14 ms·

Google launches offline maps

332 points by toby 11y ago

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
- thrownaway2424 11y ago
  Ten years ago you could have bought a Nokia Internet Tablet, download maps to SD cards, and used Maemo Mapper for offline maps (not navigation nor points of interest, back then). But essentially nobody did that, because it was hard. Bringing applications to a wide audience is valuable, even if the exact same things have already been achieved for or by a narrower audience.
  - monksy 11y ago
    At least 4 years ago you could have used a smartphone to download the maps and use the Here Drive functionality. (That may have been windows only)
PetrolMan 11y ago
Didn't this feature already exist and then disappear? I seem to remember being able to select a roughly 20 mile square area to download to my phone but the data and the feature disappeared after either an Android update or a Maps update.
- advisedwang 11y ago
  That has existed for a while and never went away (you can access it by clicking on the search bar and scrolling down). What is being announced now is that offline maps can be used for routing/navigation and business info.
  - dogma1138 11y ago
    It always downloaded and cached the area around your location and route. What new here is that you can control it and it also sounds to be persistent, it also will probably download POI and local businesses info as you've mentioned and allow you to use navigation while offline. This is quite good for my android phone because it seems to try to connect to every metro wifi out there and doesn't fall back gracefully and quickly enough for it to be seamless. The iPhone has a better UX when it comes to this but still would be quite good especially when I go to out of the city and get edge or poor 3G connection, it also will work great when roaming and I won't have to worry about closing the navigation app or pressing anything that will trigger a new search when I'm out of the hotel and don't have wifi.
  - jonknee 11y ago
    Which is super handy. One of my gripes with Google Maps is that (until now) it will navigate you to a place that is out of service, but as soon as you get there it says "You've arrived!" and then takes away the route you just used without a way to get it back. Really poor usability, especially when the app knows you have no service.
- ams6110 11y ago
  I've had it for the past couple of years on my Republic Wireless phone (which has wifi but no data plan) and it does work for navigation as long as you download the map and start the navigition while on wifi, which is a little cumbersome. My other complaint was that the area it allowed you to save offline was too small to cover a trip to another city. So you'd have to save separate areas all along the route, and try to make sure they all overlapped a bit. Hoping that this allows larger saved areas and starting or changing navigation destinations while offline.
- thrownaway2424 11y ago
  "Whereas before you could simply view an area of the map offline, now you can get turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find useful information about places, like hours of operation, contact information or ratings."
- theptip 11y ago
  This adds support for navigation, which I believe has never been possible before. That said, the ability to download maps for offline viewing was supported years ago, then removed, then added back (hidden in a hard-to-find corner of the app).
- joosters 11y ago
  Do you still need to be logged in with a google account in order to use the download feature?
brokentone 11y ago
I was hoping that the headline meant you could order prints.
- awhitty 11y ago
  Doesn't look like it, but you can build and export your own prints at high resolution through Mapbox Studio Classic [1], and you can order nice prints for the U.S. from the USGS [2]. [1]: https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-studio-classic/ https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-studio-classic/ [2]: http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/display/(xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd&layout=6_1_61_50_2&uiarea=2&ctype=catalogEntry&carea=0000000009)/.do http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/display/(xcm=r3standardpi...
dharma1 11y ago
Is the offline functionality exposed in the Android Google Maps APIs yet, for 3rd party apps?
- r0m4n0 11y ago
  I was wondering the same. This could potentially allow for circumvention of their usage limits though.
- jaakl 11y ago
  No, this is in their apps only. There are 3rd party map APIs which have offline capability: Nutiteq and Telenav for example
tzier 11y ago
Interesting to watch tech innovation be stifled by telecom inefficiencies. Great move by Google to adapt to that reality.
- Nagyman 11y ago
  It's really something all businesses building apps (native or otherwise) should be concerned with. Until we have one global network provider (haha), I don't see them cooperating with each other any time soon in any way that doesn't line their pockets. There are some EU roaming laws progressing in that direction, but I don't expect that for North Americans in the near future. Latest example I had while I was travelling - the AirBnb "app" couldn't show me my accommodation details without internet access. Really, what's the point of the app then if you can't cache the data locally? Browser caches should also be less aggressive about getting fresh data too. Caching is hard, but not everybody stays in one place with access to the internet until later. Do I have to continue printing on paper? Most web apps and pages don't pay enough attention to those cache headers. I used Maps.me while in Europe and it worked well except for the occasional crash, and the offline routing was very welcome for navigating the cities.
  - roel_v 11y ago
    Another one that barely works offline, incredibly: TripIt. WTF? Theoretically TripIt would be the bee's knees, and then you stand in line at the checkin desk and you want to show them the pdf eticket they emailed you - 'oops just hold on while this app starts - uhoh can't connect - uh it was here just a while ago - just wait a bit - yeah I'll be back later'. A travel app that doesn't work off line? Never doing that again.
sehugg 11y ago
I've had good luck with OSM apps like MAPS.ME, and it lets you download entire states or countries if you wish: http://maps.me/en/home http://maps.me/en/home You're probably not going to get the same detailed place/business data, but there are some things where it is more useful (finding public restrooms in Europe, for instance)
- therealmarv 11y ago
  Also used OsmAnd+ for offline car navigation in the past. Had very good experience with it although I liked the handling of Google Maps more. Seems still relevant to use because Offline Google Maps is still restricted in area size. No limits with OSM based maps or HERE.
- mtrn 11y ago
  I discovered maps.me app only this summer, but it's my favorite, so far - also, I had the chance to dive a bit more into the OSM community. I hope they continue to grow and produce more open map data in the future.
- frik 11y ago
  MAPS.ME is the best free OpenStreetMaps apps I found this summer. One can download countries or even a few continents of map data and stay offline with GPS-only. Older OSM map apps got crippled or were not updated for recent OS versions The quality of the OSM map data varies more than Google Maps, but often OSM is more detailed.
  - trystero 11y ago
    OsmAnd has more features but the UX is still a bit complicated.
- StringyBob 11y ago
  Bought both the maps.me and pocket earth pro apps for iPhone - for use on data-less vacations. maps.me has slightly better map rendering, pocket earth has more features (things like offline Wikipedia/wikitravel entries overlaid on a map is a great way to discover a place). OSM is surprisingly great for hiking, it has a lot more trails/footpaths than Google maps has marked.
jakub_g 11y ago
Not sure if everyone on HN is aware of it, but HERE Maps has been supporting offline maps for a while, for Windows, Android and iOS devices. You just first download a package over WiFi to your phone / SD card (one package per country, or for big countries, one package per region) and you can access the maps offline. That's super useful when traveling within Europe for instance. The main reason I sometimes use Google Maps is that it has better traffic coverage (shows also minor roads while HERE only major ones).
- bsharitt 11y ago
  If I know I'm going some where with poor 3G/4G coverage and might get lost, I'll install HERE Maps and get the offline maps for the region, but otherwise I like Google, so this will be nice to have a single map app.
- Alex3917 11y ago
  The Navigon GPS app is also offline. It's really a key feature, not only for driving but also for any activity where you're in the woods. It saves me from getting completely lost several times a year.
  - mjcohen 11y ago
    Yep. Navigon and Co-Pilot are two offline maps I have used. Each has pros and cons, but they both work fine without a data connection.
legohead 11y ago
Tried downloading LA -- "Area too large, zoom in" You can download the whole USA map with the "HERE" app...
- Kequc 11y ago
  Google can direct me to the front door of an apartment in a dense city. As well as provide me with opening hours of businesses and detailed transit information. How big is the download, to grab "The whole USA"?
  - kuschku 11y ago
    HERE has that, too. Except that business hours aren’t offline available. That’s why even the small German states are about a Gigabyte.
- magicalist 11y ago
  Are you sure you have the new version of the app? That sounds like the current version of "offline" maps, which just downloads the static geometry, not routing, POIs, etc.
0xFFC 11y ago
Unbelievable ! google and offline product ? this is against whole company ideology.I think new CEO is changing culture a little bit.
- MagnumOpus 11y ago
  They've had experiments offline for a long time... Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Reader used to have offline mode through Google Gears - though a while ago they yanked it from all browsers apart from Chrome to foist the latter onto people. Of course there is also POP3 and IMAP for Gmail. Also, Google Maps used to have a prominent offline caching mode, but the hid it away more and more.
zainali99 11y ago
Now I can finally delete the other application and use the full power of Google Maps.
chrissnell 11y ago
I'm particularly eager to see offline hi-res satellite imagery become available on a mobile device. I lead extended off-road desert driving trips [1] as a hobby and navigation is the biggest challenge. I strive to avoid commonly used roads and trails and seek out old, disused mining roads and cattle paths whenever possible. I currently use offline USGS topo maps [2] which is a big help but satellite imagery is far better for evaluating the potential driveability of a route. Please, Google--anybody--let us use or buy offline satellite imagery! [1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/sets/72157654387670633 https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/sets/72157654387670... [2] http://topomapsapp.com/ http://topomapsapp.com/
- maxerickson 11y ago
  You can DIY it. There is an ecosystem of tools that can handle map tiles shoved into a sqlite database: http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ So you just need to pick some of them and mess around getting it working. In the US, you can get reasonable imagery from the USGS: http://raster.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Orthoimagery/USGS_EROS_Ortho/ImageServer http://raster.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Orthoimag...
Urgo 11y ago
It's great they brought this back, but this is far from a new feature, just one that was gone for a few years. Previous to the redesign of the google maps app this feature did fully exist with navigation and all as I used it myself when visiting Canada. Anyway glad to see it back but how quick the Internet forgets.. this isn't new, they just fixed the broken feature, heh.
- arsenerei 11y ago
  Actually, it has still existed, just hidden. You could navigate to a part of the map, remove your search query. And you can save the map offline.
- modeless 11y ago
  You are mistaken. What existed before (and the redesign did not remove) was the ability to view cached data offline. You could specify a region to cache, then zoom and pan around that area without a data connection. It would also automatically download your route when you started navigation, and if you subsequently lost your data connection there was a limited offline ability to give directions back to the cached route. What is new, and never existed before in any version of the app, is the ability to search and start navigation completely offline.
  - mjcohen 11y ago
    Absolutely wrong. Back in version 6, there was a "My Maps" feature which allowed you to save a region and use that saved region to navigate.
    - modeless 11y ago
      "My Maps" was and still is the name of a feature which allows you to add your own places, lines, etc. on top of the base Google map. It has never allowed you to search the base map or start turn-by-turn navigation offline.
      - drited 11y ago
suprgeek 11y ago
HERE Maps - Has all of the Offline capabilities and is available Multi-Platform. In addition it has Speed limits and warnings, all for free on Android. The one reason to use the Google Maps app is the updated Traffic info and slightly nicer turn-by-turn (mentions specific lanes, etc) and slightly more updated maps.
- spacehunt 11y ago
  Let me know when it covers Japan.
  - mempko 11y ago
    *disclaimer: I used to work for HERE. I don't anymore. These opinions are my own. They covered much more of the world than google maps. I always didn't understand why Japan didn't make the cut, I didn't have any insight into that. fyi, HERE also has better indoor map coverage last time I checked, if you care for that sort of thing.
    - monksy 11y ago
      The Chicago office or the Berlin office?
    - jmspring 11y ago
      Usually I use HERE maps when traveling. I usually use CityMaps2Go as a backup. It was my primary offline map when in Japan earlier this year. It was certainly odd that it was missing.
      - jaakl 11y ago
        The HERE needs definitely backup. I have country maps downloaded there for travel, and phone is always offline, but often I see white map for the downloaded area. Initially it is always white. Sometimes it helps if you get online for a moment, but even then later on I have still got white map. Similar issues with both Android and iOS versions. Unreliable stuff
vicpara 11y ago
The time for offline was bazillion years ago. They just try to convince us they are innovating / incubating with their billion of dollars?
- dman 11y ago
  I have had to use navmii which uses openstreetmap data on all 4 of my recent vacations. The fact that bandwidth is abundant and freely available breaks down as soon as you step outside urban areas.
  - pmontra 11y ago
    Or when you leave your country.
- jonknee 11y ago
  If you don't go outside of a major city perhaps, but I find myself outside of cell service very frequently (in the mountains, radios don't work too well and there aren't many people anyway).
  - zodiac 11y ago
    I think he meant "they should have supported offline maps a long time ago"
Someone1234 11y ago
This is amazing. Now things like Garman have no real purpose (offline maps was their niche as Google Map's version of the same was terrible). Now who do I need to bribe at Google to get Google Maps to support Mirrorlink so it works with a quarter of a million vehicles? And to give Google Now a fake telephone number? Google would prefer vehicles implement Android Auto. I'd prefer that too. The reality on the ground is that about a dozen vehicles in the 2016 model year support Android Auto, while four times that support Mirrorlink (a Android Auto/Car Play competitor). That's a lot of vehicles who for their ten-twenty year lifespan won't have Google Maps without MirrorLink app support. So they're stuck using wonderful Android apps like "BringGo" and "Sygic" that are MirrorLink compatible. As to the Google Now fake phone number issue. Microsoft's Cortana does this, it rocks. A lot of vehicles totally botch Bluetooth. On a $20 Bluetooth Headset you can push and hold the call button and it opens up a audio stream to your smartphone, you say "OK Google" and Google Now works. Unfortunately many vehicles lack this very simple functionality. They outright refuse to open up a blank audio stream over Bluetooth, instead they want a specific phone number to call (that is stored on the vehicle's contact list). With no telephone contact in the directory the vehicle won't even pretend to start a call. Once you ask your vehicle to call someone, it opens up the Android dialer app and "OK Google" does not function (since you're now in a voice call). Cortana's fake number solves this outright, you "call" Cortana, she answers and you conduct your query. Your vehicle cannot know it isn't a real voice call, it is amazing. PS - No, Tasker does not solve the bluetooth thing. You can intercept the call and start Google Now, but as soon as it hangs up the call the bluetooth cuts out.
- giancarlostoro 11y ago
  > A lot of vehicles totally botch Bluetooth. I had no idea, I got a 2011 car recently and it plays bluetooth audio and does calling as a separate functionality. I had issues getting it setup at first, but once I did, I haven't really thought of it sense. My only issue is I think Google should let you pick a default music software somehow, when I first started using it, it would open up the stock music player instead of Google Play Music (which is what I use by default). Now I go into my car and it autoplays, but I have to have the app open. Hopefully there will be progress in future versions of Android.
pbhjpbhj 11y ago
>we’re gradually rolling out the first set of these improvements with the latest version of Google Maps on Android // Wouldn't it be nice if there was a version number so one could tell if it was worth updating yet. This is a big plus for me, the old option to cache a region of maps was very useful and this seems the moreso.
- gniv 11y ago
  The version that has the new offline functionality is 9.17
  - pbhjpbhj 11y ago
    Thanks - for anyone else looking your current version is in the Help > "..." menu (amongst other places).
awqrre 11y ago
Google is feeling the heat from open maps
jmharvey 11y ago
> You can download an area by searching for a city, county or country I'm curious what states or countries actually work with this feature. The first thing I did was type in "United States." Too big. Eventually I had to zoom into an area half the size of the SF peninsula before I could download anything. It's better than nothing, but still not as good offline as the Garmin I had a decade ago. I guess this data has lots of stuff that my Garmin didn't, like business hours, but I care a lot more about navigation than about the rich maps data Google wants to deliver me.
ausjke 11y ago
seems like a catch-up game when maps.me has been doing that for free for a while, glad to see this to happen however.
pvelagal 11y ago
Better late than never. I stopped using Google maps for anything serious. Was driving to Point Reyes lighthouse once and lost the connectivity, and spent the next half hour aimlessly driving and came back. Felt like an idiot.
- dogma1138 11y ago
  like with any assisted navigation system you shouldn't blindly follow it, memorizing the route, POI's, and looking at road signs is well kinda mandatory....
  - pvelagal 11y ago
    Bought the Garmin GPS for a hundred bucks and it is so much better. Will never trust any server based GPS app. Why cant they just download all the map data (basic should do, if not all of it) of USA. How much memory does it need ?
    - MagnumOpus 11y ago
      On HERE maps, the US takes 4.5GB, a single state like California takes 430MB.
    - ars 11y ago
      > How much memory does it need ? About 2 to 4GB. Depending on level of detail that number can go up or down a lot.
- blackguardx 11y ago
  I've been in the same boat. Just think, 30 years ago we would have stopped to ask for directions!
  - mjn 11y ago
    Or just looked at a map. :) I still like to keep some AAA maps in my car as a backup in case my phone dies or gets lost.
JustSomeNobody 11y ago
This implementation is rather lacking. Its only offline when a data connection isn't present. When data returns it automatically goes back online. There's a very small limit to what one can download as well.
- bduerst 11y ago
  It's calculating navigation routes, right? Wouldn't you want to use the most recent data for that?
  - mjcohen 11y ago
    No. map data does not change much. Traffic does, but not the map data.
    - bduerst 11y ago
      Right but they've always cached map data. The offline mode also does navigation now.
- gusmd 11y ago
  Simple fix: turn off your mobile data.
  - JustSomeNobody 11y ago
    Thats extreme. Personally I'll just stick with Here.
mjcohen 11y ago
Gee, now Google Maps is almost as good as it was at version 6, two or three years ago. If they only add "Save as a contact", as version 6 does, I could get rid of my never-to-be-upgraded original Nexus. This is on of the few changes to Maps that seem to be an improvement over the previous version.
greggman 11y ago
I'm really curious why Google maps seems so .... neglected? Maybe all these ideas have been considered but rejected for one reason or another. * Why can I not annotate the map with my own comments? I can mark a place but I can't label it or put any notes. Seems like for google it could a great source for big data (opt in). Would also seem like a possible lock in feature as in an incentive not to switch to another map system since you probably couldn't easily import your notes) * Why does search on maps suck so bad? I search for things and it gives me massively irrelevant answers halfway around the world even though it knows where I am. Why is actually searching so hard? Quite often I type something in, I want to "search" as in (show me markers on the map that match this query) but no search option appears, only a list of results which is not useful to me. I want to see them on the map. I don't know where 123 brown street is vs 567 red street but I would know if it would show me all of them on the map. That option is only available sometimes, not always. No idea why. * Why haven't they started selling ads on the maps? Or at least letting businesses register more info. I'd personally like to see logos/signs (small) instead of just generic markers. I'd also like to be to search for items and have it tell me where I can get them. Not just generic items but specific items. eg. not where can I buy appliances but where I can I buy/see the LG LSXS26466S * Why are the maps still so bad in so many parts of the world? Google maps does not know how to get from downtown Paris to Paris Disneyland by public transport. Google maps does not have public transportation info in Istanbul THE LARGEST CITY IN EUROPE!
- jpatokal 11y ago
  1) You can, it's called My Maps: http://mymaps.google.com http://mymaps.google.com 2) Search is hard, let's go shopping! 3) They have: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/3246303?hl=en-AU https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/3246303?hl=en-AU 4) Public transport info generally relies on there being a competent transit authority that can provide a solid GTFS feed. You'd be surprised how hard even big, 1st-world cities can find this (here's looking at you, Melbourne).
  - TeMPOraL 11y ago
    > 4) Public transport info generally relies on there being a competent transit authority that can provide a solid GTFS feed. You'd be surprised how hard even big, 1st-world cities can find this (here's looking at you, Melbourne). Sometimes the authorities get into exclusive deals with other companies. Which is infuriating, because while I understand competition, et al., it's Google Maps (and by extension Google Now) we're talking about! I don't want to use that stupid startup that provides public transit navigation in my city. I want Google Now which is properly integrated with everything else on my phone.
rsync 11y ago
Can I thread hijack and ask what in the world happened to plain old satellite view in google maps ? As in, go to the maps.google.com website, and the little icon in the corner to see things in a satellite view doesn't exist anymore ... there is only a choice for google earth and streetviews and blah blah blah things I never used. Although on an old mac running snow leopard, satellite view option is still there. What is going on ? Why would I not want the option of satellite view ? It seems like I would...
- efuquen 11y ago
  I believe the earth view is suppose to be the what was the old satellite view, just now by default having 3D rendering. Some people like it, some people don't If you're annoyed by the 3D rendering you can turn it off. Go to the same menu after selecting the Earth view and you should now see a '3D on' label. Click it and the 3D stuff will turn off and you'll get normal looking satellite images again.
sjbase 11y ago
This has been around for a couple of years unofficially. If you typed "ok maps" into the search bar in maps, it would offline the area currently onscreen. http://www.wired.com/2014/02/offline-google-maps/ http://www.wired.com/2014/02/offline-google-maps/
- ascorbic 11y ago
  This just let you view the map. The change is that you can now search and navigate offline.
jzd 11y ago
All I use is an Android phone loaded with the OSMAND app and a small 1 sq. ft. flexible solar panel. I'm good.
SwellJoe 11y ago
I traveled full-time in a motorhome for about four years, and I literally can't count the number of times I have furiously shouted "Goddammit, Google, cache your shit!" at my phone. I don't frequently get angry at inanimate objects (or faceless corporations), but this is a uniquely infuriating problem. I had other map and navigation apps, including quite pricey ones. And, I had a dedicated Garmin GPS. All could navigat and provide maps without a network connections. But, they all suck in other ways. Google Maps is clearly superior in every regard except that it will leave you on your own when you get off the grid, which is a pretty big deal...made more frustrating because it's difficult to guess when it's going to fail completely and make driving really stressful for a little while. They allegedly added caching of routes a few years back, but it never worked very well. Any change, addition of another destination along the route, changing zoom level, searching for gas and then trying to go back to your original route, would all cause it to lose the cached information. It was pretty much worthless because it would invalidate the cache at the drop of a hat. I'm hitting the road again, in a travel trailer, and I gave away my GPS because I have less space for extraneous things. I also assumed that things are better on the Android app GPS front (when I started traveling back then, I was using a Google dev phone, the first one based on the G1...so, all things Android have improved a little bit).
sandGorgon 11y ago
I'm surprised Nokia Here Maps [1] hasnt got a mention here. I did a multiple day roadtrip covering yosemite and death valley and Nokia Here Maps was the only thing that worked and it worked brilliantly. [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.m...
ksec 11y ago
I love to have this and long for this for a long time. Downloading Data while on the go is very battery consuming, in places where you are not familiar running out of battery tends to bother me a lot.
Sami_Lehtinen 11y ago
Downloading has been working for quite a while. But usually most interesting areas are blocked and can't be used in offline mode.

332 points by toby 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

thrownaway2424 11y ago
Ten years ago you could have bought a Nokia Internet Tablet, download maps to SD cards, and used Maemo Mapper for offline maps (not navigation nor points of interest, back then). But essentially nobody did that, because it was hard. Bringing applications to a wide audience is valuable, even if the exact same things have already been achieved for or by a narrower audience.
- monksy 11y ago
  At least 4 years ago you could have used a smartphone to download the maps and use the Here Drive functionality. (That may have been windows only)

PetrolMan 11y ago

Didn't this feature already exist and then disappear? I seem to remember being able to select a roughly 20 mile square area to download to my phone but the data and the feature disappeared after either an Android update or a Maps update.

advisedwang 11y ago
That has existed for a while and never went away (you can access it by clicking on the search bar and scrolling down). What is being announced now is that offline maps can be used for routing/navigation and business info.
- dogma1138 11y ago
  It always downloaded and cached the area around your location and route. What new here is that you can control it and it also sounds to be persistent, it also will probably download POI and local businesses info as you've mentioned and allow you to use navigation while offline. This is quite good for my android phone because it seems to try to connect to every metro wifi out there and doesn't fall back gracefully and quickly enough for it to be seamless. The iPhone has a better UX when it comes to this but still would be quite good especially when I go to out of the city and get edge or poor 3G connection, it also will work great when roaming and I won't have to worry about closing the navigation app or pressing anything that will trigger a new search when I'm out of the hotel and don't have wifi.
- jonknee 11y ago
  Which is super handy. One of my gripes with Google Maps is that (until now) it will navigate you to a place that is out of service, but as soon as you get there it says "You've arrived!" and then takes away the route you just used without a way to get it back. Really poor usability, especially when the app knows you have no service.
ams6110 11y ago
I've had it for the past couple of years on my Republic Wireless phone (which has wifi but no data plan) and it does work for navigation as long as you download the map and start the navigition while on wifi, which is a little cumbersome. My other complaint was that the area it allowed you to save offline was too small to cover a trip to another city. So you'd have to save separate areas all along the route, and try to make sure they all overlapped a bit. Hoping that this allows larger saved areas and starting or changing navigation destinations while offline.
thrownaway2424 11y ago
"Whereas before you could simply view an area of the map offline, now you can get turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find useful information about places, like hours of operation, contact information or ratings."
theptip 11y ago
This adds support for navigation, which I believe has never been possible before. That said, the ability to download maps for offline viewing was supported years ago, then removed, then added back (hidden in a hard-to-find corner of the app).
joosters 11y ago
Do you still need to be logged in with a google account in order to use the download feature?

brokentone 11y ago

I was hoping that the headline meant you could order prints.

awhitty 11y ago
Doesn't look like it, but you can build and export your own prints at high resolution through Mapbox Studio Classic [1], and you can order nice prints for the U.S. from the USGS [2]. [1]: https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-studio-classic/ https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-studio-classic/ [2]: http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/display/(xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd&layout=6_1_61_50_2&uiarea=2&ctype=catalogEntry&carea=0000000009)/.do http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/display/(xcm=r3standardpi...

dharma1 11y ago

Is the offline functionality exposed in the Android Google Maps APIs yet, for 3rd party apps?

r0m4n0 11y ago
I was wondering the same. This could potentially allow for circumvention of their usage limits though.
jaakl 11y ago
No, this is in their apps only. There are 3rd party map APIs which have offline capability: Nutiteq and Telenav for example

tzier 11y ago

Interesting to watch tech innovation be stifled by telecom inefficiencies. Great move by Google to adapt to that reality.

Nagyman 11y ago
It's really something all businesses building apps (native or otherwise) should be concerned with. Until we have one global network provider (haha), I don't see them cooperating with each other any time soon in any way that doesn't line their pockets. There are some EU roaming laws progressing in that direction, but I don't expect that for North Americans in the near future. Latest example I had while I was travelling - the AirBnb "app" couldn't show me my accommodation details without internet access. Really, what's the point of the app then if you can't cache the data locally? Browser caches should also be less aggressive about getting fresh data too. Caching is hard, but not everybody stays in one place with access to the internet until later. Do I have to continue printing on paper? Most web apps and pages don't pay enough attention to those cache headers. I used Maps.me while in Europe and it worked well except for the occasional crash, and the offline routing was very welcome for navigating the cities.
- roel_v 11y ago
  Another one that barely works offline, incredibly: TripIt. WTF? Theoretically TripIt would be the bee's knees, and then you stand in line at the checkin desk and you want to show them the pdf eticket they emailed you - 'oops just hold on while this app starts - uhoh can't connect - uh it was here just a while ago - just wait a bit - yeah I'll be back later'. A travel app that doesn't work off line? Never doing that again.

sehugg 11y ago

I've had good luck with OSM apps like MAPS.ME, and it lets you download entire states or countries if you wish: http://maps.me/en/home http://maps.me/en/home You're probably not going to get the same detailed place/business data, but there are some things where it is more useful (finding public restrooms in Europe, for instance)

therealmarv 11y ago
Also used OsmAnd+ for offline car navigation in the past. Had very good experience with it although I liked the handling of Google Maps more. Seems still relevant to use because Offline Google Maps is still restricted in area size. No limits with OSM based maps or HERE.
mtrn 11y ago
I discovered maps.me app only this summer, but it's my favorite, so far - also, I had the chance to dive a bit more into the OSM community. I hope they continue to grow and produce more open map data in the future.
frik 11y ago
MAPS.ME is the best free OpenStreetMaps apps I found this summer. One can download countries or even a few continents of map data and stay offline with GPS-only. Older OSM map apps got crippled or were not updated for recent OS versions The quality of the OSM map data varies more than Google Maps, but often OSM is more detailed.
- trystero 11y ago
  OsmAnd has more features but the UX is still a bit complicated.
StringyBob 11y ago
Bought both the maps.me and pocket earth pro apps for iPhone - for use on data-less vacations. maps.me has slightly better map rendering, pocket earth has more features (things like offline Wikipedia/wikitravel entries overlaid on a map is a great way to discover a place). OSM is surprisingly great for hiking, it has a lot more trails/footpaths than Google maps has marked.

jakub_g 11y ago

Not sure if everyone on HN is aware of it, but HERE Maps has been supporting offline maps for a while, for Windows, Android and iOS devices. You just first download a package over WiFi to your phone / SD card (one package per country, or for big countries, one package per region) and you can access the maps offline. That's super useful when traveling within Europe for instance. The main reason I sometimes use Google Maps is that it has better traffic coverage (shows also minor roads while HERE only major ones).

bsharitt 11y ago
If I know I'm going some where with poor 3G/4G coverage and might get lost, I'll install HERE Maps and get the offline maps for the region, but otherwise I like Google, so this will be nice to have a single map app.
Alex3917 11y ago
The Navigon GPS app is also offline. It's really a key feature, not only for driving but also for any activity where you're in the woods. It saves me from getting completely lost several times a year.
- mjcohen 11y ago
  Yep. Navigon and Co-Pilot are two offline maps I have used. Each has pros and cons, but they both work fine without a data connection.

legohead 11y ago

Tried downloading LA -- "Area too large, zoom in" You can download the whole USA map with the "HERE" app...

Kequc 11y ago
Google can direct me to the front door of an apartment in a dense city. As well as provide me with opening hours of businesses and detailed transit information. How big is the download, to grab "The whole USA"?
- kuschku 11y ago
  HERE has that, too. Except that business hours aren’t offline available. That’s why even the small German states are about a Gigabyte.
magicalist 11y ago
Are you sure you have the new version of the app? That sounds like the current version of "offline" maps, which just downloads the static geometry, not routing, POIs, etc.

0xFFC 11y ago

Unbelievable ! google and offline product ? this is against whole company ideology.I think new CEO is changing culture a little bit.

MagnumOpus 11y ago
They've had experiments offline for a long time... Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Reader used to have offline mode through Google Gears - though a while ago they yanked it from all browsers apart from Chrome to foist the latter onto people. Of course there is also POP3 and IMAP for Gmail. Also, Google Maps used to have a prominent offline caching mode, but the hid it away more and more.

zainali99 11y ago

Now I can finally delete the other application and use the full power of Google Maps.

chrissnell 11y ago

I'm particularly eager to see offline hi-res satellite imagery become available on a mobile device. I lead extended off-road desert driving trips [1] as a hobby and navigation is the biggest challenge. I strive to avoid commonly used roads and trails and seek out old, disused mining roads and cattle paths whenever possible. I currently use offline USGS topo maps [2] which is a big help but satellite imagery is far better for evaluating the potential driveability of a route. Please, Google--anybody--let us use or buy offline satellite imagery! [1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/sets/72157654387670633 https://www.flickr.com/photos/defender90/sets/72157654387670... [2] http://topomapsapp.com/ http://topomapsapp.com/

maxerickson 11y ago
You can DIY it. There is an ecosystem of tools that can handle map tiles shoved into a sqlite database: http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ http://mobac.sourceforge.net/ So you just need to pick some of them and mess around getting it working. In the US, you can get reasonable imagery from the USGS: http://raster.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Orthoimagery/USGS_EROS_Ortho/ImageServer http://raster.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/Orthoimag...

Urgo 11y ago

It's great they brought this back, but this is far from a new feature, just one that was gone for a few years. Previous to the redesign of the google maps app this feature did fully exist with navigation and all as I used it myself when visiting Canada. Anyway glad to see it back but how quick the Internet forgets.. this isn't new, they just fixed the broken feature, heh.

arsenerei 11y ago
Actually, it has still existed, just hidden. You could navigate to a part of the map, remove your search query. And you can save the map offline.
modeless 11y ago
You are mistaken. What existed before (and the redesign did not remove) was the ability to view cached data offline. You could specify a region to cache, then zoom and pan around that area without a data connection. It would also automatically download your route when you started navigation, and if you subsequently lost your data connection there was a limited offline ability to give directions back to the cached route. What is new, and never existed before in any version of the app, is the ability to search and start navigation completely offline.
- mjcohen 11y ago
  Absolutely wrong. Back in version 6, there was a "My Maps" feature which allowed you to save a region and use that saved region to navigate.
  - modeless 11y ago
    "My Maps" was and still is the name of a feature which allows you to add your own places, lines, etc. on top of the base Google map. It has never allowed you to search the base map or start turn-by-turn navigation offline.
    - drited 11y ago

suprgeek 11y ago

HERE Maps - Has all of the Offline capabilities and is available Multi-Platform. In addition it has Speed limits and warnings, all for free on Android. The one reason to use the Google Maps app is the updated Traffic info and slightly nicer turn-by-turn (mentions specific lanes, etc) and slightly more updated maps.

spacehunt 11y ago
Let me know when it covers Japan.
- mempko 11y ago
  *disclaimer: I used to work for HERE. I don't anymore. These opinions are my own. They covered much more of the world than google maps. I always didn't understand why Japan didn't make the cut, I didn't have any insight into that. fyi, HERE also has better indoor map coverage last time I checked, if you care for that sort of thing.
  - monksy 11y ago
    The Chicago office or the Berlin office?
  - jmspring 11y ago
    Usually I use HERE maps when traveling. I usually use CityMaps2Go as a backup. It was my primary offline map when in Japan earlier this year. It was certainly odd that it was missing.
    - jaakl 11y ago
      The HERE needs definitely backup. I have country maps downloaded there for travel, and phone is always offline, but often I see white map for the downloaded area. Initially it is always white. Sometimes it helps if you get online for a moment, but even then later on I have still got white map. Similar issues with both Android and iOS versions. Unreliable stuff

vicpara 11y ago

The time for offline was bazillion years ago. They just try to convince us they are innovating / incubating with their billion of dollars?

dman 11y ago
I have had to use navmii which uses openstreetmap data on all 4 of my recent vacations. The fact that bandwidth is abundant and freely available breaks down as soon as you step outside urban areas.
- pmontra 11y ago
  Or when you leave your country.
jonknee 11y ago
If you don't go outside of a major city perhaps, but I find myself outside of cell service very frequently (in the mountains, radios don't work too well and there aren't many people anyway).
- zodiac 11y ago
  I think he meant "they should have supported offline maps a long time ago"

Someone1234 11y ago

This is amazing. Now things like Garman have no real purpose (offline maps was their niche as Google Map's version of the same was terrible). Now who do I need to bribe at Google to get Google Maps to support Mirrorlink so it works with a quarter of a million vehicles? And to give Google Now a fake telephone number? Google would prefer vehicles implement Android Auto. I'd prefer that too. The reality on the ground is that about a dozen vehicles in the 2016 model year support Android Auto, while four times that support Mirrorlink (a Android Auto/Car Play competitor). That's a lot of vehicles who for their ten-twenty year lifespan won't have Google Maps without MirrorLink app support. So they're stuck using wonderful Android apps like "BringGo" and "Sygic" that are MirrorLink compatible. As to the Google Now fake phone number issue. Microsoft's Cortana does this, it rocks. A lot of vehicles totally botch Bluetooth. On a $20 Bluetooth Headset you can push and hold the call button and it opens up a audio stream to your smartphone, you say "OK Google" and Google Now works. Unfortunately many vehicles lack this very simple functionality. They outright refuse to open up a blank audio stream over Bluetooth, instead they want a specific phone number to call (that is stored on the vehicle's contact list). With no telephone contact in the directory the vehicle won't even pretend to start a call. Once you ask your vehicle to call someone, it opens up the Android dialer app and "OK Google" does not function (since you're now in a voice call). Cortana's fake number solves this outright, you "call" Cortana, she answers and you conduct your query. Your vehicle cannot know it isn't a real voice call, it is amazing. PS - No, Tasker does not solve the bluetooth thing. You can intercept the call and start Google Now, but as soon as it hangs up the call the bluetooth cuts out.

giancarlostoro 11y ago
> A lot of vehicles totally botch Bluetooth. I had no idea, I got a 2011 car recently and it plays bluetooth audio and does calling as a separate functionality. I had issues getting it setup at first, but once I did, I haven't really thought of it sense. My only issue is I think Google should let you pick a default music software somehow, when I first started using it, it would open up the stock music player instead of Google Play Music (which is what I use by default). Now I go into my car and it autoplays, but I have to have the app open. Hopefully there will be progress in future versions of Android.

pbhjpbhj 11y ago

>we’re gradually rolling out the first set of these improvements with the latest version of Google Maps on Android // Wouldn't it be nice if there was a version number so one could tell if it was worth updating yet. This is a big plus for me, the old option to cache a region of maps was very useful and this seems the moreso.

gniv 11y ago
The version that has the new offline functionality is 9.17
- pbhjpbhj 11y ago
  Thanks - for anyone else looking your current version is in the Help > "..." menu (amongst other places).

awqrre 11y ago

Google is feeling the heat from open maps

jmharvey 11y ago

> You can download an area by searching for a city, county or country I'm curious what states or countries actually work with this feature. The first thing I did was type in "United States." Too big. Eventually I had to zoom into an area half the size of the SF peninsula before I could download anything. It's better than nothing, but still not as good offline as the Garmin I had a decade ago. I guess this data has lots of stuff that my Garmin didn't, like business hours, but I care a lot more about navigation than about the rich maps data Google wants to deliver me.

ausjke 11y ago

seems like a catch-up game when maps.me has been doing that for free for a while, glad to see this to happen however.

pvelagal 11y ago

Better late than never. I stopped using Google maps for anything serious. Was driving to Point Reyes lighthouse once and lost the connectivity, and spent the next half hour aimlessly driving and came back. Felt like an idiot.

dogma1138 11y ago
like with any assisted navigation system you shouldn't blindly follow it, memorizing the route, POI's, and looking at road signs is well kinda mandatory....
- pvelagal 11y ago
  Bought the Garmin GPS for a hundred bucks and it is so much better. Will never trust any server based GPS app. Why cant they just download all the map data (basic should do, if not all of it) of USA. How much memory does it need ?
  - MagnumOpus 11y ago
    On HERE maps, the US takes 4.5GB, a single state like California takes 430MB.
  - ars 11y ago
    > How much memory does it need ? About 2 to 4GB. Depending on level of detail that number can go up or down a lot.
blackguardx 11y ago
I've been in the same boat. Just think, 30 years ago we would have stopped to ask for directions!
- mjn 11y ago
  Or just looked at a map. :) I still like to keep some AAA maps in my car as a backup in case my phone dies or gets lost.

JustSomeNobody 11y ago

This implementation is rather lacking. Its only offline when a data connection isn't present. When data returns it automatically goes back online. There's a very small limit to what one can download as well.

bduerst 11y ago
It's calculating navigation routes, right? Wouldn't you want to use the most recent data for that?
- mjcohen 11y ago
  No. map data does not change much. Traffic does, but not the map data.
  - bduerst 11y ago
    Right but they've always cached map data. The offline mode also does navigation now.
gusmd 11y ago
Simple fix: turn off your mobile data.
- JustSomeNobody 11y ago
  Thats extreme. Personally I'll just stick with Here.

mjcohen 11y ago

Gee, now Google Maps is almost as good as it was at version 6, two or three years ago. If they only add "Save as a contact", as version 6 does, I could get rid of my never-to-be-upgraded original Nexus. This is on of the few changes to Maps that seem to be an improvement over the previous version.

greggman 11y ago

I'm really curious why Google maps seems so .... neglected? Maybe all these ideas have been considered but rejected for one reason or another. * Why can I not annotate the map with my own comments? I can mark a place but I can't label it or put any notes. Seems like for google it could a great source for big data (opt in). Would also seem like a possible lock in feature as in an incentive not to switch to another map system since you probably couldn't easily import your notes) * Why does search on maps suck so bad? I search for things and it gives me massively irrelevant answers halfway around the world even though it knows where I am. Why is actually searching so hard? Quite often I type something in, I want to "search" as in (show me markers on the map that match this query) but no search option appears, only a list of results which is not useful to me. I want to see them on the map. I don't know where 123 brown street is vs 567 red street but I would know if it would show me all of them on the map. That option is only available sometimes, not always. No idea why. * Why haven't they started selling ads on the maps? Or at least letting businesses register more info. I'd personally like to see logos/signs (small) instead of just generic markers. I'd also like to be to search for items and have it tell me where I can get them. Not just generic items but specific items. eg. not where can I buy appliances but where I can I buy/see the LG LSXS26466S * Why are the maps still so bad in so many parts of the world? Google maps does not know how to get from downtown Paris to Paris Disneyland by public transport. Google maps does not have public transportation info in Istanbul THE LARGEST CITY IN EUROPE!

jpatokal 11y ago
1) You can, it's called My Maps: http://mymaps.google.com http://mymaps.google.com 2) Search is hard, let's go shopping! 3) They have: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/3246303?hl=en-AU https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/3246303?hl=en-AU 4) Public transport info generally relies on there being a competent transit authority that can provide a solid GTFS feed. You'd be surprised how hard even big, 1st-world cities can find this (here's looking at you, Melbourne).
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  > 4) Public transport info generally relies on there being a competent transit authority that can provide a solid GTFS feed. You'd be surprised how hard even big, 1st-world cities can find this (here's looking at you, Melbourne). Sometimes the authorities get into exclusive deals with other companies. Which is infuriating, because while I understand competition, et al., it's Google Maps (and by extension Google Now) we're talking about! I don't want to use that stupid startup that provides public transit navigation in my city. I want Google Now which is properly integrated with everything else on my phone.

rsync 11y ago

Can I thread hijack and ask what in the world happened to plain old satellite view in google maps ? As in, go to the maps.google.com website, and the little icon in the corner to see things in a satellite view doesn't exist anymore ... there is only a choice for google earth and streetviews and blah blah blah things I never used. Although on an old mac running snow leopard, satellite view option is still there. What is going on ? Why would I not want the option of satellite view ? It seems like I would...

efuquen 11y ago
I believe the earth view is suppose to be the what was the old satellite view, just now by default having 3D rendering. Some people like it, some people don't If you're annoyed by the 3D rendering you can turn it off. Go to the same menu after selecting the Earth view and you should now see a '3D on' label. Click it and the 3D stuff will turn off and you'll get normal looking satellite images again.

sjbase 11y ago

This has been around for a couple of years unofficially. If you typed "ok maps" into the search bar in maps, it would offline the area currently onscreen. http://www.wired.com/2014/02/offline-google-maps/ http://www.wired.com/2014/02/offline-google-maps/

ascorbic 11y ago
This just let you view the map. The change is that you can now search and navigate offline.

jzd 11y ago

All I use is an Android phone loaded with the OSMAND app and a small 1 sq. ft. flexible solar panel. I'm good.

SwellJoe 11y ago

I traveled full-time in a motorhome for about four years, and I literally can't count the number of times I have furiously shouted "Goddammit, Google, cache your shit!" at my phone. I don't frequently get angry at inanimate objects (or faceless corporations), but this is a uniquely infuriating problem. I had other map and navigation apps, including quite pricey ones. And, I had a dedicated Garmin GPS. All could navigat and provide maps without a network connections. But, they all suck in other ways. Google Maps is clearly superior in every regard except that it will leave you on your own when you get off the grid, which is a pretty big deal...made more frustrating because it's difficult to guess when it's going to fail completely and make driving really stressful for a little while. They allegedly added caching of routes a few years back, but it never worked very well. Any change, addition of another destination along the route, changing zoom level, searching for gas and then trying to go back to your original route, would all cause it to lose the cached information. It was pretty much worthless because it would invalidate the cache at the drop of a hat. I'm hitting the road again, in a travel trailer, and I gave away my GPS because I have less space for extraneous things. I also assumed that things are better on the Android app GPS front (when I started traveling back then, I was using a Google dev phone, the first one based on the G1...so, all things Android have improved a little bit).

sandGorgon 11y ago

I'm surprised Nokia Here Maps [1] hasnt got a mention here. I did a multiple day roadtrip covering yosemite and death valley and Nokia Here Maps was the only thing that worked and it worked brilliantly. [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.m...

ksec 11y ago

I love to have this and long for this for a long time. Downloading Data while on the go is very battery consuming, in places where you are not familiar running out of battery tends to bother me a lot.

Sami_Lehtinen 11y ago

Downloading has been working for quite a while. But usually most interesting areas are blocked and can't be used in offline mode.