What would we do without Google Maps? Get lost most probably!
Google Maps is one of the most useful apps when travelling. It can tell you in a minute how to get from where you are to where you want to go – on foot, by car or using public transport. However, problems arise when you no longer have wifi.
Rather than pay through the nose for roaming rates and risk a nasty post-holiday bill, why not use Google Maps offline? Yes, you can now use Google Maps without internet access.
Google Maps has started saving cached versions of maps on smartphones. Once saved, you can keep using Google Maps without needing to connect to the internet again. Here’s how it works.
- Before you leave make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps installed on your phone.
- Turn off your phone’s Cellular Data connection before you get on the plane to avoid roaming charges while overseas. You can still use your wifi to connect.
- Make sure wifi is switched on. Find an area with free wifi or pay to connect to a wifi network.
- Open Google Maps and let it load.
- That’s it. Google Maps has now loaded a map of your current location and stored it in your smartphone. You’re now able to zoom in or out and use the app as you would a normal map to find your way around.
One final tried-and-tested tip. If you’re precautious person as I am, or don’t want to waste time zooming in and out, get Google Maps to outline your route from where you are to where you want to go when using wifi, and then zoom in on each section and take screenshots. These will automatically be saved in your camera roll, meaning you can easily refer back to them to find your way.
See our tutorial to learn how to take a screenshot using your phone.
