Google Maps is a great tool for getting directions, except when there is no internet connection where you are. Such situations make it challenging to deal with. Good news, with Google Maps you can access offline maps and still use navigation when you have no internet access. People who travel or drive might benefit a lot from this feature if they run into regions with poor or no internet connectivity.

How to Set Up Google Maps for Offline Use

The setup of offline map in easy to do. Here’s what you have to follow these steps in order to download the map of the area you need.

Step	Action	Check List
One	Open Google Maps	The first thing you need to do is to open Google maps app that is installed in your android or iOS device. Also make sure that you logged yourself in with your Google account.
Two	Search the Location	Then, just type the name of location you want to download, then search it in the search bar. Well, this will be part of a city or neighborhood (sometimes the entire city, i.e. the region you’re going to visit).
Three	Click on Offline Maps Option	Now the next thing that you have to do is wait till the map that you are seeing on the map screen and tap on download or offline maps at the bottom of the screen. In case you don’t see this on the screen, just tap in the top–left corner menu icon of it which has three horizontal lines at the top and select ‘Offline Maps’.
Four	Area to Download Adjust	Then you will see a map of that area which you like to download. If you zoom in or out you can make their map area bigger or smaller. If so you will when the part of the area or when you intend to some big area it is sure you download the little piece or the big map respectively.
Five	Tap Download	Then when you click download you should download the file. After it’s downloaded right click on the file and select extract all.

So go to download the map on your device as well. It is downloaded and is offline. The map size varies and it’ll take some minutes to download according to your download speeds.

Using Offline Maps for Navigation

Once it is downloaded, you will no longer need an Internet connection to use it. Here is how you can use Google maps offline in this way.

Step	Action	Check List
First step	Go to Google Maps	Open Google Maps as you would do the usual way when you are online.
After then step 2	You look for a destination	Simply use the map area that you have downloaded to search your destination. Just like when you’re online, possible ways to drive, walk and cycle will be shown on Google Maps.
Third step	Get the direction	You will then have to click on “Directions” and Google Maps will advise you in getting to the destination from there. With downloaded map, you are going to have turn by turn navigation. It won’t show live traffic updates.

Key Things to Remember About Offline Maps

Offline Maps Expire Every 30 Days: Google Maps expires offline maps every 30 days. It is very important to update your maps when it expires if you’re traveling frequently or if you’re going to various locations. If you want to manually update maps, then go to Google Maps, > Your Profile > Offline Maps and tap to update it.

No Real Time Updates: Maps updated offline, therefore make reliable navigation, but traffic data in real time and alternate routes are unavailable. Traffic conditions or accidents which happen after you downloaded the map data from the time of download will not be reflected on the route you are following.

Location Services Must Be Enabled: To use offline maps, location services need to be turned on. This way Google Maps is able to follow your track on the downloaded map and guide you correctly.

Storage Space: Offline maps can occupy a large amount of storage space on your phone and even more so if you download entire cities or multiple regions. If you are short on storage, then you can download only the areas you’ll need.

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