How to Download Offline Maps in Google Maps for iPhone

Do you primarily rely on Google Maps for directions on your iPhone? If so, did you know that you can download maps to your device for offline use? This could really come in handy when you’re not connected to the internet, whether you’re traveling in a location without perfect cell service, going somewhere with no mobile service at all, venturing into the great outdoors via GPS coordinates, or any number of other situations.

Although Apple has its own Maps app that’s baked into iOS devices, it doesn’t offer offline map downloads and hence, you’ll need to always stay connected to the internet for directions. But, you cannot realistically expect to stay connected to Wi-Fi at all times. What if you’re in a remote location where there’s no cellular connectivity as well? This is exactly why Google’s Offline Maps feature could prove to be extremely useful in certain scenarios.

Are you looking to make sure you don’t lose access to your maps when you don’t have a working internet connection? We’re here to help.

How to Download Offline Maps in Google Maps for iPhone

Before you get started, we’d like to inform you that you cannot download the map for the entire world in one go. You can only download maps individually for much smaller areas that are comparable to the size of cities. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

1. Launch the Google Maps app on your iPhone and sign in with your Google account if you haven’t already.
   
   
2. Next, tap on your Google Profile icon located next to the search bar, as shown in the screenshot below.
   
   
3. This will take you to the settings. Here, tap on “Offline maps” to proceed.
   
   
4. Here, Google will show you a recommended map based on your location that you can download directly. Additionally, you’ll have the option to choose your own offline map. Tap on “Select Your Own Map” to get started with this.
   
   
5. Now, drag around the map to find the place you want to download and try to fit as much area inside the highlighted square. Once you’re satisfied with your area selection, tap on “Download”.
   
   
6. Depending on your internet connection and the size of the area you’re downloading, it can take a couple of minutes to finish downloading the map. Meanwhile, you can tap on the pencil icon at the top-right corner to rename the offline map.
   
   
7. Once the download is complete, you’ll be able to find this map in the offline maps section. If you want to delete or update the map, you can tap on the triple-dot icon to access those options.
   
   

There you go. You’ve successfully managed to download maps for offline use using Google Maps on your iPhone.

From now on, when you lose internet connection or it becomes slow while you’re driving, Google Maps will continue to give you driving directions with the help of offline maps, provided you have the area downloaded on to your iPhone.

You can repeat the above steps to download offline maps for various different places. You’ll notice that there’s an expiry date mentioned below each of the offline maps you’ve downloaded. All the maps you download can be used offline for exactly 1 year after which it expires and needs to be downloaded again.

It’s also worth pointing out that you can only get driving directions while using these maps in offline mode. These directions won’t have traffic information, alternate routes, or lane guidance since you’re not connected to the internet. Transit, walking, and cycling directions aren’t available for offline maps.

If you’re unable to find the option to download offline maps on your iPhone, we hate to break it to you, but this feature isn’t available in certain countries due to contractual limitations, language support, address formats, and other reasons. So if you’re running the latest version and don’t have the feature, that may be the reason why.

using Google Maps with CarPlay

A potentially helpful trick to know is how to empty the Google Maps app cache too, and you can browse through other Google Maps tips as well.

By the way, if you have an ancient iOS device with a much older version of Google Maps, you can use a little trick to accomplish the same thing, but that won’t apply to most users, since most people have modern devices with modern iOS and Google Maps versions.

We hope you were able to quickly download offline maps for accessing directions even when you’re not connected to the internet. How many places have you downloaded for offline use so far? Is this a feature that you’ll be relying on frequently? Let us know your valuable thoughts and share your experiences in the comments section down below.