If you're a frequent traveler, a quick workaround to this limitation is to simply save multiple offline maps of consecutive regions.

There's no official limit to how many offline maps you can save, but there's a limit to how far you can zoom out when selecting the size of the map.

They also don't show available cabs, alternate routes, or different map types.

Offline maps don't show live traffic data or directions for public transit, bicycling, or walking.

You can use them for navigation, yes, but there are a few things you should keep in mind before using offline maps: (I consistently forget to about half the time.As great as offline maps are, they don't give you the full Google Maps experience for obvious reasons. Google Map files are large, usually at least a few hundred megabytes depending on the specific area you want to grab, so you need to remember to download them when you’re on a solid wifi connection. Here’s how Google Maps’ offline feature works and how to download the maps you’ll need to get directions and lookup locations without an Internet connection.įor starters, you need to download the Google Maps app for iOS (simply called Maps) on Android. Until about a year ago, you couldn’t really use Google Maps offline, but they quietly rolled out the feature for iOS and Android – something a surprising number of people still don’t know about. (Or don’t want to burn through a data plan.) Originally I was going to write about the the best offline map apps but while free options like MAPS.ME (their all caps, not mine) are good, Google Maps is superior in nearly every way. Smartphone GPS are great for navigating, especially when you’re traveling, but not terribly useful if you don’t have a mobile Internet connection to actually download the background maps.

Downloading maps on google maps