Smartphone Link

Garmin

In-app purchases

About this app

Smartphone Link works with select Bluetooth® enabled Garmin navigation devices, including most products from the following product categories:

• Garmin Drive™, Garmin DriveSmart™, Garmin DriveAssist™, Garmin DriveLuxe™ automotive navigators
• Garmin RV and Camper navigators
• zūmo motorcycle navigators
• dēzl truck navigators
• some nüvi automotive navigators (3597/3598/2x17/2x18/2x97/2x98/2x67/2x68/2577)

Check garmin.com/spl for a detailed list of compatible Garmin devices.

Some models require a software update, available at garmin.com/express

Smartphone Link allows you to connect a compatible Garmin navigator and your Android smartphone. Once linked, the compatible Garmin navigator uses your existing mobile data plan^[1] to share information with your Android smartphone, including contacts, search results, favorite locations, your driving destination, and even your parking spot. With Smartphone Link, your compatible Garmin navigator can also access Garmin Live Services^[2] for useful, real-time driving information.

What Are Garmin Live Services?

Garmin Live Services provide the most up-to-date “live” information to your Garmin navigator using your existing mobile data plan. There’s no need for an additional data connection. Some services are included when you connect to Smartphone Link. Other services within the app are available through optional paid subscriptions offering premium content and enhanced features. To receive data relevant to your location, Garmin Live Services require your current GPS location be shared with Garmin and Garmin partners.

Included Live Services:

• Address sharing - Send locations and online search results from your phone to your compatible Garmin navigator, and navigate there

• Garmin Live Traffic
Avoid delays and find detours with the best-in-class real-time information. Garmin Live Traffic is updated every minute and receives more than 1,000 messages every update cycle

• Live Parking^[3]
Save time, and take the stress out of parking. View helpful parking information, including pricing and availability trends for on-street public parking, as you approach your destination.

• Weather - View forecasts and current conditions

• Last Mile - Remembers your parking spot and shows your destination, so you can find your way on foot and back again

Premium Live Services, available for a one-time^[4] purchase within the app, include:

• photoLive traffic cameras^[2]
Look up live photos from over 10,000 traffic cameras to see traffic and weather conditions

• Advanced Weather^[2]
View detailed forecasts, current conditions, and animated radar images, plus receive severe weather alerts

• Dynamic Off-Street Parking^[2]
Find parking close to your destination, including the number of spots available and current cost


^[1] Contact your mobile service provider for more information about your service plan’s data and roaming rates.
^[2] Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Subscriptions required.
^[3] Parking data is available for most city centers. For coverage details, visit Parkopedia.com.
^[4] See https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=111441 for terms, conditions and limitations.

Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Smartphone Link offers a variety of live services for your Garmin navigator. To ensure that you can access these services across all your Garmin devices, we use your Google Play Store e-mail address to uniquely identify you. We will not use this e-mail address for any other purpose.

Ratings and reviews

EDIT: (04/04/2026) I'm gonna assume a recent bug fix update made is very worse for the app(edit no, app decided no more). Traffic and weather functions stopped being transmitted to the GPS. Address sending is still mediocre. When trying to save a bug report to approach Garmin about this, only options I get is saving to notes or Google voice... which I guess would be fine if they supported zip files, but neither notes nor Google voice support zip files so I have no way of saving the bug report...

Great for sending addressees to your Garmin, but the constant messages on the GPS saying your phone disconnected is annoying at best, but when you're in the middle of navigating it makes you want to throw it out the window. I can't drive 3mi before I get the first notification and get them every few minutes after. The only way to get it to stop is to close the app. I also spent 50mi on highway that it kept trying to get me to leave saying it was closed ahead, which it never was.

Lots of problems.This requires access to your contacts in order to use your Google account. Why is this needed to run the app? Also the app only occasionally is successful in sending destinations from my phone to the garmin navigator, even when the Bluetooth settings on my phone show a successful device pairing. Whenever the bluetooth is on, not just paired but on at all, it leaves a notification up that you cannot dismiss. Sometimes when I open the app, the address search is missing entirely.

What’s new

We have further improved the stability of the app. Enjoy your drive!