Google Maps will now be accessible offline when the access to internet has all of a sudden disappeared; App users will be able to download city maps so directions will be stored on their mobile devices.
The app will automatically go into offline mode when it detects little to no signal. The offline features include turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find details about places, like hours of operation or contact information. The offline app won’t be able to offer real-time traffic information.
In a Google blog post, product manager Amanda Bishop said: “Roughly 60 percent of the world is without Internet today, and even where online access is available, it can still be spotty. That means that quick and easy access to information is still not possible for a majority of the population.
“This is a huge problem, especially as people attempt to navigate and explore the world around them, so Google Maps is taking steps to help people across the globe find directions and get where they’re going, even when they don’t have an Internet connection.”
You can download an area by searching for a city, county or country, for instance, and tapping “Download” on the resulting place sheet, or by going to “Offline Areas” in the Google Maps menu and tapping on the “+” button.
Once a healthy connection is found, it will switch back online so you can easily access the full version of Maps. By default, Google will only download areas to your device when you are on a Wi-Fi connection to prevent large data fees.
