gimporter copies GPX and FIT routes from your phone onto your Garmin watch and imports them as native courses you can navigate or start an activity with. It is the watch half of a pair: the routes are served by the gexporter companion app on your phone, and gimporter downloads them over the Bluetooth link that Garmin Connect already uses. No account or cable is needed.
- Install the companion app on the same phone that runs Garmin Connect:
- Android: gexporter — https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.surfsite.gexporter
- iOS (experimental): https://github.com/clawoo/gexporter-ios
- Add the GPX/FIT files you want to transfer to the companion app.
- Make sure the watch is connected to the phone over Bluetooth (as it is for Garmin Connect).
- If a download later fails, turn Wi‑Fi off on the phone — the transfer goes over Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi can get in the way (gimporter warns "Please switch off Wifi").
Open gimporter on the watch (from the widget glance or the app list) and press Start or Menu. The version and transfer mode (FIT or GPX, depending on your device) are shown for reference.
gimporter fetches the list of routes from the phone and shows them. Scroll and select the one you want; long lists page with a […] entry at the bottom for the next page. Selecting a route downloads it and imports it as a course.
When the transfer finishes you'll see Download complete. You can then pick another route or press Back to leave.
The imported course appears with your other courses — start it from Navigation → Courses, or choose it when you begin an activity.
On glance-capable watches gimporter shows a glance in the widget carousel with the app name, the transfer mode (FIT/GPX) and the version. Tap it to open the app and start a transfer.
| Message | What it means / what to do |
|---|---|
| Waiting for Bluetooth / Bluetooth disconnected | The phone link is down. Enable Bluetooth and keep the phone nearby. |
| Please switch off Wifi | Turn Wi‑Fi off on the phone and try again. |
| Connection failed | Make sure the gexporter app is running and open on the phone. |
| No Tracks found | Add GPX/FIT files in the companion app first. |
| Request timed out / Response too large | Retry; very large files may not transfer. |
| Storage full | Free space on the watch and retry. |
| Already Downloaded | That course is already on the watch. |
| Similar courses found | The watch already has close matches — choose which course to use. |
| Device unsupported | This device cannot import courses this way. |
If something is stuck, press Back to cancel the current transfer and return to the start screen, then press Start to try again.
gimporter installs as both a full app and a widget. On Connect IQ 4+ watches the widget runs as a super app with the glance above; on older watches it appears in the widget carousel. Both open the same transfer screen.