Google maps offline

pickarooney

I'm a bit confused as to how these work. I downloaded a map yesterday (approx 100km x 100km, 56MB) and tested it out on my ride home.

I set the start and end points while still on the WiFi at work and hit Navigation. Voice directions came on but stopped about 10 seconds after I'd left, i.e. out of WiFi range and when I tried to recalculate the route I found it was disabled with the message 'No data connection'.

On the way home, the voice directions started up again but after I changed route (the road I took was parallel to the original road) it didn't cop on until 3km later and kept giving instructions for the original road even after the two diverged. It then tried to recalculate the route but took ten minutes by which time I was 100m from home.

So I'm wondering

a) what bits Google needs a data connection for -street name lookup?
b) if its slow reaction to the changed route is due to the map, the GPS or something else?
c) is there some way of improving offline performance?

projectgtr

afaik the app still relies on a data connection to use google servers to plan the route, so its not truly "offline", thats how i see it anyway i hope im wrong as id love to be able to rely on it when abroad.

aN.Droid

maps are offline. navigation isn't.

The 'offline' feature just downloads maps - not the routing data.

Package

so is there anyway of starting a map without data connection..

like when im down in the country, and need to find my way from one place to another, ive no data connection and no wifi, theresfore cannot even start a map to get directions ..

Nolimits

Package wrote: »

so is there anyway of starting a map without data connection..

like when im down in the country, and need to find my way from one place to another, ive no data connection and no wifi, theresfore cannot even start a map to get directions ..

You need data or wifi to plan the navigation always. Once you have the navigation, if you just stick to the route they suggest you'll be fine. You'll need data though to recalculate if you deviate from the course suggested.

Package

Nolimits wrote: »

You need data or wifi to plan the navigation always. Once you have the navigation, if you just stick to the route they suggest you'll be fine. You'll need data though to recalculate if you deviate from the course suggested.

ah balls,, i guess it off to buy an actual satnav for me so.

Davy

Package wrote: »

ah balls,, i guess it off to buy an actual satnav for me so.

Or a different phone....

Grassey

Package wrote: »

ah balls,, I guess it off to buy an actual satnav for me so.

Don't buy a satnav. Go to play store and try Sygic.

It is on 25% off sale at the moment with free lifetime updates. Also google for discount code and get another chunk off. I bought full European maps reduced from 50 to 30.

It does full offline no data mapping. Used it around the UK, and Czech & Slovakia last week and I'm sold on it. Map sizes can be large but searching and routing offline is perfect. Fantastic app.

You get a free 7 day trial on playstore. Give it a shot!

deekster

Yeah, I was on my Irish SGII driving around Florida last year. Before we departed each day, but actually in the car with GPS locked in, I would use wifi to get my route. I missed several turn-offs, got on wrong highways etc (my fault) but the phone (with no data connection) was able to re-route me to my destination.

I'd still be out there only for it.

ps. I did have offline Maps cached for the area, but that was just for display, it was the turn-by-turn audio directions that I was relying on.

Package

Grassey wrote: »

Don't buy a satnav. Go to play store and try Sygic.

It is on 25% off sale at the moment with free lifetime updates. Also google for discount code and get another chunk off. I bought full European maps reduced from 50 to 30.

It does full offline no data mapping. Used it around the UK, and Czech & Slovakia last week and I'm sold on it. Map sizes can be large but searching and routing offline is perfect. Fantastic app.

You get a free 7 day trial on playstore. Give it a shot!

awesome stuff,,, thank you very much,, just downloaded it and will test it tomorrow,, thank you again.

Saadyst

On the subject of google maps and offline...

Anyone have trouble resolving their GPS location without a data connection?

I was abroad a few weeks ago and while I was out and about it kept saying "location data unavailable" (or similar), but when on wi-fi it had no trouble!

I've a HTC One X and my girlfriend has a Samsung S3... and was working for her.

biebiebie

NavFree works great for me. You can download offline maps. There's also a version for usa.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navfree.android.OSM.ALL&hl=en

thebman

I use Navigator, it has pay for mapping data but also the option to use Open Street map data.

I use the Open Street Maps one which is fine for the vast majority of Ireland now. It is completely offline as I've used it with data connection disabled and no wi-fi loads of times.

It also has a few features I've never seen on a sat-nav or other navigation software such as vehicle profiles and the ability to define speed limits for different categories of roads and you can make it beep if you exceed that limit.