The more I used it and got more familiar with it, the more I was impressed with its functions and ease of use. I just randomly happened to find in the app store and downloaded it. I needed something where I could use WiFi to do my initial download and then be able to mark places and keep track of them for later use, all while hiking, driving, or just sitting around waiting. I knew I wasn’t going to have a cellular data service for my entire time in the country, so using Google Maps was not an option. I have been using a cool little smartphone app called since my first trip to Iceland in 2013. So, if you are a power user and have created multiple lists of hundreds of saved places that span many countries, the offline maps feature becomes woefully inadequate. There is a way to download a portion of the map for offline use, but this feature isn't intended for large portions of the map, like a whole country. And if an internet connection isn't available, Google Maps is essentially useless. With that out of the way, let's look at how to download Google Maps for offline use.Photographers need marking and saving locations for a variety of use cases. If your internal storage is full, but your phone has a vacant microSD card slot, you can change the storage location and download maps on the microSD card. The bigger the map, the more space you will need.

However, you won't have access to Google Maps features like Street View, traffic updates, public transport navigation, bicycle routes, or Google's Busy Areas feature.Īdditionally, you need free storage space on your device to download the maps. Most importantly, you will have access to navigation features when using offline maps. Before you begin, there are a few things to know.

Whether you're on Android, iOS, or Chromebook, you can download Google Maps through the app to make sure you don't get lost when navigating through the boonies where the signal is sparse. Here's a quick rundown of how to download and use a map in Google Maps. It's also a good idea to download Google Maps offline in case you find yourself in an area with little or no coverage. If you're a frequent traveler, you'll want a good Android phone with global band support.

Google maps download