Going to Sicily in April. We have a a Samsung 9S and would like to know how we can tap into GPS. Not real tech savvy as we live in a very rural place and rarely need a Smart phone. We have the Michelin map and have always been able to find our way around, but we would like the option.
Thank you.
Samsung 9S
That's a phone, no? I don't have one, but a quick Google suggests it does have GPS.
GPS coverage is worldwide, including Sicily. If you have a device that receives GPS, it should receive the signals as long as it has a clear view of the sky (if it has power). Won't work well in tunnels, caves, underground, or in some buildings.
Always have a good paper map with you for when your device doesn't do what you want or expect.
I assume it has Google maps. If so, download Sicily for offline use. That way no internet is needed. Worked well for me finding a couple out of the way places that were not in my regular GPS. If you’re driving, many rural roads are poorly marked.
I’ll echo what jamieelsabio said and add some warnings. The gps may lead you on a bizarre route. If the road begins to resemble a poorly paved cow path, resort to a paper map for an alternate. Some place names may have alternate spellings. If you know a place exists, but the gps can’t find it, paper is, again, the fallback. Highway numbers often appear only after you have turned onto the road, and then on a fairly obscure marker close to the ground; i.e. the sign directing you to a town doesn’t include the road number. Sometimes the town sign gives a name of a town that is farther along on the road. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the names of some of the towns close to your destination, so you are not misled by its absence from the sign. All of these warnings stem from our experiences.
Resign yourself to the likelihood that you will have some glitches finding your way around, and enjoy the wonder that is Sicily.
Using downloaded Google maps last year on the east coast of Sicily, my phone got us everywhere with precision, including a few places where the directions from the hotel proprietor were a bit of a driving puzzle.
A key is to make sure you've downloaded the maps for offline use - in advance while you're home on wifi. These are the steps I follow on my Android (Samsung) phone.
Download the Google Maps app from the Google Play Store.
Open the app and tap on the menu (3 horizontal bars in upper left)
Tap "Offline maps"
Tap "Select your own map"
Pinch and zoom the map out (to see a broad view of the continents) and then move over to Italy, then down to Sicily.
Zoom in on the area in Sicily where you'll be driving.
Tap "Download"
When the download is complete, notice that the maps says it "expires" on a certain date. You'll want to update the map again a few days before your trip so that you'll have a current (non-expired) map.
Open the Google Maps app and follow the steps above to get back to your "Offline maps"
Tap the 3 horizontal dots next to the map you wish to update.
Tap "Update"
Feel free to send me a message if your phone works a bit differently than above or you have troubles.
We toured Sicily for over two weeks using Google Maps on my iPhone6. It worked perfectly. I had an Italian SIM card ($30 from TIM)which also had data in addition to phone service.
