How to save Google Maps offline on Android and iOS devices

Google Maps is the app which we rely on while travelling. Well now we have Pokemon GO, but it’s dangerous because it can take you in front of a truck to catch “Charizard”. And Pokemon GO needs a 3G connection and drains the battery fast. Same is the case with Google Maps app; you need to stay connected to the internet and keep the positioning on to use navigation. This takes up a lot of cellular data and battery. So, to save the battery and data, Google introduced a feature in Google Maps app called Offline areas. You can save an area in Google Maps to use it when you don’t have the internet connection or phone’s battery is low. This feature works on both Android smartphone and iPhone.

Update Google Maps (if not already)

1. Open Google Play Store and swipe from the left edge to open the menu.
2. Tap My Apps and Games and tap on Update All button.
3. All the updates will get download and install automatically.

Do not open apps while they are updating or it might crash the apps. If you have iPhone then go to App Store, open Updates tab and tap the Update button to update the Google Maps.

Steps for saving Google Maps for Offline use

1. Open Google Maps and tap the search bar.
2. Scroll all way to down and tap Download a new offline area.
3. Now you will see the map with a rectangle highlighting the are you can save offline.
4. Move and zoom to the are you want to save offline.
5. tap Download.

You will see a download bar in the notification area and will notify you about the downloading. You can cancel this download anytime; tap on the download bar in the notification area and tap cancel download.

Save Google Maps on iPhone

1. Open Google Maps and search for the area you want to download.
2. Open the menu bar and tap Offline areas.
3. Tap the Plus (+) button at the bottom of the screen.
4. Fine tune the area you want to download by panning the maps and tap Download.
5. Name the area and tap Save.

The map will start to download and you can access it offline.

Access or update the offline map in Google Maps

1. Open Google Maps and open the menu.
2. Tap Offline areas and select the area you want to see offline.
3. You will see an Update button below the area which needs to be updated.

Conclusion

You can do a lot with these offline maps; you can check driving directions, search for any interest points and locations inside the downloaded area. But you cannot see walking directions and transit directions with offline areas.