Offline navigation is one of the main functions of Google Maps , Google’s famous geographic Internet service, available as a website and app, on both Android and iOS. This function is very useful for example when you go to a place where the signal coverage is poor or absent, or on holiday abroad to save the mobile data included with roaming or to avoid buying an extra SIM if you goes to a country not covered by its offer.
In this article we will explain how to download offline maps on Google Maps , thus helping you to solve a problem that only in our country afflicts more people than you might think.
INDEX
- 1. How to download offline maps
- 2. Why do I need to download the maps?
- 3. On which phones can I download the maps?
- 4. Are there any limits for downloading maps?
- 5. Other useful options
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How to download offline maps
The choice of offline maps on Google Maps and their subsequent download are two very simple operations. All you need are the Google Maps app ( Android or iOS ) and a Google account (in the link just proposed you will find all the information explaining how to create it). For the rest, here are the steps to take:
- Open the Google Maps app on your phone.
- Tap your account icon at the top right.
- In the screen that opens, tap on “Offline maps”.
- Tap the “Select your map”option .
- Drag the box to the area you want to have an offline map for.
- Click on the “Download”button to start the map download.
The new downloaded map will be available on the Offline Maps page . By default, the app assigns the name “Map 1” , “Map 2” and so on to the map, but you can change it at any time: touch the icon of the three dots next to it, tap “Rename” , then type the name you want to give to the map and press “Save” .
Why do I need to download the maps?
You may need to download maps every time you are on vacation or when you go to any place outside your city , perhaps on the weekend for a trip out of town or on weekdays for a specialist visit or to accompany your child. from a new friend, this is because you live in an area where the signal coverage from your carrier is not great , to put it mildly, and you find yourself most of the time struggling with limited or no connectivity at all. .
As then mentioned in the introduction, the download of offline maps on Google Maps becomes an almost indispensable function abroad , both if you go to a country of the European Union covered by roaming, and if you are planning a trip to an extra country. EU not covered by your telephone offer.
In the first case, it helps you to save data traffic , so that you have it available for other needs, for example to search for places to visit or restaurants to eat. Outside the European Union, however, it allows you to save on the possible purchase of an additional SIM , dedicated exclusively to surfing the Internet.
It also becomes a very important function to help your parents reach a certain destination if their phone offer does not include any gigabytes for an Internet connection. How many times have you ever had to help your father or mother get to an out-of-town clinic or trade show, knowing that both of you ‘phone offer does not allow them to use mobile data?
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On which phones can I download the maps?
Google Maps is available on the Google Play Store and App Store, so you can download offline maps on both Android smartphones and iPhones. From this point of view, there is no difference between the two operating systems.
However, remember that if you download maps to an Android smartphone, they will not be automatically available on your iPhone , even if you are using the same Google account on both phones. In this case, data synchronization is not available, as is the case for saved places and many other useful functions of Google Maps.
Are there any limits for downloading maps?
No, you can download either the map of your city or your region, as well as the map of Italy or another country. In short, Google Maps does not impose any limit on the size of a map download , you choose which geographic area you are most interested in having available offline for future navigation.
The only real limit is the amount of internal memory available on the phone . Each downloaded map has its own weight in MB, which thus affects the availability of the internal memory. The more maps you download, or the larger the area you have selected for download, the greater the weight associated with the maps available offline.
If you need to download a large amount of maps, and your smartphone does not have enough space for the download, we invite you to read our guides on how to free up space on Android and how to free up space on iPhone or our guide on best micro sd to buy .
Other useful options
After you no longer need a map, you can delete it in order to recover some space, perhaps useful for downloading a new one. To remove a map go to the “Offline Maps” screen , tap on the three dots icon next to the one you want to delete and press the “Delete” option .
By default, Google Maps automatically updates offline maps and can independently download other recommended maps based on your travels (for example, the Home map includes the area where you live).
To save space and data, Google only updates recently used maps, but you can choose to disable both updates and automatic downloads by simply moving the lever from right to left next to “Automatic offline map update” and “Automatic map download. recommended “ .
To access these settings, just press the gear wheel icon located at the top right of the “Offline Maps” screen .
And with that it really is all. In this article we have seen how easy it is to download one or more offline maps with Google Maps, and how important this function is in everyday life.