How to Use Offline Maps on Android for Offline Navigation
Traveling abroad or exploring areas with low mobile reception? Offline maps on Android can help you deal with limited mobile signal coverage or expensive mobile internet.
Why Use Offline Maps?
Offline maps are a a big deal for travelers in foreign countries.
They let you navigate even when you don’t have an internet connection yet
This is great for areas with unreliable network coverage or when you’re trying to avoid expensive roaming charges. They are useful for finding nearby places like restaurants, hotels, or attractions without having mobile data enabled.
If you’re traveling abroad, you should get a local SIM card with a data package or a tourist SIM card designed for short-term use. But even with a SIM card, offline maps are a reliable backup especially before you can get the SIM card. Ideally you would use an E-SIM that can be enabled all online before you reach your destination.
How to Download Offline Maps in Google Maps
This step-by-step guide to downloading offline maps on your Android device (shown on a Sony Xperia 1V running Android 14):
- Open Google Maps: Launch the Google Maps app on your Android phone. Make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data for this step.
- Search for Your Destination: Type in the name of the city, region, or area you’re planning to visit. For example, if you’re heading to London, search for “London, England”.
- Tap the Location Name: Once the location appears on the map, tap the name or address at the bottom of the screen.
- Select “Download Offline Map”: Scroll down and choose the “Download offline map” option. You’ll see a map preview of the area you’re about to download.
- Zoom to Include the Map Area: Use your fingers to zoom in or out and select the specific area you want to download.
- Download the Map: Tap “Download” to save the map to your device. Depending on the size of the area, this might take a minute.
Manage Your Offline Maps
Larger areas will take up more storage space on your phone but the storage space on phones these days is enough not to matter.
Usually you will see the size of downloaded offline map data to be between 100MB and 300MB. It rarely goes higher than that. Compared to the provided value, it’s pretty good!
Once downloaded, it’s easy to access and manage them:
- Open Google Maps: Go to the app and tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner.
- Select “Offline Maps”: This will show you a list of all the maps you already downloaded.
- View, Update, or Delete: From here, you can view your saved maps, update them to ensure they’re current, or delete ones you no longer need to free up space.
How to Use Offline Maps for Navigation
Using offline maps is just as easy as using regular Google Maps:
- Open Google Maps: Make sure you’re in the area covered by your downloaded map.
- Search for Your Destination: Even without an internet connection, you can search for places within the downloaded map area.
- Get Directions: Tap “Directions” and choose your preferred mode, walking, driving, etc. Google Maps will provide turn-by-turn directions just like it does online but without traffic information until you are back online.
Tips for Using Offline Maps
- Download Maps in Advance: Always download your maps before you travel, preferably over Wi-Fi to save on data.
- Check Storage Space: Offline maps can take up a bit of space, so make sure your phone has enough storage.
- Update Regularly: Maps can change, so update your offline maps every few months if you plan to revisit the same area.
Conclusion
Offline maps are a great tool for any traveler. They’re easy to set up, reliable, and can help you in unfamiliar places.
Before your next trip, download the maps you need first.
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