Save offline maps in Google Maps for Android

Google Maps is one of the best and most popular Android apps. It is a powerful tool that brings all of the functionality of the desktop service to your phone or tablet.

Included among its many features is full 3D navigation, so that the app is capable of replacing a separate satnav app. However, Google Maps mostly requires a internet connection to work.

save-map

It is possible to save maps for use offline, as we will see in this tutorial. They need to be re-downloaded every month, in order to keep them up to date, and can only be of a limited size—although that size will be large enough to save individual cities.

It should be noted that when using maps offline search is not available, so you won’t benefit from many of the more useful features in Google Maps, including routing. Therefore we’d recommend keeping your data connection alive when driving, and using the offline feature to guarantee continued coverage should you lose your signal.

Read on to find out how to manage your offline Google Maps.

Choose your map

Open the Maps app and scroll to, or search for, the area you want to save. The area displayed on screen is what will be cached for offline use, so ensure that the full region you require is visible.

Save for offline use

Tap in the search bar at the top of the screen. The keyboard will pop open, so close that, then scroll to the bottom of the screen.

You’ll now see the option Save map to use offline. Tap this then zoom and swipe to ensure your map region is still fully selected. Tap Save.

save

Make a smaller selection

If you’ve selected an area that is too large you will see a red warning symbol. Zoom in until the symbol disappears, then tap Save.

Type in a name for the map area followed by Save. The map will now start downloading.

saving-map

Manage and delete offline Google maps

To manage your offline Google Maps return to the app’s map view and this time tap the User icon next to the search bar. Scroll down to see all your Offline maps.

delete-maps

Tap View all and manage to see how long each map is valid for. If any are expired tap them to redownload the area. Alternatively tap the three dots menu button and select Delete to remove it. Maps are valid for 30 days.

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