One of the biggest limitations for the Google Maps navigator on smartphones was the inability to use it without an internet connection, making it practically unusable when going abroad.
Today things have changed and not only in Europe can you connect your mobile phone to the internet without major additional expenses, but the problem has also been solved thanks to the addition of options to download maps and offline navigation functions of the Google Maps application on Android and iPhone .
As already seen in the guide with tricks and secrets of the Google Maps app on Android and iPhone, you can download a map or an itinerary to be able to view it even offline, from your mobile phone, without internet connection .
In addition, it is also possible to use the navigator with Google Maps even offline, with driving directions.
Before you can use Google Maps offline, you therefore need to prepare.
Downloading Google Maps on Android and iPhone has now become really easy and it is almost impossible not to have found the option.
With a wifi connection and location active, open Google Maps and slide your finger from left to right to bring up the main menu (on the iPhone, touch the button with three lines at the top left).
Here you can touch on Offline Maps and from the screen that appears, touch Select your Map (on iPhone press on Custom Map )
In selection mode, frame the portion of the map to download to the phone by zooming in and moving it with your finger and noting how much space it occupies in memory.
You can also put the smartphone in landscape mode, move the map with your finger and zoom in by enlarging the frame to include more places if you prefer.
The maximum that can be downloaded is a map as large as central Italy, with download sizes that can even reach 800 MB.
Once done, name the map and tap the Download button.
The downloaded maps can be retrieved, on iPhone and Android, in the " Offline Maps " section accessible from the main menu that appears by touching the options button, the one with three lines.
For each map you can change the name, so you can find it easily.
Each downloaded map lasts 30 days and then expires and must be updated if you do not want it to be erased from memory.
In the Offline Maps screen of Google Maps you can also touch the gear button to enter the Settings and decide to download to update the automatically saved maps and whether to do it only with wifi connection.
On Android you can also choose whether to save the maps on the SD card or on the device memory.
The procedure for downloading maps can also be repeated several times, saving different parts of Google Maps, even in different countries, which will all be available offline.
To use Google Maps by deactivating the internet connection of the mobile phone and after downloading the map on the phone, all you have to do is set a starting and arrival point on the navigator that are inside the downloaded area.
The Navigator will operate normally, guiding the user step by step through GPS location, also allowing the search for places and streets, always within the selected area.
Using Google Maps offline will have some limitations.
First of all, the journey time calculated by the navigator cannot include real-time traffic data, but only historical and presumed data.
Furthermore, points of interest such as restaurants, bars, distributors and shops will not be reported.
If you want an alternative smartphone navigator that works even without an internet connection, we have seen:
- alternatives to Apple Maps as an iPhone browser
- the best free Android apps with offline maps and navigators.
Today things have changed and not only in Europe can you connect your mobile phone to the internet without major additional expenses, but the problem has also been solved thanks to the addition of options to download maps and offline navigation functions of the Google Maps application on Android and iPhone .
As already seen in the guide with tricks and secrets of the Google Maps app on Android and iPhone, you can download a map or an itinerary to be able to view it even offline, from your mobile phone, without internet connection .
In addition, it is also possible to use the navigator with Google Maps even offline, with driving directions.
Before you can use Google Maps offline, you therefore need to prepare.
Downloading Google Maps on Android and iPhone has now become really easy and it is almost impossible not to have found the option.
With a wifi connection and location active, open Google Maps and slide your finger from left to right to bring up the main menu (on the iPhone, touch the button with three lines at the top left).
Here you can touch on Offline Maps and from the screen that appears, touch Select your Map (on iPhone press on Custom Map )
In selection mode, frame the portion of the map to download to the phone by zooming in and moving it with your finger and noting how much space it occupies in memory.
You can also put the smartphone in landscape mode, move the map with your finger and zoom in by enlarging the frame to include more places if you prefer.
The maximum that can be downloaded is a map as large as central Italy, with download sizes that can even reach 800 MB.
Once done, name the map and tap the Download button.
The downloaded maps can be retrieved, on iPhone and Android, in the " Offline Maps " section accessible from the main menu that appears by touching the options button, the one with three lines.
For each map you can change the name, so you can find it easily.
Each downloaded map lasts 30 days and then expires and must be updated if you do not want it to be erased from memory.
In the Offline Maps screen of Google Maps you can also touch the gear button to enter the Settings and decide to download to update the automatically saved maps and whether to do it only with wifi connection.
On Android you can also choose whether to save the maps on the SD card or on the device memory.
The procedure for downloading maps can also be repeated several times, saving different parts of Google Maps, even in different countries, which will all be available offline.
To use Google Maps by deactivating the internet connection of the mobile phone and after downloading the map on the phone, all you have to do is set a starting and arrival point on the navigator that are inside the downloaded area.
The Navigator will operate normally, guiding the user step by step through GPS location, also allowing the search for places and streets, always within the selected area.
Using Google Maps offline will have some limitations.
First of all, the journey time calculated by the navigator cannot include real-time traffic data, but only historical and presumed data.
Furthermore, points of interest such as restaurants, bars, distributors and shops will not be reported.
If you want an alternative smartphone navigator that works even without an internet connection, we have seen:
- alternatives to Apple Maps as an iPhone browser
- the best free Android apps with offline maps and navigators.
