Don’t want to or can’t use your mobile Internet connection with Google Maps? Download google maps offline in advance to your phone! You’ll be able to find your way around even without a network.
In the space of a few years, Google Maps has become a reference on phones for getting around without getting lost. Whether you need to find a street, locate a monument, or simply determine the best route to get from one point to another, Google’s mapping and guidance application has replaced paper maps.
The only problem is that Google Maps requires an Internet connection via the mobile network to work while you’re on the move, which can be a problem in some situations. This is the case, for example, when you are in a white zone or poorly covered in a mobile network. Or, more simply, if you don’t want to use the mobile network, because your data plan is limited or because you are abroad with a reduced data envelope.
Fortunately, Google has foreseen this: you can download maps directly to your phone via Wi-Fi in advance, which allows you to use Google Maps without any Internet connection – GPS activation is still required for real-time guidance! It’s very easy to do, on both Android and iOS. You can download several personalized maps – there is no theoretical limit to the number of downloadable maps, a map occupying a few dozen megabytes on average – and access them when you need them, to search, find your way, or calculate a route.
Beware, the downloaded maps are not eternal. Each one has an expiration date. Google Maps automatically updates them via Wi-Fi. If no Wi-Fi connection is available before the expiration date, you will have to download them again manually. But you have some leeway, as maps are usually valid for one year…
How to download Google Maps offline?
You can easily download and store Google Maps on your phone for offline viewing and use without an Internet connection.
- Open Google Maps on your phone and tap on your avatar displayed on the top right of the search box.
- From the menu that appears, tap Offline Maps.
- On the next screen, Google Maps offers two options. The first, Local, allows you to download a map of the area based on your current location. The second, Select your map, offers more freedom as it allows you to select a specific area anywhere in the world. Prefer this option and press Select your map.
- A map appears based on your location with a blue box delimiting the area to be downloaded. To select an area, move the map around the screen with a finger, and zoom in or out on the area you want to keep. When you are satisfied with the selection, press the Download button.
- The map is downloading. Google Maps indicates that the update of maps downloaded in the application will be done via a Wi-Fi connection. If your smartphone is not connected to Wi-Fi before the date indicated on the downloaded map, you will have to download it again.
- Once the plan is downloaded, you will be returned to the selection screen. By default, it is called Plan 1. Press the three small dots next to its name and choose Rename from the pop-up menu. This allows you to give it a more explicit name.
- You can then repeat the operation to upload another area if you wish – another city, another region, etc.
Note that Google has provided several ways to download maps from its application for offline use. If you don’t want to go through the Google Maps menus, you can quickly set the area to be retrieved with a little-known command.
- Open Google Maps on your smartphone, then in the search field, type Ok Maps and validate by pressing the magnifying glass icon at the bottom right of the keyboard.
- Google Maps automatically displays the selection area of the map to download. Move the map on the screen, zoom in or out in the blue frame to define the area to save, and then press the Download button.
- To find the map and rename it, tap on your avatar at the top right of Google Maps and select Offline Maps from the menu.
How do I delete or update a Google Maps map offline?
Depending on your needs, you can easily manually update or delete a downloaded map on your phone.
- Open Google Maps on your phone and tap on your avatar displayed at the top right of the search box.
- From the menu that appears, tap Offline Maps.
- A list of all downloaded maps will appear.
- To refresh a map, tap its name. The map appears as a thumbnail. Tap the Update button. You can also tap the three dots next to its name and choose Update from the pop-up menu
- To delete a map you no longer need – for example, if you used it for a vacation – and free up storage space on your phone, tap its name. The map appears as a thumbnail. Press the Delete button. You can also press the three small dots next to its name and choose Delete from the pop-up menu.
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