Every year Garmin releases a report on how the inReach service faired for the year. The report provides insights into the activities of adventurers who found themselves in need of emergency assistance.
inReach satellite technology has helped users stay in touch with critical SOS emergency response services, two-way text messaging and location tracking for 15 years. That SOS technology expanded across several Garmin product lines in 2025 with the release of fēnix® 8 Pro, the first-ever smartwatch from Garmin with inReach technology for satellite and cellular connectivity, as well as inReach Mini 3 Plus and GPSMAP® H1i Plus – satellite communicators that let adventurers exchange voice messages, texts and photos with the Garmin Response team should an emergency occur.
Here are some key takeaways from the 2025 report:
More than 3,000 inReach SOS incident messages were received.
Users sent an SOS message the most during hiking and backpacking activities, followed by driving and motorcycling.
There was also an increase in incidents during water activities, like boating and sailing, with more boating issues reported than in previous years. The data is not broken down to determine how many of these were backcountry canoe trips or camping trips.
Work-related SOS incidents jumped into the top 10 categories, illustrating how organizations are using inReach technology to help equip workers for emergency situations.
Injuries were once again the top cause for SOS messages, followed by motor vehicle accidents and medical issues like altitude sickness and heart problems.
Most SOS messages were for the user; however, an increased number of messages were triggered for another member of the user’s party or for a third-party individual.
With the help of professionally trained Garmin Response center staff, inReach users were able to self-rescue more than 12% of the time.
Read the full report to learn more.
