Android downloaded maps

Downloaded maps expire after about 15 days. Also: The 10 best car phone holders available How to store offline maps. Open the Google Maps application.

Tap on your profile picture in the top-right corner. Select Offline maps. Google often offers recommendations. If your desired area is not in the recommended maps, hit Select your own map. Choose the area you want to download. You can now pinch-to-zoom in and out, making the download area larger or smaller. After making your selection, hit the Download button in the lower-right corner. Choose what area to download. Google Maps will now show you the exact area of maps that will be downloaded.

You can expand or decrease the area of maps being downloaded by zooming in or out. The app will tell you much more storage space is required. The last step is pressing the download button. Google does this to save space on your phone and to ensure you're not using an outdated map. However, it's easy to update your offline maps if you want to be able to access them indefinitely.

To start, tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of Google Maps, then choose "Offline maps" Android or "Offline areas" iPhone. From here, select the downloaded map area, then press "Update" on the following screen. Once you've done that, you'll have offline access to this map area for another month.

Please remember that some important traffic data, like construction zones and accidents, will not be available when using offline maps. While it does serve as a great backup in case you run into areas with poor cellular service, it should really only used during those times. This article was produced during Gadget Hacks' special coverage on traveling with your smartphone. Check out the whole Travel series. Get a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited for all your devices with a one-time purchase from the new Gadget Hacks Shop , and watch Hulu or Netflix without regional restrictions, increase security when browsing on public networks, and more.

Tap Download offline map. You'll see a box surrounding a suggested download area. The selected map area will now download to your iPhone or iPad. If you want to force Google Maps to use your downloaded map instead, you must disconnect from your mobile data plan. You can toggle mobile data on and off by swiping up from the bottom of the home screen and tapping the antennae icon to the right of the airplane.

Method 3. Though there's no way to download a map area when you're using a computer, you can download directions in advance and save them to a PDF file. Type your destination into the Search bar. If you want to save directions to a location, type the address or name of that location into this box. As you type, a list of matching results will appear. Click the location in the search results. The map will zoom in to the location.

Click Directions. It's in the left panel. Look for the blue icon with a road sign containing an arrow. Enter a starting point. Just as you searched your destination, enter the name or address of the location you're traveling from into the box at the top-left corner of the page.

Click the starting point in the search results. This will display a map that shows the route from the starting point to the destination. This displays step-by-step directions for the trip.

Depending on the location and destination, you may see multiple routes in the left panel. Click the printer icon. It's in the left panel at the top-right corner. A small pop-up will appear. Click Print including maps. This will include the map in the downloaded directions. Click Print. It's the blue button at the top-right corner of the page.

This opens the print panel.