To use Google Maps without a connection, download the area before you lose signal. Open Google Maps, tap your profile picture or initial, choose Offline maps, then Select your own map. Adjust the map so the box covers the area you need, then tap Download.
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After that, the app works much as usual inside that area, even in airplane mode. The rest of this guide covers what works offline, how to keep maps current and how to stop them eating your storage.
What Offline Maps Can and Can’t Do
Offline maps give you the map itself and driving directions, as long as your whole route stays inside the area you downloaded.
Google’s help pages list a few limits. Transit, cycling and walking directions are not available offline. When you drive offline, you won’t get live traffic or alternative routes. The map and the route are only as current as your last download, so a new road or a recent closure may not show.
Google also says offline maps can’t be downloaded in some countries and regions, because of contracts, language support, address formats or other reasons. If the download option is missing for your destination, that is the likely cause.
Two Ways to Download a Map
You can download an area from a place you search for, or draw the area yourself. Either way, connect to the internet and sign in to Google Maps first.
From a search
Search for a city or region, such as the town you are visiting. Open the place’s details card at the bottom of the screen and find the More button. On Android, you may need to swipe along the row of buttons to reach it. Tap More, then Download offline map, then Download.
On iPhone, Google adds one extra condition: you must not be in Incognito mode while downloading.
By drawing your own area
Tap your profile picture or initial, then Offline maps and Select your own map. Pinch and drag until the box covers everything you need, including the airport, the roads in between and any day trips. Tap Download. Bigger areas take more storage and longer to download, so trim the box to the places you will really use.
Keep Your Offline Maps Up to Date
Downloaded maps expire, so they need an update now and then. Google Maps handles most of this for you.
When an offline map is 15 days or less from expiring and your phone is on Wi-Fi, Google Maps tries to update it automatically. You can also update it by hand. Tap the Update offline maps notification, or go to your profile picture, Offline maps, tap the expiring area and tap Update.
To stop worrying about it, open Offline maps, tap Settings at the top right and turn on Auto-update offline maps.
Google Maps may also suggest maps for upcoming trips it knows about, for example from Gmail or Google Travel. These appear under Recommended maps on the Offline maps screen.
Save Storage and Mobile Data
Offline maps can be large, so it helps to decide where they are stored and when they download.
On Android, maps download to the phone’s internal storage by default. If your phone has an SD card set up as portable storage, open Offline maps, tap Settings, and under Storage preferences choose SD card, then Save. Google notes that if you change where maps are saved, you have to download them again.
The same settings screen has Download preferences, where you can control when maps download so they don’t use up your mobile data. Download at home or at the hotel on Wi-Fi when you can.
Delete maps you no longer need. Open Offline maps, tap the area and tap Delete. You can also rename an area (tap it, then the edit button) so a list of trips stays easy to read.
Download the map the night before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Then switch on airplane mode and plan one test route, so you know it works before you need it.
Practical Tips for Trips
A little planning makes offline maps far more useful once you are on the road.
- Download your home area as well as your destination, so the drive to the airport is covered too.
- Make one area big enough for the whole route between two cities, since offline driving directions only work if the full route is inside a downloaded map.
- Keep location turned on. Your phone’s GPS does not need mobile data, so the blue dot still follows you offline.
- Save your hotel address in your notes or on paper as a backup in case the phone runs low on battery.
- Carry a charging cable or power bank, because turn-by-turn directions with the screen on use a lot of battery.
- Delete or update old trip maps when you get home, so they don’t take space or go out of date.
Using Offline Maps on iPhone and iPad
The iPhone and iPad app uses the same Offline maps menu under your profile picture, so the steps above work on both systems.
From a search, tap the name or address of the place at the bottom of the screen, then More, Download offline map and Download. Managing, updating and deleting areas also works from the Offline maps list, just as on Android.
Once your area is downloaded, use Google Maps as you normally would. If the connection drops or turns slow, the app switches to your offline map by itself and keeps guiding you, as long as you stay inside the area you saved.
