You can get offline maps in Windows 10, but what if you want offline maps on your mobile device and you’re using an Android device or an iPhone or iPad? No worries. It’s easy to download offline maps on those devices using Google Maps.
NOTE: Google Maps only allows you to download a 50km x 50km portion of a map to your device and saved areas of maps are automatically cleared after 30 days on your device. Also, if you’re using an iOS device, you must install Google Maps from the App Store.
Open Google Maps on your device and use the search box to search for the area you want to have offline. For our example, we’ll search for Sacramento, CA.
If you’re viewing the map in landscape mode, touch the bar at the bottom that shows the name of the place. Otherwise, if your device is in portrait mode, skip this step.
Tap the menu button (three vertical dots) at the top of the screen and select “Download offline area” from the popup menu.
NOTE: If you’re using an iOS device, select the “Save offline map” option.
On an Android device, Google Maps will ask you if you want to “Download this area?” (or “Save this map?” if you’re using an iOS device). Tap “Download” to save the map to your device.
NOTE: You may see a message saying “Area too large, zoom in”. To get an area that’s not too large, double-tap on the area into which you want to zoom.
A dialog box displays allowing you to name the offline area. Enter a name and tap “Save”.
Once you’ve saved your offline map, you may see a pane on the right side of the screen over the map. If so, tap the back arrow in the upper-left corner of the screen to go back to the main map screen.
Once you’re back on the map screen, tap the menu button (three horizontal bars) on the left side of the search box.
Tap “Your places” on the right pane.
A list of all maps you’ve saved displays. Tap on a saved area to view it. Google Maps also tells you when each saved map will expire.
To manage your saved maps, tap “View All and Manage”.
All your offline areas are listed. To manage one of the areas, tap on the menu button (three vertical dots) for that area.
A popup menu displays allowing you to “Rename”, “Update”, or “Delete” that offline area. For example, we’ll delete our offline area for Sacramento, CA.
A confirmation dialog box displays with a warning statement that your offline area will be deleted. Tap “Delete” to confirm the deletion.
NOTE: A similar dialog box displays in iOS, only they ask you if you want to delete your offline map.
The offline area is removed from the “Offline areas” list. Tap the back button to return to the “Your places” list.
When an offline area needs an update, Google Maps informs you at the bottom of the “Your places” pane. Tap the download button to download an updated map for that offline area.
To clear all offline maps at once, you need to clear the app data for the “Maps” app. Your saved offline maps won’t be deleted if you sign out of the Google Maps app, or delete your Web & App activity or your Maps history.
Using the Location services on an Android device consumes a lot of battery life, so we recommend turning off Location services when not in use. Google tracks the location of your device and stores this location history. If you’re concerned about privacy and would rather your location history not be tracked, you can disable this feature.