6 ms·

FYI for anyone else reading: Google maps lets you download maps for offline use.

stoolpigeon 6y ago
Getting that to work consistently is a real pain in the ass. I drive around Europe a lot and I'll download maps to save on roaming data and often I've downloaded a place and my phone still wont be able to generate directions for me. I don't know if I miss little spots that are needed to connect my end points or if it is just broken. It's been this way for quite a while. I've downloaded routes themselves and had that fail as well.
makomk 6y ago
Last time I tried, Google maps wouldn't do any kind of offline routing for walking or cycling, amongst other annoying limitations.
- jschwartzi 6y ago
  That's because Google requires their servers to offload their patented Most Dangerous Path algorithm for cycling directions.
  - petre 6y ago
    The Graphhopper routing service is great for cycling. It even has different bike profiles, walking and hiking. The bike profile is essentially a touring bike and the algo is tuned to avoid slopes. Road bike sticks to the road, MTB uses backroads and footpaths. Hiking prefers more scenic route even if they're longer.
Causality1 6y ago
There are also quite a few offline navigation and hiking/adventure apps. Standalone GPS devices can be rugged but that's about their only advantage. It's silly to complain about smartphones not working off the grid when all you have to do to fix that is tap a button before you leave home.
HumblyTossed 6y ago
Here we go (silly name) allows for offline maps as well and it's pretty good software.
exabrial 6y ago
It has a transactional guarantee of "maybe". I would _definitely_ not rely on this functionality for anything other than non-critical or time sensitive casual navigation on roadways. When I'm out in the bush, I need my device to be up and working locally. It seems that stuff designed in SV just assumes the lifestyle of 100% connectivity is universal.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  Do you have any recommendations for digital mapping solutions that “just work” without connectivity?
  - exabrial 6y ago
    Trailforks is power hungry but is great if you're on-trail. If you're off trail, hilariously Garmin Explore I think is pretty good, you can download Topo and USGS maps, but logging in isn't working right now :) so look elsewhere
  - aeries 6y ago
    maps.me has saved me many times in places with zero connectivity. I can also import my planned adventures as kml files to be sure I'm on track.
  - abkfenris 6y ago
    Gaia GPS is fantastic. You can mix and match layers, and specify what bounds you want to download for a trip. Right now I've got 3 GB stored locally, some of that for the usual locations that I wander out of connectivity, and some for a trip next week. Garmin (formerly Delorme) Earthmate despite their other issues is great for state or province wide vector maps. Not as great for fine navigation and tracking (as it's designed to be paired with and control an InReach), but good for point of interest exploration.
    - macintux 6y ago
      I love Gaia on my iPhone and iPad, but I’ve had real problems with map layers not displaying lately. MapBox Streets and Gaia Streets are both hosed and I can’t figure out why.
iamacyborg 6y ago
And given that GPS services are free, it's fantastic when you need to find your way around a town in a foreign city. I was using it to find my way around the medina in Marrakech last year.
AWildC182 6y ago
Osmand has full offline navigational functionality for free and uses as well as contributes to the open street maps data set instead of a proprietary one. I've used it to save my bacon a few times when I tried to start navigation well away from cell coverage.

Getting that to work consistently is a real pain in the ass. I drive around Europe a lot and I'll download maps to save on roaming data and often I've downloaded a place and my phone still wont be able to generate directions for me. I don't know if I miss little spots that are needed to connect my end points or if it is just broken. It's been this way for quite a while. I've downloaded routes themselves and had that fail as well.

makomk 6y ago

Last time I tried, Google maps wouldn't do any kind of offline routing for walking or cycling, amongst other annoying limitations.

jschwartzi 6y ago
That's because Google requires their servers to offload their patented Most Dangerous Path algorithm for cycling directions.
- petre 6y ago
  The Graphhopper routing service is great for cycling. It even has different bike profiles, walking and hiking. The bike profile is essentially a touring bike and the algo is tuned to avoid slopes. Road bike sticks to the road, MTB uses backroads and footpaths. Hiking prefers more scenic route even if they're longer.

Causality1 6y ago

There are also quite a few offline navigation and hiking/adventure apps. Standalone GPS devices can be rugged but that's about their only advantage. It's silly to complain about smartphones not working off the grid when all you have to do to fix that is tap a button before you leave home.

HumblyTossed 6y ago

Here we go (silly name) allows for offline maps as well and it's pretty good software.

exabrial 6y ago

It has a transactional guarantee of "maybe". I would _definitely_ not rely on this functionality for anything other than non-critical or time sensitive casual navigation on roadways. When I'm out in the bush, I need my device to be up and working locally. It seems that stuff designed in SV just assumes the lifestyle of 100% connectivity is universal.

toomuchtodo 6y ago
Do you have any recommendations for digital mapping solutions that “just work” without connectivity?
- exabrial 6y ago
  Trailforks is power hungry but is great if you're on-trail. If you're off trail, hilariously Garmin Explore I think is pretty good, you can download Topo and USGS maps, but logging in isn't working right now :) so look elsewhere
- aeries 6y ago
  maps.me has saved me many times in places with zero connectivity. I can also import my planned adventures as kml files to be sure I'm on track.
- abkfenris 6y ago
  Gaia GPS is fantastic. You can mix and match layers, and specify what bounds you want to download for a trip. Right now I've got 3 GB stored locally, some of that for the usual locations that I wander out of connectivity, and some for a trip next week. Garmin (formerly Delorme) Earthmate despite their other issues is great for state or province wide vector maps. Not as great for fine navigation and tracking (as it's designed to be paired with and control an InReach), but good for point of interest exploration.
  - macintux 6y ago
    I love Gaia on my iPhone and iPad, but I’ve had real problems with map layers not displaying lately. MapBox Streets and Gaia Streets are both hosed and I can’t figure out why.

iamacyborg 6y ago

And given that GPS services are free, it's fantastic when you need to find your way around a town in a foreign city. I was using it to find my way around the medina in Marrakech last year.

AWildC182 6y ago

Osmand has full offline navigational functionality for free and uses as well as contributes to the open street maps data set instead of a proprietary one. I've used it to save my bacon a few times when I tried to start navigation well away from cell coverage.