In a move that shows the power of competition, Garmin has just announced that inReach satellite communicator device subscribers who have suspended their plans, will continue to get emergency SOS access for up to 12 months. That’s a pretty massive shift for Garmin, who has long maintained that inReach devices must have a paid subscription even for SOS purposes. This covers devices like Garmin’s inReach Mini 3 series that came out last fall, as well as numerous other devices that have inReach plans.
Here’s the statement from Garmin’s Connor Hoffman:
“Garmin is introducing an update to its inReach suspend option offering free SOS access for up to 12 months even when a subscription is suspended. Because when it matters most, every second counts. When you’re beyond cellular range, Garmin inReach helps keep you connected to emergency help when you need it the most. The device enables two-way satellite messaging with family and friends from anywhere in the world, and can send an interactive SOS alert to Garmin Response℠, a 24/7 international emergency coordination center.”
As a brief bit of background, Garmin inReach devices require subscriptions that have various tiers covering all sorts of features. Generally speaking though, the higher the subscription, the more texts/photos/audio snippets you can send, and the more tracking points you can send. For most people owning an inReach device, the benefit is a blend of anywhere communications, combined with true global emergency SOS access (whereas most Apple/Google phone/watch plans that offer satellite communications work only in specific countries). But of course, in the case of Apple/Google, those satellite SOS features are entirely free.
Garmin’s inReach plan costs are (left to right): $7.99/$14.99/$29.99/$49.99 (monthly):
Garmin was already forced about a year ago to shift its thinking on plan suspensions, which previously required a silly expensive reactivation fee. But they did away with that almost exactly one year ago (June 5th, 2025), and plans no longer require an activation fee, as long as they are resumed within 12 months.
This all makes inReach devices *far* more appealing to seasonal users of the device (be it winter or summer), that may use the device for 3-5 months, and then it might sit on a shelf. For a skier that might have suspended the subscription for the summer, this might mean they’d grab it for a hike purely for SOS purposes.
Now, Garmin hasn’t quite finished updating all their pages. For example this one here with tiers doesn’t have all the tables updated yet. Or this one here talking about suspensions. It sounds like that should be happening shortly, though.
Likewise, I asked how this impacts wearables – such as the Fenix 8 Pro series which has inReach-style satellite communication capabilities (albeit with different underlying technology). Currently, that requires a subscription as well (which includes LTE coverage baked into it). In checking with Garmin, they noted that this will be applicable to those watches as well.
In any case, all of this is unquestionably the result of companies like Apple and Google making emergency SOS style assistance available on phones and watches, for free. Sure, they have limitations on range that Garmin mostly doesn’t have, but for the overwhelming number of users, those range/country limitations aren’t applicable. Which isn’t to say that Garmin inReach devices don’t serve a purpose, they very much do. There’s boatloads of features they have around tracking, updates, etc… that simply aren’t offered on phones/watches at this time. And people (including myself) will continue to pay for those features.
Finally, I do wonder if Garmin will ultimately ditch the 12-month requirement too. That just seems like it’s fraught with ways it can go wrong (expectation-wise). Though, I’m sure some accountant has decided that’s the line in the sand to make this work (for now). Who knows. In much the same way that Apple (and Google) refuse to define an end date for their free emergency SOS, despite years of saying eventually it own’t be free.
With that – thanks for reading!
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