Remember when you used to have to pay for a GPS navigation device if you wanted turn-by-turn directions when you drive? Most smartphones now come with maps software and navigation features that work for free… assuming you’ve got an internet connection.
But what happens when you drive into a cellular dead zone? Now there’s a Google Maps for that.
Earlier this year Google announced that it would be bringing offline navigation support to Google Maps for Android, and now it’s ready to go. Offline navigation is also coming to Google Maps for iOS in the future.
In order to use offline navigation you’ll need to do a little prep work. You can download a map of a specific area to your phone when you do have internet service. Then you can continue to get directions as you travel, even if you’re underground or miles away from a cellular tower. Google Maps will automatically switch to offline navigation if it detects a poor connection.
Google has offered the ability to download maps for a while, but up until now if you didn’t have internet access you could view the maps but navigation wouldn’t work. Now you can get turn-by-turn directions.
The update also allows you to search the maps and view information about places on the map and view business hours, contact details, and ratings.
Thank you, HERE Maps for this feature. If you hadn’t been offering this feature for years, Google would have never felt pressured to offer it.
The main reason I use Google Maps Navigation is the real-time traffic info, which obviously will not function in offline mode.
I guarantee this thing will store Everything about you while it is offline then send it back to Google when it comes back online.
used it yesterday while out for a walk,worked great.hardware: 1st gen moto g,no data or cell use it as a audio-book player.
Here Maps still works great for this and is available through the Play Store. You can download maps for entire countries and entire regions/continents as well. Great maps and excellent turn-by-turn navigation. Very comparable to Google Maps directions in quality. Also available for Windows Phone.
I’m happy to know this, since I don’t pay for mobile data and I have found myself wishing that I could get directions through Google Maps, to no avail.
As long as the tablet has gps I like to think that it will work. I just hope there’s an option to save downloaded maps to the SD card
Hopefully it will go to microSD. Interesting that while the device manufacturers are pulling away from microSD the app manufacturers are not. Amazon Music just added the ability to automatically download to microSD.
Even some of Google’s apps work with microSD cards. Google Music lets you choose which storage device to cache music on.
MapFactor Navigator Free uses the free OSM (Open Street Maps) global
street level maps, and can save the maps to microSD_C card.
There are a number of off line options, but the problem is they are not as good as Google Maps. Google Maps has a pretty decent GUI–and it used to be even better.
I wonder if this would let me use a dedicated tablet or something for navigation in the car.
Great idea. Would a $50 rooted Amazon 7 inch Fire fit in a Double Din slot? 🙂
Lots of cheap tablets don’t have GPS functionality. Otherwise I don’t see that there’d be a problem.
If you’re willing to take a chance on clearance and refurbished devices you can get older devices with the same or higher specs (gps) as current budget devices. Awhile back the Asus Memo Pad 7″ (atom bay trail – android) was featured on the deals page for $40
No GPS on that device (as also stated by Kary).