Google Maps for Android, with offline maps

[haven]

The regular version of Google Maps for Android now contains the ability to cache maps for use without an Internet connection. Here's a short video that illustrates its uses. My understanding is that you can save up to six area maps, each up to about 10 square miles, at a time. The app shows how much space it needs to store the map area you've chosen. The maps are available for 150 countries.

With GPS turned on, your location on the map is shown by a blue dot. If your device has a digital compass (magnetometer), the map can orient your direction, too.

No search for an address, and no turn by turn navigation while offline, but you can't have everything for free.



An updated Maps for iOS devices is coming "soon."

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Any idea if this will work on an 'Ice Cream Sandwich' tablet? It's an Android, but doesn't have access to 'Google Play'

Definitely going on my Droid Razor!

 

[gahi]

Well, I had higher hopes for this I guess. It turns out you can only save the traffic maps for offline use. No terrain or satellite. Bummer.

 

[chrismc]

I'm not sure why Google is suddenly promoting this feature. The pre-caching of offline maps has been in Maps for Android for at least 6 months (I've been using it).

 

[gahi]

When you pre-cache, are you just viewing the area you want? Does it save all zoom levels?

 

[haven]

Android Maps' offline caching was available as a Google Labs test feature for a while now. Today, it's part of the standard release.

Cached maps allow zoom in and out.

 

[LR Max]

I think it is more for the tablet market. Recently I had to use my tablet for navigation outside of the US (so my phone doesn't work in Canada! News to me! But I knew it wasn't going to work in Germany). Having to manually cache on my tablet at the hotel before departing. If we had to go somewhere else, it was a problem.

While this isn't the end-all, it is the beginning. It would be nice to download maps to a SD card and run them on google maps. I REALLY like google maps compared to other softwares. Just super handy and I use the street maps more than anything else. If I had to navigate with only one kind of android software, that would be it.

 

[LR Max]

DO NOT DOWNLOAD!!! I just downloaded the update and while the offline maps is pretty solid, the rest of google maps is messed up! I can only assume google is getting flooded with complaints and will issue an update but as of right now, I wouldn't download it.

My biggest complaint is the "auto rotate to north" button doesn't work anymore. Just read other reviews, getting a lot of negative feedback about other crap not working.

As for the offline maps, basically you zoom the area (city, state, ORV park, whatevs) and download it. I downloaded metro Atlanta. 11MB. Not bad. Downloaded north Georgia at 27MB.

 

[LR Max]

So since I was stuck with it downloaded on my tablet, I had a chance to use it this morning. Long story short, I was somewhere I wasn't familiar with (1.5 hour drive in a direction I've never been) and stuck with someone else's car, somewhere, needing to go to a wedding. I figure, "Hey, this would be a good time to use the google maps!"

Basically what I learned is that you download it and you have a map. No auto-routing capabilities, just a map. Really wasn't anything special. Gave you basically a paper map and sometimes showed you where you were.

After a while I ditched it and pulled up my Navfree USA app which gave me actual routing and verbal instructions. Overall I will keep the downloaded maps but it'll be a backup to my Gazetteer.