GPS helper, Offline Turn-By-Turn Navigation

Offline Turn-By-Turn Navigation

Howtogeek.com/

Dedicated GPS devices include a GPS receiver and an offline map database they can use to display your location, provide directions, and allow you to search for locations. Your modern smartphone or tablet also has a GPS chip so it can determine its location offline — all you need is an app that will provide offline map data and navigation directions.

Google Maps allows you to download map data and view it offline. To do so, zoom to the area you want to cache in Google Maps and type “OK maps” into the search box. You can then open Google Maps and see where you are on the map — the map will work fine even when you’re offline. Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t provide a way to get navigation directions offline. You can search for navigation directions before you leave Wi-Fi and continue using the cached navigation directions to get to your destination, but that’s it.

If you’re looking for a free offline GPS navigation app for Android , try Osmand or Navfree. If you’d like something more full-featured and polished, you may want to buy a paid app likeSygic or one of the many other offline navigation apps in Google Play. Sure, they cost money — but they’re cheaper than buying a dedicated GPS device and having to pay for map updates.

On iPhone or iPad, you can use Google Maps to save offline map data in the same way, but it still won’t provide offline navigation. Apple Maps doesn’t provide offline navigation instructions, either. You’ll find a variety of offline navigation apps in the app store, like the paid Sygic and CoPilot GPS.

On Windows Phone, Nokia’s HERE Maps allows you to cache maps for offline use and even get navigation directions offline.

Note that you can’t use an iPod Touch as an offline GPS device. Apple’s iPod Touch doesn’t include GPS hardware, so it can’t use GPS to figure out where it is.

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