Garmin map update frequency as of July 2015

 

As CraigW has wisely suggested this thread is in regards to member Garmin2597Guy findings in regards to future map updates.

Garmin2597Guy wrote:

I decided to email him back and ask him why this one took so long. Here was his response:

Good afternoon,

Not a problem!

We found in issue in the last North American release, so we had to review the data before releasing it. I apologize for the wait on the release.
Currently our North American product is at version 2015.40. Your maps are up to date.

Garmin will now offer three map updates a year because of a decrease in demand in past cycles. We did a review, and saw that nearly all customers update their maps three times or less per year.

Thanks,
Brandon
Cartography Administration
1200 E. 151st Street
Olathe, KS 66062

After having read the above, I in turn called Garmin support in Canada and during the conversation I was also told that Garmin would now be offering three map updates per year for the automotive division.

When looking at Jgermans FAQ regarding North American map release dates, you’ll notice that it took a little over 4 months before 2015.40 became available.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/42417

Once again thanks to Garmin2597Guy for having been persistent which resulted in this new discovery smile

--
Nüvi 255WT with nüMaps Lifetime North America born on 602117815 / Nüvi 3597LMTHD born on 805972514 / I love Friday’s except when I’m on holidays ~ canuk

I wasn't sure whether to add

I wasn't sure whether to add this to the other thread or this one. You guys can move if you feel the need to. I emailed Brandon again asking if he had a date in mind for this release. Here was his response:

Good morning Chad,

No problem at all, I am glad I can help out.
It looks like August 5, 2015 is when the next update will be available. It should be available before August 9th.
If your email account is set up with Garmin Connect, it should send you a notification that your updates are ready, once available.

Thanks,
Brandon
Cartography Administration
1200 E. 151st Street
Olathe, KS 66062

Lifetime map subscription - original language.

I am kind of surprised that so far no one has mentioned anything about "Garmin changing the rules", class action against Garmin, etc.

I do recall there being a lot of discussion over the years in this and several other forums about Garmin continually changing the language in the user agreement for the Lifetime Maps subscription, and making these changes retroactive for users who had purchased the subscription with the earlier language. When Garmin introduced Lifetime Maps back in 2008, they commonly used the term "quarterly map updates" in their advertising. However, that was never part of the user agreement.

Just for fun, I went back through some old forum posts to see if I could find the original language Garmin used when they introduced the Lifetime Maps. I found this post in GPSPassion from Jan. 7, 2009:

gemro311 wrote:

Posted - 07 Jan 2009 : 21:12:46
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually it reads like : nüMaps Onetime™: $69.99 USD x 4 optional map updates = up to $279.96 per year
nüMaps Lifetime™: seasonal map updates for the life of your device = $119.99 USD

in real small print : nüMaps™ Lifetime. If you purchase a nüMaps Lifetime subscription (sold separately), you will receive up to four (4) map Data updates per year, when and as such updates are made available on Garmin’s website, for one (1) compatible Garmin product until your product’s useful life expires or Garmin no longer receives map Data from NAVTEQ, whichever is shorter.

It all depends on what you need or want. And how long you you intend to keep your unit. It's about time Garmin has come around.

So it is clear that from the beginning, Garmin left themselves plenty of "wiggle room" in the ambiguous phrases like "up to four (4)" and "product's useful life". Actually, with the declining sales of automotive GPS devices, I am surprised it has taken them this long to reduce the number of updates per year.

Also, lets not forget that the Lifetime Map subscription was originally non-transferrable. If you sold your nuvi, the lifetime map subscription was cancelled and did not go to the new owner. So over time, Garmin has relaxed the rules on Lifetime Maps to our advantage.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

I remember the up to 4 updates a year from the beginning

I always anticipated 4 or less updates a year from when the lifetime maps were first offered for my units.

We have to remember that most Garmin users with units with lifetime maps are not on this forum and not nearly as anal as we are about the updates.

The people I know with lifetime map units, like my son with two of them, update maybe once a year at the most and forget about it completely most of the time.

I have the new free HERE app on my smartphone and tablet and they seem to be updating the maps about once every 3 months. They are the map supplier for Garmin at this time.

I sold off my last Garmin unit recently because I hadn't touched it in over 6 months. I have built in nav in my car and use my smartphone for backup duty.

--
Garmin Drive Smart 55 - Samsung Note 10 Smartphone with Google Maps & HERE Apps

Good info...

...whether we like it or not.

--
(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA

and

The whole thing hinges on the term,

"Useful Life."

If I were running a PND business, I'd be looking at things like

What's the survivability of a dedicated PND.

What functionality does a PND have that's NOT available in a "Smartphone?"

Can a PND effectively compete with a Smartphone?

From where I sit, as soon as Smartphones have uninterruptible access to satellite reception without needing an assist from a ground based cell tower, a PND business as we knew it say, 8 years ago will likely be in complete peril.

If I had a crystal ball, a Ouija board, magic pixie dust or even Miss Mary's looking glass, I'd be looking for what new novel thing the PND could perform that the cell phone can't do.

Hence, the introduction of a GPS with, backup can capability or an included dash can.

So let's go back to the discussion of "Useful Life" and see what we see..

The conclusion is left to the individual reader.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Thanks

This is a major change. Also good to know that there's an August release date to look forward to.

--
Steve - 2 Nuvi 3597

No problem with that

I'd rather have 2 or 3 quality updates in a year. Problema? No problema.

--
nüvi 3790T | Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable ~ JFK

I'm guessing Garmin's sales of GPS devices have really slowed

I'm guessing Garmin's sales of GPS devices have really slowed in the last year or two. The fewer map updates don't surprise me at all.

More and more people are buying vehicles with built-in navigation systems anyway, and many vehicles come standard with navigation systems as part of the infotainment system. Throw in tens of millions of people with Apple phone devices with navigation apps and it's easy to see why people buying electronic devices that suction cup to their windshields is about as outdated as using a 1990s bag cell phone.

--
Politicians and Diapers must be changed often for the exact same reason...

Garmin Reduces Map Information Updates

Hopefully Garmin won't reduce the updates any further! Three times a year is pretty skimpy (and even then the "new" data is often quite stale by the time it is released for download). I've found my Garmin to be very handy when driving beyond cell coverage, or as a great standalone device when figuring out which stop to get off a bus in Greece, when hiking in Nevada, and much more. It can be much more handy than phone in many situations.

never promised 4

telecomdigest2 wrote:

Hopefully Garmin won't reduce the updates any further! Three times a year is pretty skimpy (and even then the "new" data is often quite stale by the time it is released for download). I've found my Garmin to be very handy when driving beyond cell coverage, or as a great standalone device when figuring out which stop to get off a bus in Greece, when hiking in Nevada, and much more. It can be much more handy than phone in many situations.

Garmin never promised there would be four updates per year. Their agreement at they very start stated there would be UP TO FOUR per year. The latest revision to the Terms & Conditions did not change that. The change was to eliminate the anticipation there would be quarterly updates by removing up to four portion.

If you didn't understand there was no guarantee there would be any specific number from the original agreement,it should now be clear they are only guaranteeing one update per year with the possibility there could be more. My original unit, a Nuvi 200 had only one update per year 8 years ago.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

I am more concerned about Here

I am far more concerned about the uncertainty with Here maps than I am about Garmin reducing the number of updates per year. Depending on what happens with the sale of Here maps and Garmin's relationship with whoever eventually owns the product could determine whether or not map updates have any future at all.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

...

Box Car wrote:

If you didn't understand there was no guarantee

Please re-read what I wrote to understand, I never said I didn't understand there was no guarantee. I am saying that if Garmin has reduced their updates even more from their previous 4 times per year to just 3 lowly updates a year, with the possibility of reducing it further, that is pretty skimpy. When you compare it to their online map competition, the comparison is even more stark.

updates

IMO;

I doubt Garmin will loose any sales due to "only" 3 updates that the majority of owners never use.

I will probably purchase one more GPS somewhere in the future and how many updates will not be a deciding factor in whose GPS to buy.

As far as I'm concerned they have dumb them down to the point you have very few options in navigation and the best features is the POI's.

--
garry

It comes down to a matter of convenience

When I use a GPS, I want it to be responsive to my voice commands as spoken so that I do not have to manually enter in what I am looking for. Given that my Samsung Galaxy S5 Active has no better voice command response than my Garmin GPS, they are equal in that respect.

However, when it comes to finding alternative routes due to traffic delays, my Garmin GPS (Nuvi 3597) even with its traffic alerts cannot provide me the fastest route to my destination when it comes to rush hour commuting if it is not on a route that I take daily. This means while I use my GPS for the active driving, I already have the address for my destination plugged into my smartphone to obtain the real most expedient Google Maps with Waze and traffic inputs added. As such, I obtain a better routing in the moment with my smartphone, but still have much better visual cues for lane changes with the GPS.

While I realize newer vehicles have navigation systems, even the vehicles my wife and I own could have come from the factory with them, they did not as we both bought them used from CarMax, it was not that big of deal. The limitation with factory systems is, from my point of view, they are harder to update versus a portable GPS, they likely will not have the same level of features (I use the vehicle data port reader module with my GPS) and having my radio head unit screen taken up by the GPS when I want to adjust the music is not my preference. There is also the matter that I can place my GPS where I want it in my line of sight while driving to keep my eyes on the road while a factory unit would still require me to look away from the road.

The only way I can see a GPS unit being better at this point is if it projected the vital trip data on my windshield with the ability to locate, consistently, POIs I want to go to without having to manually enter names. My Google Maps can reroute as my GPS can, but it cannot work well without the cellular signal and it cannot provide the same visual size that a GPS can.

This being said, when speed limits change, in this case in the DFW area of Texas they are increasing by five to ten miles per hour generally on the larger freeways and toll roads while some county and state roads may have new lower or higher speed limits between 5 and 10 mph, the GPS will be out of date a good portion of the time. Yes, I know I need to use my eyes to confirm the local speed limit, but when I am in an unfamiliar place or due to other drivers I missed seeing the traffic sign, it helps to have a reminder on the GPS.

I also know that Google Maps keeps updating their map data regularly so I can use the smartphone to deal with changing traffic construction events while the GPS is woefully out of date. Then again, when a GPS can only update map data via USB or a SD card, that is a known limit. A smartphone can be updated over cellular or wifi signal connections so it can be constantly current.

thanks for the updates!

Thanks for keeping us all in the loop!

Way Behind

I'm so far behind on updates, I hope my 'lifetime updates' privilege hasn't expired. crying

Happy

I'm happy with three. It would be nice if Garmin was more open and public about update policy. Both as to frequency and also expected date of next update. That shouldn't be too difficult.

--
Tuckahoe Mike - Nuvi 3490LMT, Nuvi 260W, iPhone X, Mazda MX-5 Nav

Hey look on the bright side

Hey ... be happy, not sad that Garmin is now going to issue three update maps a year instead of four!

Look at the bright side ....

We aren't losing a map update, we are gaining more time (one more month) to post speculation as to when the next map update will be issued.

The "When is Garmin going to release City Nav 2016.2?" thread is going to be really, really long.

I'm happy.

--
Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.

Not even for free

BarneyBadass wrote:

What's the survivability of a dedicated PND...

Let me add a personal anecdote to this question.
We have had our cars broken into 3 times over the last year. Each time the nuvis were left in the car. (twice on the seat and once on the floor so it wasn't like they were overlooked)

So if even thieves don't want them 'for free'...

I agree with Quality updates

I agree with Quality updates vs minor updates.

While i agree conceptually....

bobshort1 wrote:

I agree with Quality updates vs minor updates.

If they put out updates once a day they could fix tomorrow what they broke today.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Map delay

It would have been nice if they sent an email explaining the new update policy to all the customers. I mainly use my GPS around town so it isn't quite a big deal for updates, but it would be nice that I could get some better updates for new street names and pronunciations. The main reason I got a basic Garmin device because they have a MicroSD slot and lifetime updates.