 weeks and would like to be able to transfer rides recorded on the Etrex to then upload to Strava and to get DIYs validated etc via a phone rather than waiting until I have access to a PC.
If it is possible what cables would be needed? Phone has USB C socket.

Thanks

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[madamemugwump]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carlopescio.uploader

May well be what you're after.

The Uploader for Garmin can read data from your Garmin Forerunner, Edge, eTrex, Oregon, etc, store data in your phone, save the TCX or FIT file to SD card, send activity via email, and upload to:
- Garmin Connect
- Training Peaks
- Endomondo
- RunningAHEAD
- Strava

[Kim]

You need a USB-C (male) to USB A (female) adaptor, which may be described as "OTG" (ie. same thing you'd use to connect a USB flash drive to your phone).  If you plug the eTrex in and wait an implausibly long time, the eTrex and its SD card should eventually mount, and you'll be able to copy files back and forward using your file manager of choice.

Uploading to Strava is a tricky one, because the Strava app has no concept of "upload this file".  The website works fine, though (possibly in desktop mode - it's been a while since I've done it, my preferred workflow is to SCP the file to my server as a backup, where I have a small shell script to handle the upload to Strava).

You can open the track locally in apps like OSMAnd or Viewranger, and even create Routes to copy to the eTrex.

[Kim]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carlopescio.uploader

May well be what you're after.

That shouldn't be necessary for an eTrex.  (But might be convenient?)

[grams]

Uploading GPX files from a phone to the Strava website works fine. The option is at the bottom of the Hamburger menu.

[mcshroom]

It works, but it is slow. Even slower if you choose to edit the gpx files to add "with barometer" to the device name.

[Kim]

It works, but it is slow. Even slower if you choose to edit the gpx files to add "with barometer" to the device name.

Ah yes, that's the other thing my script does.

[Ian H]

Android has got better at seeing what's on the Etrex.  It now sees both the unit and the SD card.  I haven't tried the Strava app, but the website works, if a bit fiddly on a phone.

[Kim]

Android has got better at seeing what's on the Etrex.  It now sees both the unit and the SD card.

Ah yes, there was a time when it would only see the card, unless you removed it, then it would see the internal memory.  That got fixed well before USB-C happened, thobut.

[madamemugwump]

I've been using the Uploader app I linked to for years. It falls into the 'just works' category for me. Plug my Garmin (Edge 305) cable into an OTG cable connected to my android phone and bingo. Download files from the Edge and upload them to Garmin connect (or Strava* or Endomondo or other options)

This may all be moot however as the Uploader app might not work with the Extrex (some don't apparently) It's a matter of suck it and see.

*The Strava upload is not working at the moment, and probably won't again, as Strava changed their interface recently and the Uploader developer may not mod his app. There is a workaround; enable Garmin sync on your Strava account.

[Ben T]

If the android device can write to the card, you can take the micro SD card out of the etrex and put it in the android device, write a route to it and then transfer it back. No need for a USB or OTG cable.

[mcshroom]

If the android device can write to the card, you can take the micro SD card out of the etrex and put it in the android device, write a route to it and then transfer it back. No need for a USB or OTG cable.

Unfortunately Garmin, in their infinite wisdom, decided that it would only record to the device, rather than the SD card.

[Ben T]

If the android device can write to the card, you can take the micro SD card out of the etrex and put it in the android device, write a route to it and then transfer it back. No need for a USB or OTG cable.

Unfortunately Garmin, in their infinite wisdom, decided that it would only record to the device, rather than the SD card.

Yes, true. But if you want to go the other way, i.e. to transfer a route you've downloaded from the Android device, in order to navigate on the device, then it will read from the GPX folder of the card (mine does anyway) - that's what I was thinking of.

[Kim]

TBH, I prefer carrying a small cable than fiddling with MicroSD cards when out and about (especially if you need a tool to access the slot on the Android).  I've lost bigger, less important, things in long grass...

Plus you never know when an OTG adaptor will come in handy.

[Steve Orchard]

Etrex tells me that I have the wrong adapter. Any ideas?

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[Kim]

Is that a *mini*-B-male to A-female?  Highly unusual for an android device to have a mini on it, which makes me suspect you're using it in combination with a A-male to micro-B-male cable, and it's therefore the wrong way round.

To clarify: The OTG cable connects to the (usually micro-B-Female) port on the Android device, giving you an A-female socket, like you'd find on a desktop computer.  You then use your regular A-male to mini-B-male cable as you'd use with the PC to connect to the eTrex.

(I've never seen that error message before, but it sounds plausible.)

[Steve Orchard]

That sounds right. Now ordered a USB C to female A

Thanks

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[Kim]

That sounds right. Now ordered a USB C to female A

As usual, I'd forgotten about USB-C (I'm still getting used to it on my new phone).  Thankfully, due to the proliferation of laptops with USB-C ports for everything, those adaptors are small and readily available.   

[Steve Orchard]

Cable arrived and I can do everything I need to without any additional apps.
Thanks everyone

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[Ian H]

The uploader has disappeared from Play, and Android 10 refuses to recognise my Etrex 20 or 30x.  I can't find any up to date advice.

Any ideas? 

[as if]

@Ian H
 
Did you get this working again?

[Ian H]

@Ian H
 
Did you get this working again?

I didn't. I gave up in the end. The various tricks I found published didn't work. Perhaps when my current phone gives up the ghost I'll try again.

[Ian H]

I tried again and succeeded.  Used an OTG A to B as suggested by @Kim above. First time didn't work, so I used a different A to mini-C cable and it worked. I then had to find a file manager that would work - the one by inShot Inc works simply with 'copy to' & a display of folders to paste into.  There are doubtless others.  Gpx files successfully downloaded from RWGPS & Strava.  Not directly but into downloads, then copied across.

[vorsprung]

Does anyone know if it is possible to connect an Etrex to an Android phone? I am going to be away for 4 weeks and would like to be able to transfer rides recorded on the Etrex to then upload to Strava and to get DIYs validated etc via a phone rather than waiting until I have access to a PC.
If it is possible what cables would be needed? Phone has USB C socket.

Thanks

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

My method for doing this is to record on the phone.  Battery is good for even a 23h 400km, if I don't do anything much else.  Only time it conked out was after 18h of Cornwall when I'd used the phone for google maps + earpiece navigation as well