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Using an iPhone GPS app offline

Hi, all.
I read Rick's instructions on how to use the GPS function on the iPhone in offline mode but am not sure it's right. I downloaded the map of my city (as a test), then put my phone in the airline mode and started driving. It kind of works; it says "turn right, turn left" but it does not give me the street names. Is that how it's supposed to work? Rick didn't mention it.
I was hopng to use it in Europe. Thanks for any hints!
Victor

Posted by
5687 posts

Try Google Maps offline instead of the iPhone/Apple Maps if offline mode doesn't work well. I found Google Maps Offline is more descriptive than that - I drove for a day in Slovenia with it. (I had plenty of data on my phone but turned it off anyway to try to see how it worked offline. Not perfect but very usable.)

Posted by
5687 posts

OK, you didn't mention Google Maps. How am I supposed to know what you meant?

I use Google Maps offline on my Android (in airplane mode) and it definitely reads street names on my phone. As I said, I used it for a day driving in Slovenia, and it was very usable. I have no idea how it works on an iPhone. You could try a different mapping app that works well for iPhone.

Posted by
4 posts

Andrew, sorry, my fault, I guess I didn't make it clear.
Yes, I use GoogleMaps on an iPhone. If it works for you on an Android, I guess in theory it should work on an iPhone as well, except it doesn't.
After you download the map and turn off the cellular, how do you call up that map after you open the app? I think I may be doing something wrong...
Thanks.

Posted by
3150 posts

Victor, I used Google off line maps last year in Sardinia and Corsica and it did give me street names. After you download the map and turn on airplane mode, when you open the app, the map you downloaded opens automatically. When you are using a downloaded map, you’ll see a notification once you ask for directions that says “Offline. No traffic data.”

Posted by
4 posts

Ha, this is funny! That's exactly where I'm going in a few months, Corsica and Sardinia!!!
I will try it again tomorrow.
Now, did you download maps of the specific areas or the entire islands? And did you use iPhone or something else?
Thanx.
Victor

Posted by
824 posts

Victor,

I've had really good luck with the MapsWithMe (Maps.Me) app. I've used it on both IOS and Android devises. There are a lot of free maps but you need to remember to download them all before you disconnected.

Posted by
277 posts

I got a Garmin app for my iPhone several years ago and still use it.

Posted by
3150 posts

Victor, sorry I didn’t see your question from a month ago. I split the Sardinia map into two slightly overlapping areas. Since I went up the east side of the island and down the west side, I split it into east and west halves. Corsica is a much smaller island so that was one map.

If your phone is unlocked, I’d invest €30 in a TIM for Visitors SIM card. Pay for it online, get to the TIM counter at FCO arrivals, present your voucher and they’ll install and activate it. It comes with 4gigs of data, 100 national and international calls and a €5 credit. Texts are €.20. On my trip to Italy last fall, I used WAZE and liked it better than Google Maps because of additional warnings regarding traffic cams and traffic tutor zones. But you can’t use it off line.

Posted by
515 posts

Google Maps has a feature where you can download individual city maps to your phone, while you are hooked to WIFI, and then access them without WIFI later. So thats a great feature - each night u use Hotel WIFI to plan the next city. However, over that, Google seems to work fairly well even without cell service or wifi service. It has saved my rear end a number of times. For example, I took a $400 Garmin GPS loaded with the optional $100 European maps, and drove in Paris and France, and the Garmin was telling me to drive into rivers in Paris, and just totally unusable 80% of the time. But the simple iPhone running Google Maps was able to get me to Orleans. By the way, I had an experience or two with the Apple map putting me in the wrong place in Cologne - it generally works, but not as well, although this was in 2014.

Posted by
3 posts

Friends are it possible we can Map offline on iPhone. What I know we can't use Map offline anyone guides me to it.