Google has announced offline support to its Map service last week. This feature was much anticipated since it was introduced in this year’s Google I/O. Google Maps is the most used navigation service in the world and this new feature is being considered to be a huge add on to the app. With this feature you can navigate around using Google Maps even without an internet connection. So let’s get started on how to use Google Maps offline. (Google Maps Offline now available in India)
First thing you need to download a map of any area or city is a high speed and uninterrupted internet connection. Using WiFi is the advised way to do so as you need to download big amount of data. Now to download the map, open the app and navigate to the area whose map you want to save. Tap on the Search box on the top. Then go to the bottom of the dropped down list and look for the option “Save for offline use” or you can also type “ok maps” in the search box and hit enter to do the same. Zoom in or out to see the desired area you want to download. Then tap the Download button. Then provide the name for the map and hit Save. Then the map will start downloading. It will take some while depending upon the size of area whose map you are downloading. Now you have the downloaded map in your phone for offline uses. Switch off your data connection to see the map in your offline section of the app.
There’s a catch too. The maps are only good for 30 days from the day you downloaded them and then they will expire. You will need to re-download the maps. It is easy to do so. Go to the section called Your Places and click on the expired maps to re-download them. This is meant to keep your maps updated.
