How to save offline maps on iPhone with the Google Maps app Launch the Google Maps app and search for the area you want to save. Tap on the menu button and choose Offline areas. Tap on the plus button in the lower right corner.
Google Maps is nothing less than a blessing. The service comes to your rescue everywhere and ensures that you reach your destination in time. The service is deemed to work best on good internet connection, but what about the days when you are away from the internet and looking for directions? Or when you are on a road trip with your friends and find yourself in a low connectivity region? Before you exclaim, we know that you know about the offline version of Google Maps. But, do you know that it needs to be tweaked before starting to count on it.
With the steps mentioned below, we will help you in setting up your Google Maps for offline use. Simply follow these instructions, and you will never find yourself struggling with internet woes on your trips.
The first thing to do when downloading Google Maps offline is to identify your area. You need to plan in advance about the region you want offline maps access for. Before starting a trip, make sure you have downloaded the map area that covers the entire region. Google Maps offline offer wide area selection; it means that you can download the map area for two major cities like LA and California. You must be also ready to sacrifice some storage space on your device as the downloaded data is anything but small. You can also download it on your device’s external storage like microSD or SD card.
You also need to know that offline maps expire after 30 days, so make sure that you check it before starting a trip. This happens because Google likes keeping you updated about what’s new around you or what has changed around you. Even for the offline Maps, it wants you to have an updated version. Also, even though Google Maps offline offers pretty much all the essential services, but you can’t expect the same experience as the online version. You can search for addresses, find business in your downloaded area and navigate to the site. However, you won’t get features like walking directions, transit details, and more stuff.
Once your download finishes, you can use it for 30 days without any block. Just remember, that this is not as intuitive as the online version but it will surely guide you correctly to the destination.
Prepared to go on a road trip? We hope these tools help you in setting up Google Maps for offline usage.
The main advantage that Google Maps enjoys over Apple's native iOS Maps is its better support system, especially when going offline.
This is probably the most important feature when you are going for a long overdue vacation, or passing through a zone which has weak or no Internet access.
'If you're going where the Internet is slow, mobile data is expensive, or you can't get online, you can save an area from Google Maps to your phone or tablet and use it when you're offline,' says Google Maps.
Having the offline option for Google Maps can be quite handy in such situations and enabling the functionality can be a saving grace.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use the Google Maps in offline mode on your iPhone or iPad.
Step 1: Start the Google Maps app on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure you are connected to the Internet and are signed into your Google account.
Step 2: Type in the destination you wish to navigate to.
Step 3: The suggestions will be thrown up by Google Maps.
Step 4: Next to the suggestions you will espy a 'Download' button. Click on the same. Alternately, tap the 'More' button to fine-tune your location and be more accurate.
The selected Google Map would have downloaded to your device and can be viewed offline later.
Since Google Maps automatically switches to the offline mode if the Internet connection is weak you will have access to the map easily.
As long as you have GPS enabled on your iPhone or iPad, Google Maps will show points of interest and navigate you through each turn even in the offline mode.
The maximum range for offline coverage of Google Maps is 120,000 square kilometers. A search for bigger areas will ask you to narrow it down to a smaller area.
The multiple-route suggestion feature cannot be used in the offline mode. Google Maps will suggest the best possible route, keeping in mind the traffic conditions and you will be compelled to follow that route. Rare areas cannot be accessed in the offline mode and saved locations must be updated once every 30 days.
Even though using Google Maps in the offline mode may seem convenient, the app requires a huge amount of memory to save the selected location. Therefore, the phone memory gets congested if the app is used excessively.
To delete or update offline saved areas, you need to tap the triple-lined menu in the Search bar. Select the locations you want to manage and then perform the desired action. A map's name can also be changed by tapping the Edit button on the top right.
Photo: Simon Yeo | Flickr